Sweet Bean Paste
This was a book that I read after I had already watched the movie about 2 or 3 years ago. At the time, I thought the movie was quite sweet, a bit of a slice of life, and a bit of a tragedy story for the lepers of the time in Japan.
The book, which the movie was based off of is very much the same. Say what you will, but Japanese adaptations of books tend to be very word-for-word rigorous re-enactment of the elements of the book that can be re-enacted, and Sweet Bean Paste is no exception. As such, the book does fill in some details, such as more of Tokue’s backstory and a dream sequence that I’m pretty sure is not in the movie.
All in all, if you enjoy a slice of life, and the everlasting tension between living a right life versus an easy life, this is one of those books that I can recommend. There’s as much in here to unpack as you’d want to unpack, or to just leave it at the surface and take it as it is.