I’ve got into the habit of reading short books recently to reduce the weight of my commuting bag, so was delighted when my best friend gave me The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto, which is a beautifully concise story and continues my recent theme of Japanese fiction (see my blogs on Convenience Store Woman, The Convenience Store by the Sea and Butter).

Yayoi has a sixth sense and sometimes knows exactly what is going to happen just before it does and has a feeling that she has forgotten something important. Although her family life is straightforward, kind and loving, she decides she needs a break and goes to stay with her reclusive aunt who she has always felt a deep connection to.

Here her emotional journey begins and she starts to put two and two together and reexamine relationships with her parents, her brother and her aunt that she has always taken for granted and to question why her aunt lives so strangely.

This is a delightful 133 pages exploration of memory, hidden secrets, love and the meaning of family. I’d highly recommend it.