Tokyo Pleasures - Dorian Sukigawa

The first time I saw you, it was my weekly outing. I was strolling, amazed by the cherry trees on the commercial street when a delicious smell led me to discover the Doraharu shop. And I saw you then. I saw your face. Your eyes looked very sad, just like mine in the past. That’s why I stopped in front of the shop, as if I was irresistibly drawn to it. * * * Sentaro works in a shop selling Dorayaki pancakes located in the heart of Tokyo. His life turns upside down when he hires Toki, the old lady with deformed fingers who will teach him how to prepare the filling of his pancakes with love and skill, until his shop becomes a destination for lovers of this traditional Japanese sweet. But Toki was hiding a secret that cannot be revealed, so she disappeared without warning just as she appeared, leaving Sentaro with a lesson that will stay with him for a lifetime. Tokyo Pleasures is a touching and poetic novel revolving around the pains of bodies and hearts, and about love, compassion, and resilience, but above all, it is a story of an unexpected meeting between two people who resemble each other more than they think, despite their age difference and aspirations. It is a wonderful novel, a feast to be devoured without moderation!