Read this when
Kitchen
When her grandmother died, the only place she could sleep was next to the fridge. A tiny, glowing book about grief and found family. 🍳
Who it's for
Mikage Sakurai, whose grandmother (her last relative) has just died, can only sleep next to the humming refrigerator.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Banana Yoshimoto's 1988 book (English translation by Megan Backus, 1993) pairs two novellas. In 'Kitchen', Mikage Sakurai, grieving the death of her grandmother, moves in with Yuichi Tanabe and his transgender mother Eriko and slowly grows attached to them, finding work as a cooking teacher's assistant; a later loss draws her and Yuichi closer.
Where to find it
In print (Grove Press); available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla). Not public domain. Check for an audiobook edition.
Before you start
Heads up: A trans woman's murder and grief.
Age: Ages 14+
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5
