Book Review: Takeout Sushi by Christopher Green

Takeout Sushi is a collection of 17 illustrated short stories set mostly in contemporary Japan that explore feelings of belonging, displacement, and the strangeness of everyday human interaction.

In an innovative, fast-paced company, a man’s job comes under threat when a team of robots are brought in to replace the HR department. A husband’s search for shortcuts to his domestic tasks goes painfully wrong. Overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, a foreigner takes a weekend break and discovers something other than solitude in the mountains.

Marking Christopher Green’s debut adult fiction and inspired by his own experiences, these whimsical slice-of-life tales are full of heart and humour—perfect for fans of Convenience Store Woman and Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

GENRE: Contemporary Short Story Collection

PURCHASE LINK: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A long-time resident of Japan, Christopher lives near Tokyo with his wife and daughter. Christopher writes short stories and children's stories. His first collection of short stories Takeout Sushi is due for publication by Neem Tree Press in May 2024.

For a little more about Christopher and his books, please visit www.greeninjapan.com. For Christopher's Goodreads page for his children's books, please visit Chris Green.

Review

I don't know if it's just because I've been to Japan (Tokyo at least) and I grew up watching anime, but I really liked this collection. It had the right mix of slice of life with not quite common perspectives, and stories more along the lines of science fiction or even magical realism. "Whimsical slice-of-life tales" per the blurb is an accurate description, actually.

I liked the writing style as well as the accompanying illustrations. They evoked memories of my time in Japan, which I thought was great and even made me feel a little nostalgic. The humor also had a very Japanese touch. It's hard for me to describe, but it really felt different from British/American short stories I read in recent years.

I highly recommend this book and I'm already looking forward to Christopher Green's next stories!

(Incidentally, in the days I read this I was also watching The Grimm Variations, a Netflix anime anthology that retold fairytales with a very Japanese flavor. It went very well with this book, and together they've inspired me to write something Filipino-flavored too!)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️⭐️️

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Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino SFFH author and book reviewer currently based in the UK. I’m the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse myth new adult urban fantasy trilogy, and I also have several short stories published in anthologies and literary journals.

You can find more info about me and my books, and also subscribe to my newsletter for more content, here. And if you like what I do, please also consider supporting me on Ko-fi! 🩷 https://ko-fi.com/mariesinadjan

If you fancy a short read this #IndieApril, I have a cozy reimagining of the Norse myths about Hel, but it's just under 70 pages and can be read in one sitting. ✨ Plus there's a swag kit coming soon! Includes a "membership card," a bookmark, a sticker, an origami dog, and an exclusive 500-word story 🫶🏼

All things end, and all must die.

But death is not always the end.

When Geiravor Lokisdottir was stripped of her name and cast out of Asgard, torn from her family and the life she had known, she thought she’d lost it all. But in the shadows of Niflheim she discovers the path to her destiny, and what it truly means to be queen.

This is a prequel short story to THE PROPHECIES OF RAGNAROK trilogy by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan, and a retelling of the myths involving Hel, the Norse goddess of death and the queen of the underworld.