The bean paste attracted many customers, boosting sales for the shop. Whether or not she could, the bean paste she made was of the highest quality. She turned up early and helped Sentaro make bean paste, asking for his help to carry heavy objects. He did not even want to work at the dorayaki shop he was paying off a debt to someone who helped him when he was in need. Indeed, Sentaro was never good at making sweet bean paste. Sentaro changed his mind when he tasted a sample of sweet bean paste given to him by Tokue, which was much better than the paste he bought from a wholesaler to put inside his dorayaki. Given her age and the state of her hands-indeed, her hands were malformed-Sentaro was not eager to bring on the old woman, Tokue, despite her willing to work at a lower salary than was advertised. Over time, Sentaro engages with this woman, finding out that she was a confectioner capable of making sweet bean paste. The book starts by setting the scene, where Sentaro, a man who makes dorayaki, a sweet pancake made with sweet bean paste, sees an old woman staring at the shop where he works, Doraharu. Written by Durian Sukegawa, Sweet Bean Paste is a book I struggled to put down, filled with twists and moments that made me ponder isolation, being a member of society, and pursuing an interest despite the challenges ahead.
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