In their Saitama office, Ashikawa is the kind of woman Nitani knows he will likely marry: sweet, obliging, and determined to wean him off his addiction to instant noodles. But he finds himself increasingly unable to respect her – or the sugary treats she shares around the workplace, winning their colleagues’ affection with baking rather than hard work.
Oshio is bolder and uninhibited – she is Nitani's drinking buddy. In the oppressive office atmosphere, the pair grows closer, both outsiders struggling with the rigid status quo.Review:
This book is the small package good things come in. A short but powerful and memorable story about the absurdity of modern life and corporate culture.
A dramatically larger than life peek into the inner workings of adults in the office, their personal lives seeping into work, conflicts, crushes and of course, complex power dynamics. From pot noodles, to protein pills to freshly cooked soba, the story uses beautifully described food as a metaphor to playful and thoughtfully explore power and responsibility.
Each character was just so very human despite their eccentricity — some flawed, judgmental, outdated, desperate or manipulative but so very real in their imperfections. There was an intriguing, strange flow to the story as one narrator uses first person and another third, so it both creates an interesting but at times annoying read especially when it lulls occasionally into mundanity and endless walls of conversation. From misogynistic, ableist and just unlikeable characters, at times it felt like these features were written to showcase them as failings, to show how men have viewed women as stereotypes and give us a look through their lens to show it's ridiculousness - but admittedly a risky move as it could read as just being sexist itself.
A complicated strange little read.
⭐⭐⭐
- May You Have Delicious Meals is available with Random House UK.
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