Banana Yoshimoto’s “Goodbye Tsugumi” is a beautifully crafted story that follows two female cousins as they spend one last summer together. Published in 1989, the timeless novel includes Yoshimoto’s signature eccentric characters and aspects of adolescence.

Maria and her cousin Tsugumi have grown up together in a family inn by the seaside. Tsugumi, having been diagnosed with an illness from a young age, is weak in power but carries a strong spirit. Their family has grown accustomed to her arrogance and egocentric tendencies. However, Maria and her mother move to Tokyo to live with her father.

After settling into her new life in the city, she receives a call from Tsugumi relaying that they will be selling the inn and moving out soon. Maria returns to the seaside town to spend the summer with Tsugumi and solve unresolved tensions before the two must split ways.

Throughout the coming-of-age storyline, Yoshimoto weaves in messages about childhood, freedom, love, and the loss of all of these. Charming as it is wistful, “Goodbye Tsugumi” is a perfect read that explores the changes one goes through as the spring snow of youth melts and the fall leaves of adulthood arrives. 

“This world of ours is piled high with farewells and goodbyes of so many different kinds, like the evening sky renewing itself again and again from one instant to the next-and I didn’t want to forget a single one,” Banana Yoshimoto, “Goodbye Tsugumi.”

A Farewell to Adolescence

Entering college marks an important milestone in many teenagers’ lives; similarly, Maria finds herself entering a new chapter of her life as she begins college after moving to Tokyo. Not only did Maria leave her old high school and home back in the seaside, but she also left a piece of herself as well. She narrates various memories from her childhood, like stealing cakes from the bakery she worked at or viewing the annual summer festival fireworks. It is drastically different from the bleak, rushing city lifestyle.

Although Maria must leave Tsugumi and her relatives behind, she is finally reunited with her father in Tokyo. Her father had lived separately from her mother and her as he divorced his first wife and finalized his marriage with Maria’s mother. He often took trips to the seaside inn during the summer, but eventually had to leave due to his work. Maria now has her family by her side constantly as she takes on the challenge of adjusting to college and her new home. 

However, Maria is not the only one with a new family. Tsugumi, despite her cold nature, is quite popular in the town for her delicate beauty. Kyoichi, a young man who has just moved into town, catches Tsugumi’s eye and the two are quick to befriend each other.

Maria and Tsugumi’s stories also parallel each other in that both must leave behind their homes. Tsugumi’s family plans to move out of the inn that they have been running for all her life. The loss of innocence is represented by the physical departure from a childhood home. While Maria and Tsugumi had grown up together in one home, they must now learn to grow into adults and lead different paths with their new families. 

Fate Versus Will

Readers may have mixed opinions on the nature of Tsugumi; she is sarcastic, snarky, and always has an offensive comment prepared for the wrong timing. She resembles the tyrant of the household despite being the youngest member.

Maria has learned to deal with Tsugumi’s antics, recalling a time that Tsugumi had even forged a fake letter from their late grandfather. Tsugumi, although ill, maintains her spot as the strongest character of the novel; she speaks her mind freely and expects obedience in response. However, her perceived power sets the stage for a struggle between fate versus will.

After outbursts of emotion, Tsugumi often falls ill and must remain in bed for the remainder of the day. She is met with the reality of her physical restraints, allowing moments of sympathy from the reader. 

Towards the climax of the novel, Tsugumi falls ill with a fever like no other before and is immediately hospitalized. She usually only required a day to recover, but this trip seems to last multiple days. In the midst of the hazy fever, Tsugumi loses the spark in her eye and her arrogance dissipates as well. In a pessimistic conversation with Maria, she reveals that she has lost her will to live. She has accepted the reality that she is not in control and makes no effort to retaliate. Maria realizes that she is no longer talking with the same Tsugumi as before.

The dreamy spell of the fever allows for more than one transformation for Tsugumi however.

After a couple more days, Tsugumi recovers from her sickness. Not only has she regained her prideful nature, she has also taken on a new viewpoint of life. The time spent alone in the hospital has allowed her to reflect and adopt an appreciation for the people in her life. She has once again changed from the Tsugumi that Maria thought she knew. However, this time it is for the better. 

Yoshimoto’s Take on Love

Along with the ideas of youth and independence, the story also tackles the tricky concept of love and its various forms.

Tsugumi shows strong favoritism for Maria and Kyoichi over other family members for the same reason: they both seem to deeply understand her true intentions. After growing up together for over a decade, Maria has learned to decode the real emotions behind Tsugumi’s words.

Kyoichi also seems to be different from all of Tsugumi’s previous boyfriends. Tsugumi feels that he understands how she truly feels without her having to articulate it. The possible reason behind this connection is revealed as Kyoichi explains that he had also once fallen extremely ill when he was a child and survived.

On the other hand, Maria’s father provides a different meaning of love from an adult’s perspective. Maria often wonders how her father does not get tired after traveling back and forth from the sea and city. She worries that one day, her father may decide that they are not worth it. However, her father expresses how being there for his family when he can is his form of love. He makes the tiring, countless trips with the dream of being able to bring his family all together one day. His persistence is rewarded as the family is happily reunited in Tokyo. 

Although she can be considered the main character of the story, Maria does not have a romantic love interest nor does she mention past lovers. Rather, she explores her relationships with her family members and discovers what they truly mean to her.

Ultimately, all the characters are searching for something to prove their love: Tsugumi longs for empathy, Maria’s dad yearns for permanence, and Maria herself searches for closure to her childhood years. 

“My memories will remain here, closed within this dry noon. Encased within the unique feeling of noon in a town by the ocean,” Banana Yoshimoto, “Goodbye Tsugumi.”

“Goodbye Tsugumi” is the perfect read for the summertime; Yoshimoto’s poetic and descriptive diction transport the reader into a summer that is blistering and cooling all at once. The usage of summer and the ocean as an extended metaphor allows for an appreciation of the changing seasons and the feelings that come and go with them. While the novel has a nostalgic feel, it also has positive notes about change and anticipating the next step. It is highly recommended as it captures the last beautiful moments of youth and the experiences that ensue.