I rarely read short story collections because I find them so hard to review as books. Obviously I’m going to like some of the stories more than others and therefore, the whole thing becomes a bit of a balancing act. However, this one stood out to me as something I’d enjoy because most of them are set in Japan and comment on Japanese culture, which is really interesting to me. Thank you to The WriteReads for allowing me to join the blog tour for it!

Takeout Sushi features 17 short stories each with a matching illustration. The stories focus on social interactions, corporate life, displacement, loneliness and more.

Each of the stories are prefaced by a simple line illustration by Rebecca Purton. They give a flavour of what’s to come and I would have loved to have seen them in colour for that extra bit of life in the stories.

The opening story Swallows has a melancholic tone as it sees a couple who want different things in life. Matsu has always done the things that Tsune wants to do, so while she is full of wonder about certain things like the swallow nest in their building, he is bored by it. Although the ending is sad, there is an inevitability there.

Moving on to Burned, which is a funny story with a clumsy narrator. It’s an honest, unromantic look at long term relationships in an amusing voice.

Spinning Wheels is a dark cynical satirical view of corporate life and how dangerous technology can be. It’s a narrative where robots take over and how that could potentially play out. It’s about being undervalued at work and how big companies value profit and efficiency over people and experiences.

The Choice is a strange story with a funny ending. It’s about making choices and how sometimes choices are made for us. It is perhaps the most philosophical in the collection but still uses the dry style of the rest of the collection.

Swirl is a sad yet triumphant story of a widow who discovers that her late husband had another life as a poet, when he posthumously wins a haiku competition. There are mixed feelings of grief, anger and victory against him at the end as she is annoyed that he kept it from her and appears to have been inspired by a past that doesn’t include her.

Like Burned, Crimes For Dummies is centred on an idiotic character. It has a very abrupt ending and that was really jarring.

Bodies is a story of introversion and a character finding their feet as an immigrant. There is a really lovely, satisfying, happy ending.

Magpie Man is a story of redemption and realising you were wrong. Much like the previous narrative, it’s about feeling out of place in a foreign country.

In Apartment 601, there is a strange, unsettling vibe that has an unexpected dull ending. I really wanted some more darkness from this one because it had the potential!

The Tree is a story of neighbours and the effects of unemployment. It’s a small contained story that perhaps has much more going on internally than what we see on the page.

Misdirection sees a classic anxiety dream come true, when the narrator meets a stranger who he previously gave wrong directions to. I definitely felt that anxiety in the writing and that character could have become really relatable, had I spent more time with them.

Plastic Irises explores feelings of loneliness and the disrupting of social norms within a big city, as the narrator is thrown out of a cafe for talking to strangers. It’s also about transitioning between life stages, as the narrator has recently entered retirement.

The Jogger is a funny story about giving in to temptation, as the narrator steals a stranger’s luxury car and goes for a joyride. The anxiety builds and then it gently puts you back down with a ’d'oh!’.

The collection then shifts to a group of stories set in other places and times than contemporary Japan. I’m not sure these stories really belong in this collection and would have perhaps been more appreciated in another book entirely.

Venus is about a painting that has been hidden from public view for decades and is finally unveiled. The story has a really poignant, sweet reveal at the end.

Henry Sparkles is a moving story set during World War One, following the relationship between a young artist and a sparrowhawk that he raises. I could feel the sorrow and fear that war brings as well as how it lingers but Barney the sparrowhawk felt like a symbol of hope.

The Pool is a strange tale of grief and obsession, told by a haunted soul.

Anything But Nice sees a woman with an odd obsession with a particular model of Citroen due to a man who ghosted her years before. She ends up letting go of her attachment to both the car and him.

Takeout Sushi is simply written and Green’s style is very matter-of-fact. There isn’t much in the way of description but as these little slice of life snapshots are so character focused, I’m not sure it matters so much. I don’t think short stories as a format are really for me because I always end up wanting more but I did enjoy some of these stories a lot, so I’d recommend it if you like short stories.

The author of this book is not Japanese. Defends his reasoning for writing the book as having lived in Japan with his wife since 1994. A cis het white man living in Japan does not a Japanese man make. Some of the stories in this book really dance on the line of what’s acceptable for a non Japanese author to write. I’d much rather support the work of an own voices Japanese author, especially given the disparities of publishing statistics between white and minority/ BIPOC authors. Additionally there is a short story in this book that mentions Harry Potter. Again I will remind readers and authors alike that including Harry Potter content of any kind in any work is unacceptable and transphobic. Trans people have shared that due to the authors views and transphobic actions the Harry Potter franchise is no long safe for them and hurts and harms them. This is basic information known within the Bookstagram and LGBTQIAP+ community, and I encourage all authors to never mention the franchise again.

DNF @ 72%

My sincerest thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

one of the prettiest covers! i was't sure about this one at first and then i discovered that the writing style changes with each story which i enjoyed. i liked the humour, the variety of situations, and the breadth of culture.just sometimes with short stories i feel i;ve read enough, by the time i get to a certain point

This is an EXCELLENT story collection. All very unique and compelling. Even with a few that seem to start off feeling very ordinary and quiet, something happens, and it was like a jolt that made me sit up more in my seat. I actually quite love how ordinary the characters and circumstances are in these stories, but then the most extraordinary events take place. I will be re-reading many of these!

The beautiful, bright blue cover of this book was so eye-catching that I couldn't resist requesting it. At the time, though, I wasn't expecting much beyond a few short stories set in Japan. However, as I delved into each story, I was glad I had made the right move in requesting it.

Takeout Sushi is a collection of 13 short stories showcasing the complexity of the city and interactions of an humans day-to-day life in Japan. The author, having lived in Japan for some time now, has precisely captured the essence of contemporary Japan and its people, penning each story in a witty manner along with a range of emotions. Each story was meaningful and carries a moral of some kind. The stories mainly focus on a variety of dynamics such as the relationship between husband and wife, boss and employee, the city and its citizens, etc. Additionally, the book includes 4 bonus stories from a different time and setting. This book also showcases some simple illustrations.

Though, I liked most of the stories, here is a glimpse into some of my favourites:

Swallow tells the story of a childless husband and wife who move into a new apartment, where swallows have built their nest. The wife finds comfort in seeing the swallows hatch and grow, but resistance from the husband brings the story to a practical end.

Burned was the most funniest story in the whole book and one of my favourites.This story teaches us never to iron clothes naked. Specially, if you're a man.

Spinning Wheels tells the story of a hardworking employee stripped of his managerial position and transferred to another department when the company decides to hire robots to improve efficiency. What happens next is a disaster, highlighting that robots can never truly replace humans.

Magpie Man is the story of a common office-goer who begins finding unique small lost objects on the road fallen from the pockets on commuters on their way to the station. Instead of returning the objects to the lost and found department, he ends up keeping it in a cookie box in his apartment, which eventually grows into a habit. But what happens in the end forces him to reflect on breaking this habit for good.

Henry Sparkles is another heart-touching story where an artist is called to serve at the Western Front and finds comfort in a sparrowhawk amidst the war.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to reading more from the author in future. Highly recommended if you like short stories and Japanese Lit.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers at Neem Tree Press and Author Christopher Green for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Takeout Sushi is an unexpectedly fun collection of short stories with a twist.

The blurb attracted me with the comparison to Before The Coffee Gets Cold. I am a big fan of contemporary Japanese literature, especially slice-of-life cozy stories, and this book didn't disappoint. The topics of the stories range from robots to car enthusiasts to personal relationships. They're all well written and can stand on their own as compelling little slices of life in Japan from the point of view of an immigrant.

What I didn't expect was for the book to actually feature two parts - the one set in contemporary Japan spans about 75% of the book, and there's a shorter collection of assorted stories from various places around the world and across time. It initially felt a bit jarring to move from one section to the other because I enjoyed the first part so much, but that soon stopped when I realized this second part is equally well written and somehow even more enthralling than the first. It's like discovering a hidden bonus chapter at the end of your favorite author's book that gives you more of what you loved before you even knew you wanted it.

Overall, you get 2 themed collections bundled in one enjoyable book that is sure to serve as a nice palate cleanser in between longer reads. This is great for fans of Japanese literature and short stories as a format.

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

Takeout Sushi is a collection of short stories mainly set in Japan. It's a solid collection with some standing out more than others. I think I expected more of an exploration of Japanese culture when reading the stories but I did enjoy most of them.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Takeout Sushi' by Christopher Green.

'Takeout Sushi' by Christopher Green is a collection of short stories. And as is common with short stories, there's some you enjoy and some you just dislike. I really liked the little sketches after each story, it redeemed even the stories I disliked. Green has a nice writing style so I would be interested to read more from him.

I’m afraid that this collection of short stories really wasn’t for me, and I left it unfinished 60% of the way through (11 of the 17 stories).

These stories are small slices of life, mostly from the perspective of a foreigner living in Japan. Each little vignette nicely captures a mood, but, while there was a charm in many of them, the mood that was mostly captured seemed to be that of a mundane daily life. The world being painted felt quite grey. Unfortunately, I simply wasn’t engaged by any of the stories, and I found the outcome of most of them to be unremarkable. There were a few times when the author teased me with a what seemed to be a tantalising moment of insight - for example, the subjective nature of “under budget, and on time” in ‘Spinning Wheels’, or ignoring the roots while being captivated by the leaves in ‘The Tree’ - but these were unsatisfyingly underdeveloped.

Maybe I’m missing the point. Maybe the point is to immerse oneself in the grey mundanity of daily life, and enjoy these gentle fables of regret, hubris, and growth.

I did laugh out loud in ‘Burned’, though. And the illustrations are nice.

Thank you #NetGalley and Neem Tree Press for the free review copy of #TakeoutSushi in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A thoroughly enjoyable short story collection which I devoured in two sittings!

The only critique I have is that the last few stories not based in Japan felt a little out of place but they were still great so perhaps would have been better suited in a collection of their own!

This was a delight to read and it's a good insight into different aspect of Japanese culture. Enjoyed it quite a bit!

Takeout Sushi, an illustrated short-story collection book of 13 contemporary Japanese stories and four bonus tales from a debut British author, gives the readers mixed emotional feelings from each of its narratives.

Having lived in Japan for a long time, the author brings in the claustrophobic and congested city life, metro travel, and day-to-day commute to offices with his easy, readable, and flowy prose with precision.

These stories focus on the relationship dynamics of husband-wife, manager-employee, travel companions, strangers, and other whole lot of permutations and combinations that form the daily mundane human activities.

The first story, ‘Swallows’, is about a busy working husband and a housewife moving to a new apartment, where a sparrow builds a nest inside their corridor to safeguard her chicks. What happens to the nest and to the husband-wife duo at the end of the story was pretty much dealt with with a practical ending.

My favourite is ‘Burned’, a complete laugh riot with painful consequences, literally and figuratively, where a husband has fun time when his wife is on a work trip to Spain until he burns the outer skin of his private area while pressing his clothes. A humorous take on an untoward incident. If you are a man, you know and feel that pain!

Another moving tale is ‘Bodies’. It is about a British employee who has been assigned work in the Tokyo branch of his company who takes a weekend solo trip to a nearby mountain town for trekking to have a peaceful one, free of human distractions and the hustle and bustle of city life. However, he gets lost in the trekking journey and returns in the dark before a human hand comes to the rescue. The ending of this story was good in a subtle way.

Other favourites include ‘Magpie Man’, a story about an officegoer who treasures unwanted items left accidently by employees, commuters, and strangers until he is caught by a woman. Another funny tale that is quirky.

‘Misdirection’ is a sure-shot must-read story for its sheer ending. This is the revenge story of a couple who were misdirected by a local commuter and its repercussions. The revenge part is intelligently executed.

Apart from Japanese-set stories, there were four additional stories, which span a wide range of timelines and even include a war story (based on the First World War) and another revenge story of an ex-partner buying her past lover’s car model only to ditch it.

Overall, this short-story collection felt new, fresh, and contemporary in all aspects—story, plot, character, and the sheer ebb and flow of narration, which had a solid opening, a good middle portion, and a dramatic or perfect ending.

I would not say you will like all the stories in this collection, but I can guarantee that you can relate to most of the tales for their stupidity, genuine emotion, and human relationships.

In my effort to break out of my comfort zone and stop only reading a certain kind of book, I'll try out a new collection of short stories every so often, hoping it will inspire and enchant me. However, time after time, I end up being sort of underwhelmed.

Takeout Sushi is a collection of short stories that are mostly set in Japan and inspired by the author's personal life. While I did really enjoy some of them, others seemed almost pointless to me.

However, despite my mixed feelings, I believe any reader would be able to find a story that resonates with them. It's possible that one of the stories that left me feeling underwhelmed could be someone's new favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed a lot this collection of short stories. As always with short stories, there were a few good ones, there were others I enjoyed only on the moment but there were also a lot I reread because I didn't want them to be finished.
For me, the stories set in Japan were more interesting and entertaining then the ones from other places and times.
The writing style is captivating. The author managed to teleporte me into each story from the first phrases.

A great collection of short stories based around the authors own experiences living abroad. Each story brings an aspect of interactions the characters have living in Japan. Cultural differences and norms shape the stories through the experiences the characters are having. Some of these were fun and funny, others were rich with mystery and dark humour at times. A great collection many would enjoy.

I don’t generally read short stories but I’m glad to have come across “Takeout Sushi”. This is a charming short stories collection, written in a witty and smart voice and reflecting on human experience against the backdrop of Japanese culture and everyday (and not) life. There is a lot of humour, dark and not, and plenty of beautiful illustrations preceding each story. I thought some of them had rather abrupt endings, but I enjoyed reading them overall. Thank you for the ARC, Neem Tree Press!

Thank you, Neem Tree Press, for the ARC!

A collection of slice-of-life short stories, predominantly set in Japan, and blending cultures in a reflection of the author's own experiences. My favourites were Spinning Wheels, Bodies, and Magpie Man, with an honourable mention to Misdirection.

Green is great at setting an emotional tone, the humour in these stories feels so natural, and at times he manages to build suspense and made me question whether the story was going to take a sinister or paranormal turn. The crippling second-hand embarrassment I got from The Jogger really shows the talent that Green has when bringing these emotions to life with mere words.

I do feel as though a lot of the stories end quite abruptly, though. Only a few have a real 'end' and offer closure. Also, while I enjoyed the last four stories, I wonder if it would have been more appropriate to only have stories centred around Japan for this book, and release another book with UK centred stories?

I liked Anywhere but Nice because I live in Dorset and I always love seeing the tiny seaside town mentioned, but-! The train she gets is mentioned as leaving the New Forest, and then she catches a glimpse of the Channel. I'm sure Green already knows this and is just being creative for the sake of the story, but for anyone getting their hopes up of a picturesque seaside train journey, this isn't actually possible.

3.5/5

"Takeout Sushi" is quite a neat composition, I must say. It's brilliantly written with a solemn atmosphere. It portrays a diverse and unique array of narrative, each invoking a different set of emotions. What's particularly striking is the impeccable craftsmanship evident in every story. Each storyline is meticulously infused with palpable creative consistency. The juxtaposition of various human experiences lends the collection a sense of poignancy.

A collection of illustrated shirt stories, which reflect the author's own experiences and definitely have a slice of life feel to them. My students have a new fascination with translated fiction, so I think they will really enjoy this.

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.

These adult fiction stories were inspired by his own experiences and had a slice-of-life feel. Like all collections of stories, I enjoyed some more than others, but the writing flowed and was easy to read. Some stories were witty, while others were more mandane. I still found enjoyment in all the stories.

I rate this book 3.5 🌟

I'd like to say a huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.