"The Lion's Dessert": Savor the happiness of living

Although Ogawa Ito's new novel "The Lion's Snack" revolves around the theme of death from beginning to end, it is an extremely gentle novel. It is not too sad to read, only full of touching. It is very healing and very warmth.

The novel begins with the protagonist, who is suffering from terminal cancer, taking a boat to Lemon Island, planning to spend the remaining days of his life in a hospice called Lion Home. This subject matter could easily be tear-jerking and sensational, but the world in Ogawa Ito's works is simple and indifferent, allowing readers to accompany the protagonist through the last days of his life peacefully, savoring the happiness of living, from breathing fresh air to enjoying delicious food. From gazing out over the morning ocean to strolling through the vineyards, every moment alive is worth being grateful for.

Why is this hospice called Lion Home? Because the lion is the king of beasts, you no longer have to worry about being attacked by enemies. You just need to eat and sleep with peace of mind. And a dying person has nothing to be afraid of. Therefore, every guest who stays at the Lion Home , they are all lions, they are all the king of beasts, just enjoy the moment without any worries, be your truest self, no longer care about other people’s eyes, no longer distort your own wishes, and truly enjoy in the last days Live your own life, live more loyal to yourself, and accept yourself as you are, including the ugly and immature parts.

Every guest staying at the Lion's Home has his own story, but they all choose to welcome death peacefully here. The novel does not have much space to tell the past events of these guests. Most of the time, their stories are told in detail through letters read aloud during snack time, and there are many touching moments in them.

Snack time is a tea party held every Sunday at Lion Home. Each guest can write down the snacks he wants to eat again, as well as the memories that accompany the snacks, including what the snacks taste like in the memories, and where they were originally. Under what circumstances did you eat that snack? Lion Home will draw lots every time to determine the snacks to be made that day, and read out the guests’ memories at the tea party to add various flavors to the food.

What snack would you want to eat at the last moment of your life? It must be a taste full of memories. With those memories, it feels like going back to the days that he cherished in the past, such as eating the coriander during his first trip to Europe that made him decide to open a coffee shop in the future, such as secretly spending time with his mother. The peony cakes I made, such as the French layer cake that I challenged myself to make for the first time to celebrate my father’s birthday. The taste brings bits and pieces of memories from the past to the present. Time has passed and the past will not come back again, but tasting the taste of memories again is enough to appreciate the beauty of life.

In "The Lion's Dessert", apart from death, what is most described is all kinds of food. Starting from "Snail Canteen", Ogawa Ito has always been very good at describing food, making readers feel like they are tasting it while reading. to a delicious feast. Because you can only taste delicious food if you have a body, every bite of food makes people sigh, "It's so good to be alive."

The protagonist's body is getting weaker day by day, but the book does not focus on physical pain, but focuses on the opening of the soul. From "I want to live" to death, from anger to gratitude, readers accompany the protagonist After completing this final journey, my soul was slowly nourished.

Everyone is bound to die. This is a known outcome, so the process is the focus. Being able to know that death is coming is actually a kind of happiness. You can say goodbye to your relatives and friends well, and you can be properly prepared to say goodbye to this world. However, people always want to live forever, so we should enjoy our life to the full before death comes.

There is no climax plot, no twists and turns, and "The Lion's Dessert" can still make readers unable to stop reading, turning page after page, wanting to be enveloped by warm words, and wanting to continue to feel the true meaning of life.

Life is to be the light for others, to burn oneself to illuminate others and to illuminate the world.

To be able to live in this world, to be able to read this good book, I really have to say out loud: It’s so good to be alive.

Title: "The Lion's Dessert"

Author: Ogawa Ito

Published by: Yuezhi Culture

Date: 2021/07/05

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