The Story Archive

Mina's Matchbox

Yōko Ogawa · 2006 CE · Novel · Japanese · Contemporary

In 1972, twelve-year-old Tomoko is sent to live for a year in the Ashiya house of her wealthy relatives, among a pet pygmy hippopotamus, a German grandmother and her asthmatic cousin Mina. She recalls that year as an adult through its small ceremonies and objects. It won the 2006 Tanizaki Prize and reached English in 2024.

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Attributes

Genre
Coming-of-Age
Theme
Memory & TimeLoss of InnocenceFellowshipDeath & Mortality
Archetype (Jung / Campbell)
InnocentCaregiver
Plot type
Bildungsroman
Form
Frame Narrative
Symbol / motif
The HouseThe Box / Jar
Conflict
vs Self
Mode / tone
ElegiacLyrical
Culture / tradition
Japanese

Closest analogues