The book explores the pains of the leprosy patients in Japan and the cruel treatment which the patients received before the Leprosy Act was instituted. This was a short read and after a very log time I cried over a book. Though Sentaro never enquired with Tokue about the reason of her deformed hands but Sentaro’s boss informed him that Tokue was a leprosy patient and he should immediately remove her from employment as this might affect the sales and people might fear coming to the shop.What followed was Sentaro’s journey to discover more about this disease, his bond with Tokue and his journey to explore his abilities as a Doriyaki chef. She enquired about Tokue and the story behind her crooked hands. Sentaro was not able to keep this under wraps for long and one day his boss paid a visit unannounced. Sentaro never wanted Tokue to interact with customers because of her old age and crooked hands. The sales not only shot up but there were days when Sentaro had to close the shop before closing hours as the stock got exhausted. Tokue completely changed the face of Sentaro’s business. Though Sentaro was skeptical on hiring such an aged person but after continuous persuasion Sentaro hired Tokue. She stated that she had fifty years of experience as a confectionery expert. Later the lady approached him and requested for an employment to help him prepare sweet bean paste. The sales were not high and Sentaro ran it to suffice for his needs. One day he saw an old lady,Tokue across the street admiring the cherry blossom and smiling at him. The wife didn’t take much interest in the shop due to her ailing health. After his boss passed away, his wife became the owner of the shop. Sentaro was a convict who worked in a Doriyaki restaurant. This book is a tale of friendship, love, food, plights of leprosy patients and an ode to the gift of life.
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