Thoughtful ... The first half of Sisters in Yellow epitomizes what makes Kawakami’s writing so great, melding incisive social commentary with a cast of memorable, scrappy, put-upon young people. But an abrupt tonal shift late in the novel, something seemingly endemic to all Kawakami’s work, results in the protagonist evincing a rather dizzying change in temperament and the narrative meandering its way through fits and starts toward a disappointingly rote dénouement. The serialized origin of “Sisters in Yellow” gives the story a spontaneous authenticity and whimsy, yet also feels responsible for the novel’s shortcomings, namely its overly drawn-out second half and the sidelining of a major character ... An enjoyable 12-episode season that could’ve been an eight-episode masterpiece.
Taylor and Yoshio smoothly translate the story, which has a grim arc of inevitability. But, given how clear-cut the crisis is, the novel feels overlong. Each woman is challenged in her own way, but since Hana’s perspective is the only one given, other characters’ struggles don’t have the same depth. An ambitious, imperfectly executed tale of tested sisterhood.
