somewhat reminded me of kitchen, thematically. in argentine hag, banana yoshimoto once again explores the themes of family, death, loss, grief, and coping with the death of a loved one. however, i wasn't bored because the approach is different from her approach in kitchen, and so are the characters. they deal with the grief differently, which is quite good because it allowed the author to showcase the varying ways people cope with loss. just like every other banana yoshimoto book, it's very atmospheric, it has some peculiar elements, and it's well written in her signature style. the design of the book stands out though, because of the pictures by nara yoshimoto ^^