Ms Ice Sandwich by Meiko Kawakami

 

This is a novella written by Mieko Kawakami, the winner of the winner of the Akutagawa Prize. It is a cute story of a young boy's infatuation with a girl who works at one of the sandwich parlours that he visits over the summer. The young unnamed protagonist is fascinated by the girl who has a unique facial feature. She has large eyes with icy blue eyelids. Being in fourth grade and hardly ten years old he is often at a loss about what to make of his feelings. One has to acknowledge the credit of the translator Louise Heal Kawai who manages to render a child's voice to the nerrative.

The boy names her Ms Ice Sandwich because her eyes remind him of blue icy popsicles. He is also deeply fascinated by her aloof attitude towards the customers while efficiently and deftly fulfilling her duty of serving them the sandwich of their choices. 

The young boy saves money just to be able to buy sandwich and she her from close quarters. He cannot talk to her still. But one day when he overhears his classmates talking about the sandwich girl's facial reconstruction going wrong and leaving her with 'horrid' features, he is confused. He found her eyes endearing but knowing that they are not real left a deep impact on his mind. It seems he was influenced by what his classmates said. It is very common in children to respond to peer pressure.

The young boy is a little shy and recluse and he does not have too many friends in school. So he shares his thoughts with his grandmother who is bed bound. Even his mother is often caught in her own work to give him a lot of attention. But when he confides to his friend Tutti, she encourages him to go and talk to Ms Ice Sandwich. 

By the time, he makes up his mind to meet her, he realises that she has left her job. But he manages to meet her for one last time and gift her a sketch she made of her. Her usually impassive face softens while seeing the sketch. 

Through this simple story and from the perspective of a young child, the author reflects on a society marked by isolationism. It also reflects on a society whereby standards of beauty are superficial. It also gives voice to the yearning of a young boy hoping to find a place to belong. When he watches a foreign film with Tutti and enacts a gun fight scene, the very act of companionship means a lot to him. In a beautiful way, it also gives the message of change in life which is inevitable and the possiblity of ending relationships and moving on. The simple story touches on universal values of the desire to belong, to fit in but also to be able to convey one's feelings. Its an uncanny but satisfying read.