Having read Kitchen first, I proceeded to read Lizard. I guess I enjoyed it; I did finish it and have few complaints. However, I felt that it lacked a certain fluidity of language and style. Who knows? It is difficult to say when you are dealing in translations. Whatever the case, there were a few redeeming qualities and underlying themes... Yoshimoto's skill for creating images that stand out, her ability to hint at bigger themes (although it is disappointing that she neglects to pursue them more deeply.) Such themes that she touches but does not tackle include the transitory nature of things, living a pop culture sort of life in a pop culture sort of world, loss/growing up, self-discovery, reflections on everyday events and how they eventually shape who we are, and the constraints of traditional Japanese culture and the changes within it. But Yoshimoto just touching these matters makes it seem simply... cliche.