By Jamie Ford
Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Translation quality: N/A
Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My recommendation: A tale of two friends parted by the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII, this book brings to life what it felt like to be sent away or left behind.
Another wartime tale, this one is set in Seattle at the time the US government sent all Japanese Americans on the West Coast to internment camps. Told from the perspective of a Chinese-American boy who befriends a Japanese-American girl and a Black jazz musician, it brings to life what it was like to live in that racially-divided community in a time of war. All the main characters suffered from prejudice against non-whites, but this book highlights the shades of discrimination that were brought into sharp focus by the internment, not just from outsiders but within their own families.
The story is a heartfelt tale of what it feels like to find a soulmate, then be separated by forces you can’t control.
It’s a pleasant read, and although the dilemmas faced by the main characters are believably explored, I thought the good guys tend to be a little too good, and the bad guys a little too bad. It nevertheless kept me turning the pages right to the end, and comes to a satisfying conclusion.
You can get it right now, or check out the October Japanagram to see if you won a copy! All subscribers are automatically entered to win—if you’re not yet a member of this lucky group, click this button to subscribe, and be automatically signed up to enter.
How I pick the book giveaway winners: At the end of September, I will load all the email addresses of current Japanagram subscribers into an online random name picker and ask it to choose one lucky subscriber to get the book from this month’s review. I’ll publish the winner’s email in the next Japanagram (obscured in a way so only the subscriber will be able to recognize it as their own, of course) so check your October Japanagram to see if you won!
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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