This book is sort of like a "Forrest Gump" of war atrocities. It follows a single family and their experiences during World War II. Just within that family, it hits upon:

- The Rape of Nanking and beheading contests of prisoners of war
- The Ohka Kamikaze gliders and their teenage "pilots" (which I had no idea about until reading this book.
- Unit 731 and its human experimentation
(view spoiler)[- Hiroshima (hide spoiler)]

I did find some passages/dialogue redundant. However, I recognize that may be helpful to readers who read the book over a long period of time or if they are having trouble keeping the Japanese names straight.

What struck me most about this book is the incredible amount of research the clearly went into it. Sure enough, there is an epilogue where the author acknowledges the non-fiction sources and organizations that assisted him along the way. Although a work of fiction, there were so many factual events and powerful details interwoven in, I found the book not only enthralling, but educational as well.