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Getting Oriented: A Novel about Japan
After an old college buddy persuades him to guide a group of Americans traveling through Japan, Phil Fletcher's debut as a tour guide takes his life in unexpected directions. The group includes a high-powered career woman who finds far more than historic sights in the Land of the Rising Sun; a man who discovers a hidden interest in Japanese erotica; a neglected wife and a Southern belle vying for attention on Phil's futon; and a retired couple facing their deepest fears on the much-anticipated trip of a lifetime. Private dramas provoke crises and life-changing decisions during this twelve-day tour of Japan, as the group travels from the serenity of ancient Kyoto temples to the towering heights of Tokyo skyscrapers.
240 pages, Paperback
First published July 13, 2011
About the author
Wally Wood
3 books5 followersMy new novel, "The Girl in the Photo," was inspired by the picture on the book's cover, a young Japanese woman sitting at a table smiling at the camera, a chrysanthemum virtually lighting her face. Who is she? Who took the picture? What is her story?
Like my first novel, "Getting Oriented," Japan plays a significant role in the new book although two thirds of the action takes place in the US. Unlike the my first novel, the new one is not really about Japan (although readers will still learn things about the country and its culture). The new book is really about relationships between father and daughter, between father and son, and between brother and sister.
The reasons someone writes fiction are as varied as individual writers. I do it because it helps me impose--or discover--meaning and structure on experience. It helps me to live what I consider to be a full and productive life.
I knew I was a writer when, in junior high school, I wrote a humorous sketch for an English assignment. The teacher praised it and read it to the class, which laughed when it was supposed to. The piece even seemed to entertain the adults who read it. I realized that my words, my creations, could entertain and, as a result, people--including girls--would pay attention to me.
In high school, I wrote plays, stories, and poetry. In the Army, I wrote reviews and stories. In college, I wrote a column for the school newspaper and an unpublished novel. I found a job as a writer on a trade magazine and spent 25 years as a reporter and writer, raised a family, but always continued to write poetry, plays, and fiction. I became a ghostwriter and have now published 19 business books, but I never stopped writing fiction. I went back to college and earned an MA in creative writing.
I suspect my early novels did not find a publisher because, while I found the central character fascinating, readers did not find his character, his wants, or his challenges very engaging. While fiction has no unbreakable rules, a good general maxim is this: If readers don't care what happens to your main character they're not going to read your book. Ideally you want an interesting character in an interesting situation so that readers want to know what's going to happen next. Occasionally a writer will put cardboard characters in an extraordinary situation and sell a million books ("The Di Vinci Code," "Fifty Shades of Grey") but that's unusual.
The novels I enjoy reading tell me something about the world and the human condition. Ideally, they tell me something new. It's why I prefer a police procedural mystery to, say, Agatha Christie. For that reason, the books I want to write, ideally tell readers something about people and how they live, about the world and how it works.
Between the US Army, my undergraduate college experience, and regular practice ever since, I speak enough Japanese to have been hired to lead tours in Japan. It occurred to me that a tour would be an interesting situation to fictionalize...a diverse group of Americans...a foreign culture...an inexperienced guide...many opportunities for tension and conflict. And the thought became the seed that grew into the 240 pages of "Getting Oriented: A Novel about Japan."
With "The Girl in the Photo," it occurred to me that it would be interesting for the middle-aged children to discover a photo and a letter touching on a period in their father's life they knew nothing about.
While I did not consciously set out to do so, I find that I tend to put my imaginary characters in real places. I do not care for books that are set in an imaginary place (Ed McBain's 87th Precinct mysteries) or are coy about identifying their real setting. Someone could replicate the tour in "Getting Oriented," although, again, the tour in the book is neither the tour I led nor are the characters in the book portraits of people on my tours. The characters in both novels are composites of many people I've known. And although I
Like my first novel, "Getting Oriented," Japan plays a significant role in the new book although two thirds of the action takes place in the US. Unlike the my first novel, the new one is not really about Japan (although readers will still learn things about the country and its culture). The new book is really about relationships between father and daughter, between father and son, and between brother and sister.
The reasons someone writes fiction are as varied as individual writers. I do it because it helps me impose--or discover--meaning and structure on experience. It helps me to live what I consider to be a full and productive life.
I knew I was a writer when, in junior high school, I wrote a humorous sketch for an English assignment. The teacher praised it and read it to the class, which laughed when it was supposed to. The piece even seemed to entertain the adults who read it. I realized that my words, my creations, could entertain and, as a result, people--including girls--would pay attention to me.
In high school, I wrote plays, stories, and poetry. In the Army, I wrote reviews and stories. In college, I wrote a column for the school newspaper and an unpublished novel. I found a job as a writer on a trade magazine and spent 25 years as a reporter and writer, raised a family, but always continued to write poetry, plays, and fiction. I became a ghostwriter and have now published 19 business books, but I never stopped writing fiction. I went back to college and earned an MA in creative writing.
I suspect my early novels did not find a publisher because, while I found the central character fascinating, readers did not find his character, his wants, or his challenges very engaging. While fiction has no unbreakable rules, a good general maxim is this: If readers don't care what happens to your main character they're not going to read your book. Ideally you want an interesting character in an interesting situation so that readers want to know what's going to happen next. Occasionally a writer will put cardboard characters in an extraordinary situation and sell a million books ("The Di Vinci Code," "Fifty Shades of Grey") but that's unusual.
The novels I enjoy reading tell me something about the world and the human condition. Ideally, they tell me something new. It's why I prefer a police procedural mystery to, say, Agatha Christie. For that reason, the books I want to write, ideally tell readers something about people and how they live, about the world and how it works.
Between the US Army, my undergraduate college experience, and regular practice ever since, I speak enough Japanese to have been hired to lead tours in Japan. It occurred to me that a tour would be an interesting situation to fictionalize...a diverse group of Americans...a foreign culture...an inexperienced guide...many opportunities for tension and conflict. And the thought became the seed that grew into the 240 pages of "Getting Oriented: A Novel about Japan."
With "The Girl in the Photo," it occurred to me that it would be interesting for the middle-aged children to discover a photo and a letter touching on a period in their father's life they knew nothing about.
While I did not consciously set out to do so, I find that I tend to put my imaginary characters in real places. I do not care for books that are set in an imaginary place (Ed McBain's 87th Precinct mysteries) or are coy about identifying their real setting. Someone could replicate the tour in "Getting Oriented," although, again, the tour in the book is neither the tour I led nor are the characters in the book portraits of people on my tours. The characters in both novels are composites of many people I've known. And although I
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 16, 2011
I have always had a love for Japan. It’s the one place in the world I really want to visit, and one of the places I haven’t yet had the chance to see. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there, but reading Wood’s novel, Getting Oriented: A Novel About Japan got me there vicariously. This is a beautifully written novel depicting both old and new Japan as Phil Fletcher guides a group of tourists throughout the land, visiting with people and monuments alike. However, this novel isn’t really about Japan, per say. Rather, it’s about relationships and the breakdown of humanity. The group Phil is guiding is diverse, to say the least, and though they have their ups and downs, watching them grow together was quite interesting. Even Phil has his own set of problems, and watching him connect with others while managing his own demons was fascinating. I really want to go on a guided tour, having read this novel, because I think it would be exciting to meet a random group of strangers and find connections with them over the course of the tour.
Now, reader beware, this novel does deal with sex a bit. I wouldn’t say that it’s erotica, far from it, but the people in the novel do seem a bit obsessed with the concept of sex, though, again, as this novel deals mainly with relationships, some of this can be expected. On the tour are some couples that are falling apart, couples that have fallen out of love, couples that are looking for rejuvenation, etc., and while some of those on the tour find their connections, others do not, creating a very interesting read as we watch the story unfold. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and recommend it to those looking to learn a little about other cultures while learning a lot about humanity...
To read my full review (12/4):
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
Now, reader beware, this novel does deal with sex a bit. I wouldn’t say that it’s erotica, far from it, but the people in the novel do seem a bit obsessed with the concept of sex, though, again, as this novel deals mainly with relationships, some of this can be expected. On the tour are some couples that are falling apart, couples that have fallen out of love, couples that are looking for rejuvenation, etc., and while some of those on the tour find their connections, others do not, creating a very interesting read as we watch the story unfold. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and recommend it to those looking to learn a little about other cultures while learning a lot about humanity...
To read my full review (12/4):
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
May 3, 2021
All Things Must Pass
Getting Oriented is an affecting debut novel by business author and journalist Wally Wood. Its wry, mournful narrative takes us on a journey into the mysteries of the human soul as represented by Japan.
Phil Fletcher, the book's protagonist, is a recently-widowed, laid-off publishing executive. His life would seem pointless to him if he could feel anything. So when an old college buddy who owns a travel agency asks Phil to step in at the last minute, to guide a group of 12 Americans traveling through Japan, Phil aimlessly agrees.
As befits the psychological truth of Phil's situation, and the needs of realistic fiction, Wood paints his main character as cynical, resentful and self-pitying. Yet, somehow, we keep rooting for him as Wood also lets the more touching aspects of Phil's humanity show through.
For example: Phil is so devastated by the death of his wife, Helen, so devoted to her memory, that he maintains a heartbreaking vigil, writing her secret, confessional letters most nights on his computer.
Wood deftly sketches the other tour members as a cross-section of irritable, easily distracted, middle class Americans. Their interactions with Phil and with each other are dryly funny, yet slowly, we learn that the arcs of their lives are as played out as Phil's.
But as the journey proceeds, Phil and the others begin exhibiting the tiniest, most incremental signs of spiritual and psychological rebirth. The signs are small, even incidental. Yet they have dramatic impact on the journey and the travelers themselves.
Meanwhile, we are treated to a stunning tour of Japan. The narrative subtly describes a thousand interesting facts and relevant truths about this most complex of nations--an ancient civilization that is among the world's most modern.
To become oriented means to face east, to ascertain one's bearings, to be set right through adjustment to certain facts. And this novel draws significant power from the most elemental of facts: all things pass. Death, in all its forms, is inescapable. The acceptance of this truth comes slowly but inevitably to Phil and his 12 charges, as they journey toward the rising sun, toward insights and new beginnings in an ancient world.
Getting Oriented is the perfect guide book for such a special tour.
Getting Oriented is an affecting debut novel by business author and journalist Wally Wood. Its wry, mournful narrative takes us on a journey into the mysteries of the human soul as represented by Japan.
Phil Fletcher, the book's protagonist, is a recently-widowed, laid-off publishing executive. His life would seem pointless to him if he could feel anything. So when an old college buddy who owns a travel agency asks Phil to step in at the last minute, to guide a group of 12 Americans traveling through Japan, Phil aimlessly agrees.
As befits the psychological truth of Phil's situation, and the needs of realistic fiction, Wood paints his main character as cynical, resentful and self-pitying. Yet, somehow, we keep rooting for him as Wood also lets the more touching aspects of Phil's humanity show through.
For example: Phil is so devastated by the death of his wife, Helen, so devoted to her memory, that he maintains a heartbreaking vigil, writing her secret, confessional letters most nights on his computer.
Wood deftly sketches the other tour members as a cross-section of irritable, easily distracted, middle class Americans. Their interactions with Phil and with each other are dryly funny, yet slowly, we learn that the arcs of their lives are as played out as Phil's.
But as the journey proceeds, Phil and the others begin exhibiting the tiniest, most incremental signs of spiritual and psychological rebirth. The signs are small, even incidental. Yet they have dramatic impact on the journey and the travelers themselves.
Meanwhile, we are treated to a stunning tour of Japan. The narrative subtly describes a thousand interesting facts and relevant truths about this most complex of nations--an ancient civilization that is among the world's most modern.
To become oriented means to face east, to ascertain one's bearings, to be set right through adjustment to certain facts. And this novel draws significant power from the most elemental of facts: all things pass. Death, in all its forms, is inescapable. The acceptance of this truth comes slowly but inevitably to Phil and his 12 charges, as they journey toward the rising sun, toward insights and new beginnings in an ancient world.
Getting Oriented is the perfect guide book for such a special tour.
September 23, 2017
Being an Asian/Korean/Japanese drama addict and a longterm Japanophile (till I became a pseudo-Korean--LOL), this book was right up my alley--or, should I say, side of the globe.
The title of the novel is clever especially in relation to the growth of the main character, tour guide Phil Fletcher. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all descriptions and facts related to the sites and unique Japanese experiences encountered by the group. The various personalities held my interest well.
My only objection was the emphasis on our central character's sexual attractions toward the end of the book. Mentioning it was fine since he was facing a major transition in his life, moving from widower to bachelor status, but I didn't really need to read about lusting to see what's under someone's yukata, etc. This digression felt jarring to the otherwise tender storyline and would have translated in better keeping with the Oriental theme had his transition been more in the Japanese tradition of subtlety--leaving it to the reader's imagination. It just felt like sex was thrown in gratis because, sadly, these days editors seem to think it's obligatory to sell books.
The title of the novel is clever especially in relation to the growth of the main character, tour guide Phil Fletcher. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all descriptions and facts related to the sites and unique Japanese experiences encountered by the group. The various personalities held my interest well.
My only objection was the emphasis on our central character's sexual attractions toward the end of the book. Mentioning it was fine since he was facing a major transition in his life, moving from widower to bachelor status, but I didn't really need to read about lusting to see what's under someone's yukata, etc. This digression felt jarring to the otherwise tender storyline and would have translated in better keeping with the Oriental theme had his transition been more in the Japanese tradition of subtlety--leaving it to the reader's imagination. It just felt like sex was thrown in gratis because, sadly, these days editors seem to think it's obligatory to sell books.
March 30, 2012
Coping with the loss of a spouse is often one of the most difficult challenges in life, and it doesn't matter if the spouse dies young, middle aged, old or somewhere in between. It is a heart breaking journey for the survivor made even more so if he was still deeply in love with his wife.
Although I have not suffered this loss and hope that I never do, as a child, I witnessed the devastation it caused to the aunt that raised my father when her husband of 76 years died without warning of a heart attack. It was as if someone had taken a knife to my father's beloved aunt and carved out half of her soul.
I also witnessed my mother's grief decades later when my father died after more than fifty years of marriage. She lived for another decade and suffered every day from his loss.
In "Getting Oriented", we are introduced to Phil Fletcher, who has lost his wife of more than 30 years. Her death was unexpected. She was in good health and was out jogging when a car hit her.
The depression caused by her loss has caused Phil to feel as if he has no purpose in life. He misses her and writes letters to her, which he saves on his laptop. Then months after her death, he loses his job. Since he is in his fifties, one would think this double blow would be enough to kill him too, but Phil and his wife planned carefully and he is financially secure.
Then Jake, an old college friend, offers him a job as a tour guide in Japan, and Phil is perfect for the job. When he served in the US military decades earlier, he learned to speak, write and read Japanese and accepts Jake's offer.
Phil's job in Japan is to shepherd ten middle-class Americans, and it seems to be the right medicine to help him recover from the loss of his wife, whom he will never forget.
Right from the start, Phil learns that being a tour guide is not as easy as one might suspect. Ann, an evangelical Christian and the oldest woman on the tour, warns Phil that Jesse and Sharleen, another couple on the tour, may be planning a double suicide while in Japan since Sharleen is dying of cancer and have weeks or months to live.
Then there is Audrey and Freddie Korch—two sisters. Freddie arrived in Japan several days before the tour started and picked up a Japanese lover in Nagasaki. His name is Kurotani and he appears to be a member of the Yakuza, the Japanese mob. Soon, it is obvious that the belligerent and moody Freddie is being addicted to a Japanese drug supplied by her lover and the drug is called Shabu, known as meth or speed in the West. Shabu is illegal in Japan. Get caught selling or using it and you will go to jail.
If that is not enough of a challenge, Louise, an attractive single woman, attempts to seduce Phil, but his grief at the loss of his wife gets in the way and he rejects her advances. However, this gets him thinking, and a few days later, when Julia comes to his hotel room, Phil cannot resist her and they have an affair. To make matters worse, Julia is not single. Her husband Sal, who is on his third marriage, is on the tour too, but he drinks too much and does not appear physically attracted to his wife. When Jake learns of Phil's affair with Julia, he worries that it might result in a lawsuit against his travel agency if Sal discovers what is going on.
As the plot thickens, Phil contacts two Japanese friends, Setsuko and her husband Kazuo. They meet for dinner and Setsuko introduces Phil to an attractive Japanese widow by the name of Mariko, and Phil is tempted to stay in Japan after the tour ends to connect with her.
Besides the multiple plot complications, there is the added treat of being taken on a rewarding tour of Japan. The author, Wally Wood, weaves flawless scenes of Japan while the group moves from site to site. These scenes are rich with history and sensory details that elevate the story to a level beyond the average novel providing a rich textual experience for readers. I highly recommend "Getting Oriented".
This novel would easily adapt to film, which I would pay to see. The copy of "Getting Oriented" that I read was supplied free by the author as a Kindle e-book.
Although I have not suffered this loss and hope that I never do, as a child, I witnessed the devastation it caused to the aunt that raised my father when her husband of 76 years died without warning of a heart attack. It was as if someone had taken a knife to my father's beloved aunt and carved out half of her soul.
I also witnessed my mother's grief decades later when my father died after more than fifty years of marriage. She lived for another decade and suffered every day from his loss.
In "Getting Oriented", we are introduced to Phil Fletcher, who has lost his wife of more than 30 years. Her death was unexpected. She was in good health and was out jogging when a car hit her.
The depression caused by her loss has caused Phil to feel as if he has no purpose in life. He misses her and writes letters to her, which he saves on his laptop. Then months after her death, he loses his job. Since he is in his fifties, one would think this double blow would be enough to kill him too, but Phil and his wife planned carefully and he is financially secure.
Then Jake, an old college friend, offers him a job as a tour guide in Japan, and Phil is perfect for the job. When he served in the US military decades earlier, he learned to speak, write and read Japanese and accepts Jake's offer.
Phil's job in Japan is to shepherd ten middle-class Americans, and it seems to be the right medicine to help him recover from the loss of his wife, whom he will never forget.
Right from the start, Phil learns that being a tour guide is not as easy as one might suspect. Ann, an evangelical Christian and the oldest woman on the tour, warns Phil that Jesse and Sharleen, another couple on the tour, may be planning a double suicide while in Japan since Sharleen is dying of cancer and have weeks or months to live.
Then there is Audrey and Freddie Korch—two sisters. Freddie arrived in Japan several days before the tour started and picked up a Japanese lover in Nagasaki. His name is Kurotani and he appears to be a member of the Yakuza, the Japanese mob. Soon, it is obvious that the belligerent and moody Freddie is being addicted to a Japanese drug supplied by her lover and the drug is called Shabu, known as meth or speed in the West. Shabu is illegal in Japan. Get caught selling or using it and you will go to jail.
If that is not enough of a challenge, Louise, an attractive single woman, attempts to seduce Phil, but his grief at the loss of his wife gets in the way and he rejects her advances. However, this gets him thinking, and a few days later, when Julia comes to his hotel room, Phil cannot resist her and they have an affair. To make matters worse, Julia is not single. Her husband Sal, who is on his third marriage, is on the tour too, but he drinks too much and does not appear physically attracted to his wife. When Jake learns of Phil's affair with Julia, he worries that it might result in a lawsuit against his travel agency if Sal discovers what is going on.
As the plot thickens, Phil contacts two Japanese friends, Setsuko and her husband Kazuo. They meet for dinner and Setsuko introduces Phil to an attractive Japanese widow by the name of Mariko, and Phil is tempted to stay in Japan after the tour ends to connect with her.
Besides the multiple plot complications, there is the added treat of being taken on a rewarding tour of Japan. The author, Wally Wood, weaves flawless scenes of Japan while the group moves from site to site. These scenes are rich with history and sensory details that elevate the story to a level beyond the average novel providing a rich textual experience for readers. I highly recommend "Getting Oriented".
This novel would easily adapt to film, which I would pay to see. The copy of "Getting Oriented" that I read was supplied free by the author as a Kindle e-book.
November 25, 2012
This novel is an interesting mix of contemporary storytelling and travel guide. The tour leader and recent widower Phil Fletcher is a very likable character for whom it is easy to have sympathy. He makes his own inward journey during the twelve day tour, finally able to begin accepting the sudden and premature death of his wife. Equally moving is the author's love of Japan, which is evident on every page. If this book doesn't want to make you go to Japan, nothing will.
February 11, 2016
I loved this book even more than The Girl in the Photo. Wally Wood has a knack for making his fiction read like real life. In this case, it blends a travelogue with a compelling fictional story, not only for Phil, but for all the members of the tour. The characters in Getting Oriented are well developed and I liked all of them, even when they are not behaving well.
Couldn't bear to put it down, and couldn't wait to get back to it. Now I'm sorry it's finished. Hope there is a reunion!
Couldn't bear to put it down, and couldn't wait to get back to it. Now I'm sorry it's finished. Hope there is a reunion!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews