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I love Otsuka’s voice, judicious metaphors, and understated emotional hooks in this child’s eye view of the Japanese internment in World War 2. I have already had the pleasure of her 2011 gem, “The Buddha in the Attic”, which covers the same subject from an adult perspective that often breaks into powerful incantation in a broad “we” mode. In this novella eight years earlier, the narrative tends to be more conventional, yet it still has fresh and lyrical approaches for portraying this sad chapte
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Dec 07, 2012
Dolly
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
2013,
japan,
military,
other-usa,
christmas,
pets,
historical-fiction,
religion-philosophy,
china-chinese
My local book club recently read The Buddha in the Attic and I discovered that the author had written this book, too. It explains one family's experiences in the Japanese internment camps, with each chapter presenting the perspective of one person in the family.
I liked that this book doesn't have as jarring of an effect as her other story, and the story is just as emotionally heart-wrenching. It was certainly an eye-opening experience for me, although I've read a few other books about this dark ...more
I liked that this book doesn't have as jarring of an effect as her other story, and the story is just as emotionally heart-wrenching. It was certainly an eye-opening experience for me, although I've read a few other books about this dark ...more
3.5 stars
A story about a Japanese family living in Berkeley at the start of WWII. Just after Pearl Harbor, authorities take the father in for questioning. Later, the mother and the two kids are taken to an internment center in San Francisco and later sent to live in the Utah desert.
The story switches points of view, mostly between the kids and mother, but it is a very detached narrative style. None of the main characters have names. Much of the story is the internal thoughts about dealing with t ...more
A story about a Japanese family living in Berkeley at the start of WWII. Just after Pearl Harbor, authorities take the father in for questioning. Later, the mother and the two kids are taken to an internment center in San Francisco and later sent to live in the Utah desert.
The story switches points of view, mostly between the kids and mother, but it is a very detached narrative style. None of the main characters have names. Much of the story is the internal thoughts about dealing with t ...more
Jul 06, 2009
Book Concierge
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
culture,
historical-fiction,
literary-fiction,
debut,
family,
racism,
concierge,
library,
social-commentary,
women-writers
4.5 stars.
The writing style lends to the feelings of incredulity and despair the characters must feel as the events unfold around them. The reader is left feeling angry, and humiliated, and embarrassed, and sad, and Sorry ... so So Sorry.
The writing style lends to the feelings of incredulity and despair the characters must feel as the events unfold around them. The reader is left feeling angry, and humiliated, and embarrassed, and sad, and Sorry ... so So Sorry.
Did not like this well-reviewed, award winning little book - it was depressing. There was no redeeming humanity to shine through the overwhelming sadness. So many sad images. At least it was short. An unpleasant look at a period in our history that I usually find fascinating to read about and try to understand.
The author chooses to make the characters feel distant from the reader. I felt very disconnected from the characters. It felt very disjointed to read. I did appreciate the experiences of each character during their time in the inernment camp. I felt other books on this topic (ie: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet) gave me a more emotional connection to the experience.
