Once again, I have found delight in the bargain book bin. The cover intrigues me, I read the back and decide it’s worth my time for $5.00. I have yet to be mislead by my judging a book by its cover.
I love historical fiction. I love being taken back to a time before me, a culture gone by. This story did not disappoint. We are introduced to Shoko, a young World War II-era girl and her family. Before the war, her father was a lawyer and they were a wealthy family, but times got hard and her father became a priest and they moved to a small home in a village, leaving behind all their wealthy possessions to live a simple life. Shoko’s voice tells of her experiences during the war, when the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, fifty miles from her home. We learn from her the differences in how boys were raised compared to girls, their expectations, honor and shame.
Shoko also tells us her American story. Her husband, Charlie, her children, Mike and Sue (aka Suiko). Shoko tries to fit in being “American”, while struggling with her Japanese traditions. She has distant relationships with her adult children, and as her health declines, a secret she has kept hidden needs to be revealed and forgiveness and family relations need to be repaired. Shoko relies on her daughter, Suiko, and granddaughter, Helena, to help her in this quest.
The second half of the book is told from Suiko’s voice. She talks of her relationship with her family and how she vowed to raise her own daughter very differently than how Shoko raised her. When Shoko’s health declines, she asks Suiko to travel to Japan, find her family and deliver a message. Suiko agrees and takes Helena, a bright, wise 13-year old eager for adventure.
Margaret Dilloway, the author, reveals that while this story is fiction, it is loosely based on her own mother’s life, and some of the stories of Shoko’s are actual stories from her mother. To me, Dilloway’s writing was beautifully done. You could hear the voices, accents, see the places they were in. I felt as if I was an observer, standing there with the characters. I just couldn’t put this book down!
