Her mother has died and her father is missing. In despair, twenty-year-old Emiko abandons her factory job to go searching for her father in Tokyo. It is 1969, and her father has helped with student protests against the war in Vietnam. This gives Emiko a lead to start her search.
To survive in Tokyo, she stays at a hostel in the seedy Sanya neighborhood and takes a job as hostess in a bar where she’s required to “talk cute,” which goes against her grain.
She’s previously refused an offer to become the second wife of the rich Genji, twice her age, who had been in love with her mother, but when she’s fired and out of money, in desperation she goes to Genji’s office, hoping for a loan. Genji has something else in mind.
Emiko nearly gives up the idea of finding her father. And then she meets Juan, an American soldier recovering from a battle injury. Now she’s in love with a soldier in the war she and her father have been denouncing for years.
Plot/Idea: 7 out of 10
Originality: 8 out of 10
Prose: 8 out of 10
Character/Execution: 8 out of 10
Overall: 7.75 out of 10
Assessment:
Plot: While at times the plot is episodic, and the underlying romance runs a little too smoothly without significant complications, the story progresses at a satisfying and engaging pace.
Prose/Style: Keech writes confidently and evocatively, conjuring an authentic setting both rich with detail and a sense of atmosphere.
Originality: This coming-of-age story set against 1969 Tokyo, which touches both upon Japan post-World War II, and the Vietnam War, proves fertile ground for emotional drama with hints of intrigue and romance.
Character/Execution: Emiko’s drive to find her missing father fuels her journey, during which she proves to be a resilient, resourceful young woman. Meanwhile, the American soldier Juan provides an intriguing, if sometimes underutilized, look into both the Vietnam War and Japanese society from a unique viewpoint, making for a satisfying read.
Date Submitted: August 28, 2020
