Farrar, Straus & Giroux, November 1, 2016.
Four Stars
Chizuru Akitani was born in Japan to an American
mother, now deceased, and a Japanese father, Hiro Akutani – a famous violinist
and “living national treasure.” Chizuru never felt like she fit in, especially
at school. When she was twelve years old, she fatally stabbed a school bully
and ended up in a juvenile detention facility, alone and disowned by her father.
When she turns eighteen, Chizuru is encouraged by the Japanese government to
leave the country and never return – so she moves to the United States and
creates a new future for herself.
Now named Rio Silvestri, the former Chizuru is living
a conventional life in Boulder, Colorado – she is married with a young daughter
and a career as a nurse. In response to the tragedies of her childhood, Rio
takes care of people at work, but she neglects herself and her family. Her
husband and child know nothing about her past – until her father Hiro dies and
she receives a mysterious package from his estate. For the first time in twenty
years, Rio feels compelled to return to the country of her birth. She arrives
in Japan just in time for her father’s funeral, where she meets a former
teacher and learns more secrets about her past.
Revelations about her childhood inspire Rio to embark
on a spiritual journey with her teacher, Danny. Their pilgrimage takes them on
a difficult path to various temples where they meet a sweet young boy who is
just as confused about his place in the world as Chizuru once was. The plot
takes an emotional turn, bringing a sense of shocking immediacy to Rio’s
journey, but her feelings are never fully fleshed out.
There is always an emotional barrier between the
reader and the characters, making it difficult to relate to them. It feels very
Japanese, and it is described in the book as a distance created by manners –
while “honne” is how you truly feel, “tatemae” is the self that you show the world.
This is a story of child-on-child violence, as seen from the perspective of a juvenile
offender, and yet it is strangely cold and emotionless. The concept is provocative
and intriguing, but it is missing some essential human responses.
Rio is an avid runner, and she uses this pastime to
metaphorically run from her past – on her journey, she finally changes
direction and begins to run forward, towards her life with her husband and
daughter. Her story is one of identity, and an exploration of our ability and willingness
to change. There was a lot of potential psychological depth here, but it was
not completely followed through. On the positive side, the writing is lovely –
sparse yet lyrical – and I felt fully immersed in the intricacies of Japanese
culture.
I received this book from Farrar, Straus & Giroux
and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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