Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Set in Seattle, this is the story of a friendship between Henry, a Chinese boy, and Keiko, a Japanese girl, just as the Second World War breaks out. The story switches between that time and 1986, when the Hotel Panama is opened up and the belongings of Japanese families are rediscovered. They stored their valuables just before being interned, but many didn't come back for them.
Henry remembers his friendship for Keiko while searching the hotel for any physical momentos, and flashes back to the story of their growing friendship in an environment where the Japanese were the enemy. It is both a narrative of those times and a delightful story of human nature and emotion.
Personally I started the book on a plane on my way to my first ever visit to Seattle. I knew it was coming up to read for book club, so I saved it for that moment. Reading the book in Seattle and visiting the city at the same time led me to understand a little about the culture of that city. The book describes the jazz scene of the 1940s and the ethnic communities of the time really well.
This book led to one of the best discussions I have had in a book club. Not just the story of Henry and Keiko, but the whole dilemma of different races in the United States, and whether the decision to lock away those of Japanese descent was a good one or not. This is the best type of book for a book club, a great story that leads to an active discussion.
Henry remembers his friendship for Keiko while searching the hotel for any physical momentos, and flashes back to the story of their growing friendship in an environment where the Japanese were the enemy. It is both a narrative of those times and a delightful story of human nature and emotion.
Personally I started the book on a plane on my way to my first ever visit to Seattle. I knew it was coming up to read for book club, so I saved it for that moment. Reading the book in Seattle and visiting the city at the same time led me to understand a little about the culture of that city. The book describes the jazz scene of the 1940s and the ethnic communities of the time really well.
This book led to one of the best discussions I have had in a book club. Not just the story of Henry and Keiko, but the whole dilemma of different races in the United States, and whether the decision to lock away those of Japanese descent was a good one or not. This is the best type of book for a book club, a great story that leads to an active discussion.
No comments:
Post a Comment