Scan barcode
jesstanuki's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
For most of this book, the characters hate Japan in a superficial way. However, at the very end, they go through a bit of character development to understand cultural differences instead of just browbeating Japanese for acting in ways the Americans can't understand. I wish the reflection on cultural differences was more gradually interspersed, which I believe would lower the feeling of xenophobia and hate from the American characters throughout.
thukpa's review
4.0
I like this book on many levels.It is a good mystery- Alex Thorn comes to Japan to learn more about the death of his exchange student son a year ago, where he meets Gaby Stanton, an ex-professor who was fired and now works for the fantasy funeral company that shipped Alex's son's body home to Seattle. It is a love story of sorts, without being overly romantic or uncautious. As an ex-pat and a "tourist" (if learning about your son's life an death could be considered touring,) the book is infused with Japanese culture from both an insider's and outsider's perspective. But one of the things I really liked seeing was that Gaby's character has Ulcerative Colitis, a bowel disease similar to Crohn's Disease, which I have. We always seek to find some commonality with the characters in our reading, and for the first time in a novel have I had that connection-recognizing the shame at having a disease which causes diarhea, the discomforts and pain of it, and experiencing it while trying to live and work. How refreshing!
mehitabels's review
3.0
sweet and light. very interesting American in Japan motif, but the physical details had me cringing. yech.
an enjoyable snack of a book.
an enjoyable snack of a book.
ejstephensis's review
2.0
This book really was just ooook. I loked the setting but I wished it had about 200 more paged of depth. I wanted more more more from my characters and their settings and their respective histories. I was glad to read it, but was very light.
heartofoak1's review
4.0
picked this up completely at random while browsing in the used book section of my local indie bookstore (hellooo willow books!!) so it get's one star extra because of that. i love when i find a book that's not necessarily "in my wheelhouse" and then it turns out to be something quite nice,
this was one of those serendipitous reads. now, how to describe...it's mainly about Gaby Stanton, an american expat living in Japan and working for a "fantasy funeral' company after she's fired from the university where she had been teaching English. then there's Alex Thorn, an american writer of a self-help book called "Why Love Fails" who is on a promotional book tour in japan but who is also trying to get answers about the accidental death of his estranged son who had been a student at the university where Gaby had been teaching.
their lives intersect, of course, and from there we begin to learn about the enigma of Japanese culture and how the Japanese view the world of the gaijin.
there's plenty of humor, some light mystery, a little romance and of course that cultural stuff! i thought Sara Backer did a great job of keeping the story and her characters entertaining and engaging. near the end it seemed maybe a bit drawn out but it did wrap up the story well!
this was one of those serendipitous reads. now, how to describe...it's mainly about Gaby Stanton, an american expat living in Japan and working for a "fantasy funeral' company after she's fired from the university where she had been teaching English. then there's Alex Thorn, an american writer of a self-help book called "Why Love Fails" who is on a promotional book tour in japan but who is also trying to get answers about the accidental death of his estranged son who had been a student at the university where Gaby had been teaching.
their lives intersect, of course, and from there we begin to learn about the enigma of Japanese culture and how the Japanese view the world of the gaijin.
there's plenty of humor, some light mystery, a little romance and of course that cultural stuff! i thought Sara Backer did a great job of keeping the story and her characters entertaining and engaging. near the end it seemed maybe a bit drawn out but it did wrap up the story well!
midwinteraz's review
3.0
This was a fun mainstream fiction story to read as we start to emerge from pandemic lockdown - nothing too deep or disturbing, and engaging, colorful characters to keep the story moving. It's a little bit mystery, a little bit fish-out-of-water/cultural exploration, and a little bit comedic romance.
marie_gg's review
5.0
Great read about American woman who goes to teach in a Japanese small town and gets wrapped up in a mystery.
jtlars7's review
3.0
Hardly put it down, even though I had a sense of where it was going. The yakuza boss who speaks in Beatles lyrics was a highlight.
sheila_p's review against another edition
3.0
This was a quirky book using Japan as a backdrop for a murder mystery. The real story is the way we, people in general, treat differences, cultural and in this story, health issues. How we understand and interpret the choices people make and the intentions behind their choices is immensely interesting to me. I liked this book, and ***spoiler alert*** that they didn't walk off into the sunset together made it even better.