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A review by jcamilla
United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas
4.0
To be honest, I didn't "really like" the book - I "liked" it, but I wanted to bump the ratings a little since I know I get turned off by books with a rating <4.0.
It was a gripping read for sure. Before I knew it I was sucked into the alternate history of a reality that could've occurred should the Japanese have won WWII (I've never read The Man in the High Castle, but I've watched the show, and citing the novel as an inspiration was a reason I decided to read this book because I found the premise of the show fascinating). The novel not only showed the cruelty of the Japanese, but also the reality of America's faux "equality" and unfair treatment of anyone of Japanese descent in the US during WWII. Initially in the book, I silently cheered at the victory of the Japanese, that is, until.
Fast forward to Beniko, their son, and the story grew more exciting, the stakes grew higher and higher with every graphic torture scene, with me finally understanding what an excerpt with the lines "rewrite the history of your blood" and "in a minute you won't be recognizable" meant. From that moment onwards, I knew this story would definitely have its share of dark and uncomfortable moments. I wasn't disappointed. For instance... Also... And just graphic descriptions in general. But no worries, they come and go and don't define the entirety of the story. A lot the really good descriptions also include describing some extremely tasty-sounding foods to the point where you can imagine the taste dancing on your taste buds.
Also, some parts of it felt like pacific rim.
The shifting third-person perspectives added to the mystery of the story as sometimes I knew what one character was thinking (or thought I knew), and sometimes I didn't. It was fun getting to see different sides of characters that greatly contrasted with how they appeared when they first entered the story.
In the end, finding out Ben's past, his genius, his ability to numb those emotions and live in a society knowing what he knows and still being able to keep his composure showed me just how strong he was. It was a 180 from how I viewed him initially.
So, my conclusion is, really cool story. I was drawn to it because, well, I'm currently studying the language and the rebels are called "GWs" or George Washingtons, which is a namesake of a place I spend a lot of time at currently and I thought it'd be funny. But this novel was not funny at all.
Danger lurked around every corner, ready to pounce at the ones you'd thought were the least susceptible. No one was safe from graphic ends, and really, in the end, I really hope that there was a point to everything they did. They gotta give Ben credit somehow. Have a statue honoring him or something since there were only statues of the dead anyway (I paraphrase).
On one more unrelated note, I really liked the references to different historical tactics or cultural artifacts dotted throughout the book. There were actually many Chinese ones that I completely understood - da hong pao, mei ren ji, Battle of Chibi, etc.
It was a gripping read for sure. Before I knew it I was sucked into the alternate history of a reality that could've occurred should the Japanese have won WWII (I've never read The Man in the High Castle, but I've watched the show, and citing the novel as an inspiration was a reason I decided to read this book because I found the premise of the show fascinating). The novel not only showed the cruelty of the Japanese, but also the reality of America's faux "equality" and unfair treatment of anyone of Japanese descent in the US during WWII. Initially in the book, I silently cheered at the victory of the Japanese, that is, until
Spoiler
the Japanese soldier killed Kimiko for speaking against the empire and until I realized that a Japanese victory meant terrifying ends for those of Chinese descent, given their conduct in China during the warFast forward to Beniko, their son, and the story grew more exciting, the stakes grew higher and higher with every graphic torture scene, with me finally understanding what an excerpt with the lines "rewrite the history of your blood" and "in a minute you won't be recognizable" meant. From that moment onwards, I knew this story would definitely have its share of dark and uncomfortable moments. I wasn't disappointed. For instance...
Spoiler
Koushou's living statues? WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT KIND OF TWISTED MIND, TWISTED MAN, CAN DO SOMETHING oh my god. I was really, truly sickened by whatever it was that was described and I honestly can't even truly picture it (thankfully..).Spoiler
I didn't really expect ants to eat away at Akiko's hand but that was pretty disturbing.Also, some parts of it felt like pacific rim.
The shifting third-person perspectives added to the mystery of the story as sometimes I knew what one character was thinking (or thought I knew), and sometimes I didn't. It was fun getting to see different sides of characters that greatly contrasted with how they appeared when they first entered the story.
In the end, finding out Ben's past, his genius, his ability to numb those emotions and live in a society knowing what he knows and still being able to keep his composure showed me just how strong he was. It was a 180 from how I viewed him initially.
So, my conclusion is, really cool story. I was drawn to it because, well, I'm currently studying the language and the rebels are called "GWs" or George Washingtons, which is a namesake of a place I spend a lot of time at currently and I thought it'd be funny. But this novel was not funny at all.
Danger lurked around every corner, ready to pounce at the ones you'd thought were the least susceptible. No one was safe from graphic ends, and really, in the end, I really hope that there was a point to everything they did. They gotta give Ben credit somehow. Have a statue honoring him or something since there were only statues of the dead anyway (I paraphrase).
On one more unrelated note, I really liked the references to different historical tactics or cultural artifacts dotted throughout the book. There were actually many Chinese ones that I completely understood - da hong pao, mei ren ji, Battle of Chibi, etc.