Scan barcode
A review by lorayne
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
4.0
The Buddha in the Attic is such a beautifully written book starting at the beginning of the 20th century till World War II. The main character is a group of young women--not just one specific character--who leave their families to marry Japanese men (who they've never met) already living in the San Francisco Bay Area. The story of the trials and sufferings the women endured is poetically told as if through the eyes of one woman, but she only uses the pronoun "we" showing the anonymity of the women in American society.
The book reminded me a little bit of The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien because there is one chapter in particular that lists all of the things the women carried to their new lives. Much of The Buddha in the Attic continues to read like a list--which makes it a quick read, too--giving it a playful quality at times even as heart-wrenching obstacles are described. I highly recommend this book. Even though I finished the book quickly, I'm still left pondering it days later.
The book reminded me a little bit of The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien because there is one chapter in particular that lists all of the things the women carried to their new lives. Much of The Buddha in the Attic continues to read like a list--which makes it a quick read, too--giving it a playful quality at times even as heart-wrenching obstacles are described. I highly recommend this book. Even though I finished the book quickly, I'm still left pondering it days later.