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A review by kelseyjobrien
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris
4.0
I had never read anything by Kristina McMorris before, so when I saw this book at my local Dollar Store and decided to buy it strictly because it was set during WWII, I had no expectations. After finishing the book, and crying my eyes out, I can say now that McMorris is a true talent. Though Bridge over Scarlet Leaves isn't a literary classic, I believe it should be, because McMorris was able to craft a story told time and again, but make it new, refreshing, happy, and heartbreaking. I went in reading this, expecting something totally different than what the story was actually comprised of, but I was exceptionally grateful that I was proved wrong. I thought it was just going to be another romance story, if I’m being honest, but there were so many intricate little details, plots, and emotions, that I can say this book is now one of my favorites I have ever read.
Just a quick disclaimer: I haven’t put in any spoilers, so while this review doesn’t cover the entire basis of the story, nothing integral to the plot will be revealed, either. Also, if you're looking for my actual thoughts on the story, scroll down a bit, because the next few paragraphs are just rehashing the plot points.
The story starts in California, 1941, a few months before the events at Pearl Harbor. It centers on Maddie, a 17 year old girl who’s in love with Lane, her brother TJ’s best friend, a Japanese American. Maddie’s best friend, Jo, knows about the romance, but they’ve all decided to keep it a secret from TJ, who tends to be overprotective and, at points, overbearing. TJ has his own demons to deal with, namely the tragedy his family has suffered, and the impending loss of his scholarship from college, where he’s trying to make it into the big leagues as a pitcher. Above all of this though, he’s trying to protect his sister, and doesn’t realize that he’s actually alienating her away. He also refuses to visit his father, and that sits heavily on his conscious, though he tries to forget about it.
After the events at Pearl Harbor, TJ joins the army, wanting to get away from life at home, and Lane and his family are forced to move to an internment camp. His father, Nobu, has been taken into custody, and he tells Lane that Lane is now responsible for his family, which includes his mother, Kumiko, and his little sister, Emma. After the departure, Maddie learns of an opportunity to go volunteer at the internment camps, and eventually moves into Manzanar, the camp Lane’s family is staying at, effectively ending her career she could have had at Juilliard. Though Emma loves Maddie like a sister, Kumiko is distant and cold, and Maddie tries her hardest to win the respect from Lane’s mother.
Months pass, and Lane signs up for the army, to interpret Japanese maps, letters, and codes for the Allies. Certain circumstances back at Manzanar force Maddie, Emma, and Kumiko to move yet again, this time to a farm, where they live for the rest of the war. TJ, on the other hand, after his B-17 bomber falls in the ocean, becomes a POW at a Japanese camp set up on an island in the Philippines. During his time before, he had struck up a relationship with Jo, and it’s thoughts of her that keep him going as a POW.
When Lane learns of an attempt towards the end of the war to free the POWs and take back control of the island, he jumps at the chance to help save TJ, and bring them both home. On the island, both men come to terms with what it means to live, survive, and become an enemy, not to another country, but to themselves.
The war ends, and everyone tries to return to life as normal. Japanese Americans can move back to their homes, though most of them are destroyed, and try to assimilate back in a world that’s not exactly too keen on having them there. They try to make sense of war, why things happen, and each character grows and matures, and see’s that life has a funny way of teaching you lessons. Everyone must accept what has happened in each of their lives, and they must move on from the past, so they can live for the future.
As I’ve said previously, I thought that this was just going to be another romance novel, and even though I don’t usually like romance novels, I picked this up because it was set in WWII, my favorite time period. I was so, so wrong. This book is everything and more. It has romance, yes, but it has love, both familial and romantic, acceptance, life lessons, family, tragedy, and heartbreak, and all those great things that make up life. I was blown away by just how much McMorris was able to fit in this book (though it is over 400 pages long) and yet, it wasn’t a long read at all.
Perhaps my favorite thing about this novel though was the characterization of everyone, especially Maddie and Jo. Maddie is the typical 1940’s girl. She wears her hair in waves, wears nice dresses and stockings and heels. Her best friend Jo, on the other hand, wears no makeup, wears hand me down clothes from her brothers, and almost always has a baseball cap on. She’s sarcastic and hilarious, and that was really refreshing, because girls aren’t cookie cutters. They’re individuals, and you really get a sense of that with these characters.
The dialogue was also great, too, because McMorris uses slang terms and speech patterns from the 1940’s, so you could really get a feel for the time period. One of my biggest pet peeves is a novel set in a certain time period, with today’s style of conversation.
The best thing about this novel, though, was the use of symbolism and foreshadowing. At least for me, it was weaved so effortlessly into the story, that when something happened, I would think to myself, oh, geez, that’s why that balloon was there, that’s what a swallow bird means. It would make me think back to previous events in the book, instead of looking forward, and I loved that, because it really connected the entire story, brought everything together. McMorris has a wonderful way of writing that shows that every single thing, from a lost balloon, to a picture of Bach, means something to the story, and everything ties together, although you may not see it at first.
McMorris is an extraordinary writer, who at the same time, can rip your heart out and make you smile with the sentences she crafts together. I loved this novel. Definitely don’t pass this up.
Just a quick disclaimer: I haven’t put in any spoilers, so while this review doesn’t cover the entire basis of the story, nothing integral to the plot will be revealed, either. Also, if you're looking for my actual thoughts on the story, scroll down a bit, because the next few paragraphs are just rehashing the plot points.
The story starts in California, 1941, a few months before the events at Pearl Harbor. It centers on Maddie, a 17 year old girl who’s in love with Lane, her brother TJ’s best friend, a Japanese American. Maddie’s best friend, Jo, knows about the romance, but they’ve all decided to keep it a secret from TJ, who tends to be overprotective and, at points, overbearing. TJ has his own demons to deal with, namely the tragedy his family has suffered, and the impending loss of his scholarship from college, where he’s trying to make it into the big leagues as a pitcher. Above all of this though, he’s trying to protect his sister, and doesn’t realize that he’s actually alienating her away. He also refuses to visit his father, and that sits heavily on his conscious, though he tries to forget about it.
After the events at Pearl Harbor, TJ joins the army, wanting to get away from life at home, and Lane and his family are forced to move to an internment camp. His father, Nobu, has been taken into custody, and he tells Lane that Lane is now responsible for his family, which includes his mother, Kumiko, and his little sister, Emma. After the departure, Maddie learns of an opportunity to go volunteer at the internment camps, and eventually moves into Manzanar, the camp Lane’s family is staying at, effectively ending her career she could have had at Juilliard. Though Emma loves Maddie like a sister, Kumiko is distant and cold, and Maddie tries her hardest to win the respect from Lane’s mother.
Months pass, and Lane signs up for the army, to interpret Japanese maps, letters, and codes for the Allies. Certain circumstances back at Manzanar force Maddie, Emma, and Kumiko to move yet again, this time to a farm, where they live for the rest of the war. TJ, on the other hand, after his B-17 bomber falls in the ocean, becomes a POW at a Japanese camp set up on an island in the Philippines. During his time before, he had struck up a relationship with Jo, and it’s thoughts of her that keep him going as a POW.
When Lane learns of an attempt towards the end of the war to free the POWs and take back control of the island, he jumps at the chance to help save TJ, and bring them both home. On the island, both men come to terms with what it means to live, survive, and become an enemy, not to another country, but to themselves.
The war ends, and everyone tries to return to life as normal. Japanese Americans can move back to their homes, though most of them are destroyed, and try to assimilate back in a world that’s not exactly too keen on having them there. They try to make sense of war, why things happen, and each character grows and matures, and see’s that life has a funny way of teaching you lessons. Everyone must accept what has happened in each of their lives, and they must move on from the past, so they can live for the future.
As I’ve said previously, I thought that this was just going to be another romance novel, and even though I don’t usually like romance novels, I picked this up because it was set in WWII, my favorite time period. I was so, so wrong. This book is everything and more. It has romance, yes, but it has love, both familial and romantic, acceptance, life lessons, family, tragedy, and heartbreak, and all those great things that make up life. I was blown away by just how much McMorris was able to fit in this book (though it is over 400 pages long) and yet, it wasn’t a long read at all.
Perhaps my favorite thing about this novel though was the characterization of everyone, especially Maddie and Jo. Maddie is the typical 1940’s girl. She wears her hair in waves, wears nice dresses and stockings and heels. Her best friend Jo, on the other hand, wears no makeup, wears hand me down clothes from her brothers, and almost always has a baseball cap on. She’s sarcastic and hilarious, and that was really refreshing, because girls aren’t cookie cutters. They’re individuals, and you really get a sense of that with these characters.
The dialogue was also great, too, because McMorris uses slang terms and speech patterns from the 1940’s, so you could really get a feel for the time period. One of my biggest pet peeves is a novel set in a certain time period, with today’s style of conversation.
The best thing about this novel, though, was the use of symbolism and foreshadowing. At least for me, it was weaved so effortlessly into the story, that when something happened, I would think to myself, oh, geez, that’s why that balloon was there, that’s what a swallow bird means. It would make me think back to previous events in the book, instead of looking forward, and I loved that, because it really connected the entire story, brought everything together. McMorris has a wonderful way of writing that shows that every single thing, from a lost balloon, to a picture of Bach, means something to the story, and everything ties together, although you may not see it at first.
McMorris is an extraordinary writer, who at the same time, can rip your heart out and make you smile with the sentences she crafts together. I loved this novel. Definitely don’t pass this up.