A review by blearywitch
A Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee

4.0

An old respectable Japanese man in a nice little American town, unmarried, with a young adopted daughter. I was so sure it was going to be a Lolita kind of story but I couldn't have been more wrong. Dr. Hata's reflections about his ambition, life, and relationships with a widow in town and his adopted daughter are interestingly unfulfilled, sad, and confusing as life sometimes is. It's sometimes harder when one's actions are embodied by one's culture and misinterpretations happen. His reflections of his past as a medical officer in the Japanese military camp in Rangoon were my favourite. The commander, captain, the tragic and brutal situations surrounding the unsuspecting female volunteers, and the brutality with which the Japanese soldiers dealt with each other were gripping. The criticism that I felt struck close to home was delivered by Captain Ono to Kurohata about sticking to resolves and not being hampered down by distracting feelings.

The decisions we make thoughout our life stays with us in so many different ways. The story, propelled by the melancholic writing brings out the morbid thoughts in one's mind. It was a good read albeit dark.