A review by karteabooks
Fault Lines by Emily Itami

4.0

 This was another great pick from Jenna @the_book_taster for July’s Tasting Notes Book Club. This was another Marmite book, but yet again, after hearing the author chat about the book, her upbringing and her hectic life as a mum, author and teacher, the book took on a whole new meaning. 

 

This book was very character driven and focused on Mitzuki and her life in Japan, who even though she was born in Japan, was seen as an outsider as she spent some years in New York before returning home and settling down with her husband and young family. 

 

I loved the author’s writing style and setting descriptions and even though I have never visited Tokyo, I did find myself transported there and at times I could almost smell and taste the different foods. 

 

This was a thoughtful, insightful and a very considered debut novel about love in its many different guises, and how it is such an important part of everyone’s lives. It also showed us how motherhood in Japan is so vastly different to how that role is to the UK. 

 

I am still pondering over the title, ‘Fault Lines’, is it a reference to the numerous earthquakes that rock Japan almost daily, or is it referring to her marriage and the lines that have begun to appear?? I urge you to pick up this book and answer that question for yourself.