The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama
This is a little gem of a book about Stephen, a young Chinese college student who contracts TB. He is sent by his family to their beach house in a little village in Japan to recuperate. This story takes place during WWII and the Japanese are fighting the Chinese. The war and the racial tension don't seem to affect Stephen in the isolated village until he is confronted with reality. The Samurai is Matsu, an outwardly gruff and uncommunicative servant who lives at the beach house and works in the garden.
The story takes place over a year and is divided into four sections named for the seasons, starting with Autumn. Stephen and Matsu's friendship unfolds over this year as they deal with the ups and downs of their lives. I loved this book and highly recommend it
posted by Carol @ 2:55 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
It's also a gentle examination of a community affected by leprosy.
Absolutely, another prejudice knocked down. My Book Group members talked about how we feared leprosy as children. But it was lovely to see how these people lived with such dignity.
Post a Comment
<< Home