MADreads

Partly sweet, but mostly bitter

May 19th, 2009 Mary K. - Central

Some books become popular because readers talk about them and recommend them to others.  Of course, there is also publisher publicity, and book reviews to spark interest (not to mention Oprah and other television shows).  The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, a first novel by Jamie Ford, seems to be one of the quietly popular books.  After a brief stint on the bestseller lists it’s still gaining momentum and has a long waiting list in LINKcat.

Henry Lee is a Chinese-American 12-year-old living in Seattle.  He is a scholarship student at a private school where he has no friends and is often bullied and because it is 1942 and wartime, it is very important to Henry’s father that the family is recognized as Chinese; Henry has to wear a button that says “I am Chinese.”

When Keiko, a young Japanese girl begins to attend the school, she and Henry develop an immediate friendship and protect each other from the other students.  Keiko’s family is soon relocated as part of the Japanese internment, and Henry is able to visit her at both the temporary housing and the permanent camp.

This story is told in flashbacks alternating between 1986 and wartime.  In 1986, Henry is a recent widower, with an adult son, and he has not had any contact with Keiko for 40 years.  He discovers that the Panama Hotel is being remodeled and a cache of Japanese family belonging are found in the the basement.  These belongings bring back a lot of memories; Henry is actually able to locate some of Keiko’s possessions.  With the encouragement of his son, Henry comes to terms with his past .

Parts of this book are appealing: the friendship between the two young people is believable, and the historical depiction is of a time that in many ways seems forgotten today.  Jamie Ford has clearly done his research and has some personal family connections to that era.

Despite the buzz I did not enjoy this book as much as I expected.  Besides the predictable plot line, there were several factual errors that got in the way.  One big one is that even though the internet was not readily accessible in 1986 it still figures into the story.  I also did not always find 12-year-old Henry to be a very credible, he is very mature and wise beyond his years.

Although I did enjoy parts of this novel and it has been favorably reviewed, I cannot recommend this book.  That said, it may be an ideal choice for a book group, since there is much to discuss and opinions obviously differ.

Entry Filed under: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction