I Finally Finished a Book

At this point you are probably expecting a review of Grapes of Wrath. Sorry, not going to happen. I cannot attend my book club meeting on Wednesday. I cannot make myself read the book right now. I have a huge stack of books that look more interesting to me than, Grapes of Wrath.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet was recommended to me by my friend and sister-in-law. She is a big reader too. I loved this book. The author is Jamie Ford and this is her debut novel. I would never have guessed that. This book flowed so well. The jumps between Henry's youth and present time felt seamless.
This is the first paragraph of the back cover:
In 1986, Henry Lee joins a crowd outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has discovered the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps during World War II. As the owner displays and unfurls a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers a young Japanese American girl from his childhood in the 1940's - Keiko Okabe, with whom he forged a bond of friendship and innocent love that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors.
Has that convinced you to the read? It is also about Henry's conflict with his father. The conflict between old world and new world. It gives a glimpse of the damage caused by war. Not war on the battlefield. How war can breed hate. Prejudices handed down from generations.
This book describes the internment of Japanese in the United States in the 1940's. Americans born in our country were put in camps because of their Japanese heritage.
This book is an example of a piece of fiction that is able to teach history through a story. The author is able to describe the devastation of the neighborhood so that I could see it.
The story is about love lost, life taking other turns, finding love in unexpected places. I was able to get caught up in the story and still remember that was a period in our history that really took place. The book made me think.
I consider the story meloncholy. Henry and Keiko meet as children. They have happy times together despite their differences. I finished the book last night. As I write this, I can think of new aspects of the book that teach acceptance. Henry and Keiko find a friend in an African American jazz player. At the same time the story shows prejudice, it also shows the acceptance. I hope you find time to read this book. It is a fairly quick read. I know you will enjoy it. I gave it my highest rating of a 5.