The Buddha in the Attic
Julie Otsuka
2011
94 nookish (and short) pages
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This is the collective story of Japanese women who immigrate to the US as picture brides to marry Japanese men who are already living and working in the US. It summarizes their experiences from their arrival in the early 1900s through 1942, when Japanese-Americans were sent to internment camps during World War II. The women talk about their voyage to the US, their wedding night, their hard work in the fields and homes of whites, their children and husbands, and their displacement into the camps. I read (and liked) Otsuka’s first novel, When the Emperor Was Divine, last year, so I was looking forward to her latest. However, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. While the story itself is powerful, there were a few things that just didn’t work for me.
What I didn’t care for:
- It was too much like her first book, especially towards the end. It almost seemed to rehash her prior book at times.
- It’s told form the first person plural point of view. And I’m not a fan.
- It seemed to jump from everyone working in the fields and struggling to survive, to working in cities and owning homes and businesses. Where was the in between time? How did they get to where they were when they were sent to the internment camps?
Things I did like:
- That first person plural point of view and the almost list-like quality of the prose ends up being strangely compelling.
- The places…the book is set in California, and Los Osos (where I lived as a teenager) makes a brief appearance. And I recognized most all of the places mentioned.
- The end: “All we know is that the Japanese are out there somewhere, in one place or another, and we shall probably not meet them again in this world.”
I sometimes do like it when authors stick to a theme, but if the books feel like carbon copies of each other than I am not satisfied. I have been wanting to read this one, but have been a bit hesitant. Now I can see that it might be a mixed bag for me. Thanks for your candid take on it. I always know that your reviews are going to get down to the nitty-gritty without any fuss! Great review!
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I read this but not her first. I liked the first person plural for a while but I agree that at times it got a little annoying.
The first person plural would take some time to get used to. Thanks for the warning! I haven’t read this author’s other books, so that wouldn’t be an issue for me.
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Oooh, the premise definitely intrigues me — and this time period is one of my favorites. I’ve become fascinated by Japanese culture since reading How To Be An American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway. Since I haven’t read Otsuka’s first, maybe this one would click with me?
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I have’t read this one and for some reason, I have no desire to. I’ve not really seen one review that makes me want to run out and buy it.
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This is interesting. I really wanted to read this book but the reviews have been kind of meh. Kind of sad for me. Oh well!
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I’m not sure that I’m drawn to this, although, what the hey, you’re not out much with only 94 pages to read right? I don’t mind recurring themes in an author’s books, but they have to change things up or I’m going to think they only have one good idea in their heads.
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The premise of the story sounds fascinating to me. I’ve never read this author, so I probably wouldn’t think it was repetitive.
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Is that really the end? Did you spoilerish it for me now? LOL. I’m pretty much tempted to read this book because of its size. Maybe I should see if my library has it.
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Sorry that this didn’t work out. I haven’t read the first book yet but it is in my tbr pile.
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I have read about her books but not the books itself. Thank you for a different point of view.
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I haven’t read either. But I agree it can be annoying when you realize an author has more or less rehashed a previous story idea.
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I really enjoyed this one, but I haven’t read her first novel yet. I’ve got it my pile and hope to get to it soon, so I’m glad to know of the similarities.
I liked her first novel… have this one coming from the library (think I’m next on the list). We’ll see…
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I have this one in my virtual TBR pile, just haven’t gotten there yet and no, I haven’t read anything else by her. Hmm, maybe I will enjoy it more because of that??
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I am grateful for the honest review. I wasn’t expecting too much and I end up enjoying the book. It is exactly how you described it especially about how they got where they were.
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