Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “An impressive, bitter, and sweet debut that explores the age-old conflicts between father and son, the beauty and sadness of what happened to Japanese Americans in the Seattle era during World War II, and the depths and longing of deep-heart love.”—Lisa See
“A tender and satisfying novel.”—Garth Stein, bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
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 1940s—Keiko Okabe, with whom he forged a bond of friendship and innocent love that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors. After Keiko and her family were evacuated to the internment camps, she and Henry could only hope that their promise to each other would be kept. Now, forty years later, Henry explores the hotel’s basement for the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot even begin to measure. His search will take him on a journey to revisit the sacrifices he has made for family, for love, for country.
“A tender and satisfying novel.”—Garth Stein, bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
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 1940s—Keiko Okabe, with whom he forged a bond of friendship and innocent love that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors. After Keiko and her family were evacuated to the internment camps, she and Henry could only hope that their promise to each other would be kept. Now, forty years later, Henry explores the hotel’s basement for the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot even begin to measure. His search will take him on a journey to revisit the sacrifices he has made for family, for love, for country.
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Community Reviews
Excellent read, well-developed characters and interesting plot, sometimes poignant. I definitely recommend.
Having read Amy Tan and other authors that capture the tension between mothers and daughters, I found it very interesting to read about the tensions between a father and son. I also recently read Unbroken which shed light on why Henry's father would have such a strong reaction against his Chinese son being involved with a Japanese girl.
12 yr old Chinese American Henry begins a friendship with Japanese American girl Keiko at an all white (besides them) prep school in Seattle during World War II. The author weaves a beautiful friendship turned love between the two.
When all residents of Japanese descent are rounded up and sent to internment camps, Henry shows his loyalty and strong moral character in very moving ways.
Strong parent/child themes and conflicts throughout the book, and a supporting character, Sheldon, a jazz sax player, who steals the show.
It is written in the voice of young Henry of 1942 and mature Henry of 1986, going back and forth between the two time periods. I thought it was an effective way to let the story unfold.
When all residents of Japanese descent are rounded up and sent to internment camps, Henry shows his loyalty and strong moral character in very moving ways.
Strong parent/child themes and conflicts throughout the book, and a supporting character, Sheldon, a jazz sax player, who steals the show.
It is written in the voice of young Henry of 1942 and mature Henry of 1986, going back and forth between the two time periods. I thought it was an effective way to let the story unfold.
4.5 stars!
I was actually quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, especially the second half. The first half was a little slow at first, but it picked up by the 35-40% mark. The setting was one of my favorite things about this book, especially since it was set in Chinatown in Seattle, a place that I know and went to often as a child. Hearing about all those familiar Seattle places and landmarks was a really nice nostalgic moment. I also could really relate to the Chinese family dynamics (and also they spoke Cantonese, not Mandarin!)
I also got really invested in the love story and I was really sad about how it all turned out. But it was bittersweet, as the book title implies, and I liked that there was maybe (in my head, at least) a hope for something more at the end of the book, or at least the renewal of a close friendship. I just had a lot of feelings about Henry and Keiko and their missed opportunities. Definitely a sweet and important book about a period of history that everyone should know about.
I was actually quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, especially the second half. The first half was a little slow at first, but it picked up by the 35-40% mark. The setting was one of my favorite things about this book, especially since it was set in Chinatown in Seattle, a place that I know and went to often as a child. Hearing about all those familiar Seattle places and landmarks was a really nice nostalgic moment. I also could really relate to the Chinese family dynamics (and also they spoke Cantonese, not Mandarin!)
I also got really invested in the love story and I was really sad about how it all turned out. But it was bittersweet, as the book title implies, and I liked that there was maybe (in my head, at least) a hope for something more at the end of the book, or at least the renewal of a close friendship. I just had a lot of feelings about Henry and Keiko and their missed opportunities. Definitely a sweet and important book about a period of history that everyone should know about.
This story of a Chinese American youth in Seattle during WWII brings an interesting perspective to the idea of the other. Henry is reviled by Chinese children and 'white' children alike. His witness of the events following Pearl Harbor are poignant. And I enjoyed 'Snow falling on Cedars' more
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