“Sentimental, heartfelt….the exploration of Henry’s changing relationship with his family and with Keiko will keep most readers turning pages…A timely debut that not only reminds readers of a shameful episode in American history, but cautions us to examine the present and take heed we don’t repeat those injustices.”– Kirkus Reviews “A tender and satisfying novel set in a time and a place … set in a time and a place lost forever, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet gives us a glimpse of the damage that is caused by war–not the sweeping damage of the battlefield, but the cold, cruel damage to the hearts and humanity of individual people. Especially relevant in today’s world, this is a beautifully written book that will make you think. And, more importantly, it will make you feel.”
— Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
“Jamie Ford’s first novel explores the age-old conflicts between father and son, the beauty and sadness of what happened to Japanese Americans in the Seattle area during World War II, and the depths and longing of deep-heart love. An impressive, bitter, and sweet debut.”
— Lisa See, bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.
This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry’s world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While “scholarshipping” at the exclusive Rainier Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship–and innocent love–that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept.
Forty years later, Henry Lee is certain that the parasol belonged to Keiko. In the hotel’s dark dusty basement he begins looking for signs of the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot begin to measure. Now a widower, Henry is still trying to find his voice–words that might explain the actions of his nationalistic father; words that might bridge the gap between him and his modern, Chinese American son; words that might help him confront the choices he made many years ago.
Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart.
BONUS: This edition contains a Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet discussion guide and an excerpt from Jamie Ford’s Songs of Willow Frost.
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This is a part of American history we never talk about. Very good story.
I liked this!
A wonderful read!
Like many people,I tend to think of the Japanese as the enemy of WWII but I never thought much about how this war changed the lives of Americans who happened to be of Japanese descent. The relocation program was heartless and unfair and this book showed this beautifully. I cant wait to actually visit the hotel (still there) where belongings are …
I liked the book very much. My step-children are half Japanese and their Mom and Grandparents ended up in a camp. Very sad times.
A really good book about a time in American history not talked about often.
Though I knew of the Japanese internment in the U.S. during WWII, I found myself seeing it through the eyes of a young Chinese boy and Japanese girl. Very sobering.
Wonderful read. I learned a lot about the tragic internment of the Japanese in WW 11 and the loss those people suffered.
I loved this book and recommended it to my granddaughters
It’s been awhile since I read it, so recollecting is a somewhat difficult task at best, I am an avid reader and there are times they all merge together to see if I am paying attention 🙂 I do remember enjoying this and not wanting to put it down. Definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys learning the cultures that are not our own.
Beautiful story that takes one through Chinese-Americal life before WWII and into the Japanese internment camps. There’s a lot of authentic detail and the characters and plot are beautifully crafted.
Loved everything about it very well written
This is a very interesting and informative story set in a historical time period. It provides a fictionalized story of real events and allows the reader to learn about real historical events.
This is a touching story of clashing cultures that to outsiders seem so alike. The characters were believable and well-drawn. They were all doing the best they could with the heritage life handed to them.
Set during the time of Japan invading the United States, it tells the story of two kids born in the United States, who were always told they were Americans, one was Japanese and the other Chinese. Dealing with the changes in their lives and their parents lives. It was not a face-paced book or action packed, but it was about life. It was endearing …
I did not know very much about how the Japanese/Americans were treated during WWII. Very informative book. Very good characters.
This book reminded me a bit of The Japanese Lover. It was a sad but captivating story about WWII and the internal conflicts that happened in the US among the Asian/American communities.
It is such a relevant story especially witnessing what US is going through nowadays with racism, immigration prejudice, the possibility of war with North Korea …
A historical fiction set in the U.S. during World War II. It shows the emotions of when the American Japanese were sent to internment camps here in the U.S.
Great story! Loved it!!
Beautiful tale of a Chinese boy and Japanese girl during WwIi.