“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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I loved this book and recommended it to my friends. I continue to follow the writer’s work.
Excellent account of WWII and what happened to the Japanese in Seattle. My father lived through this period and it was so hard to see this happen to his friends.
It is different than most books I’ve read. Read it. That’s all I can say. You won’t be disappointed.
A beautiful love story about forbidden love. A Chinese American boy and a Japanese American girl in World War 2, when Japanese citizens were considered a threat, and sent to camps. A heartfelt tale mixing the past with the present. A welcome “happily ever after” read.
I loved this book. I am familiar with Seattle but not the history of the Japanese or the importance of jazz music at that time.
Excellent book and based on a true story. One of my very favorite books.
I lent the book and never got it back. So I bought another copy as it is so important to remember all just by looking at the book.
Wonderful book about family and also informs us about the situation in the CA interment camps
I read this book a long time ago but it was just one of the best books I ever read. I recommended it to friends and my 85 year old mother!
I liked the portrayals of how people cope with the onslaught of systemic prejudice.
I own it and reread it from time to time.
Excellent. One of my all time favorite books.
A gentle, lyrical story about the misunderstandings between generations set against the expulsion of the Japanese from their community in Seattle during WW Two, inspiring cross cultural relationships, bigotry, attempts to become accepted in a polarized society, and the effect of memories.
I enjoyed this book so much that i have read it twice.
A thoughtfully written slice of history. Couldn’t put it down.
I love historical fiction and this was a new history that I had not previously read much about, the Japanese Internment camps. This was an innocent love story that also showed the racism that existed in the US during WWII. I enjoyed the writing style and the characters and the back and forth between the 1940s and 1980s. I would recommend this to …
Great characters and development
This is one of my favorite books. My high school history teachers never even touched on the Japanese being placed in camps during the war. It was well written and the characters were very real.
A wonderful book. It is poignant and sad and very realistic. It is an example of the trying times that people go through
I lived in Seattle and I loved reading this story. The references to the city sights made the book so interesting to me.