Themes: love, war, survival, prejudice, culture, honour, trauma, abandonment.
Synopsis & Review: The Woman In the White Kimono is a historical fiction alternating two timelines. In Japan, 1950's the main protagonist Naoko Nakamura is a 17 year-old Japanese woman who has been promised to marry the son of her father's business associate. Naoko has no interest in this arranged marriage as her heart belongs to another - Hajime, an American sailor. But to marry an 'outsider' would bring shame and disrespect to her family.
Naoko is faced with the task to persuade her family and challenge their strong cultural beliefs. Her circumstances drive her to make unimaginable choices which lead to a journey of self-discovery, survival, adversity and acceptance.
In present day US, Tori Kovac is a young American woman taking care of her dying father. Looking through his belongings she finds a letter addressed to him which makes her question everything about her life. In an attempt to find answers and learn the truth of her father's past she travels to a small village in Japan.
This was a brilliant read, I enjoyed every chapter. The elegant prose leading to major events kept me hooked from start to end. This novel is inspired by true events, I didn't know anything about this period of history during the second world war. It was interesting to learn what happened to the children born during this era born from relationships between American soldiers and Japanese women. The characters are strong but subtle, which lets you really build a connection with them. I also really appreciated the smooth and timely transitions between timelines because I could keep up with both sides of the story without forgetting what happened on the other side.
This novel divulges into many complex real life issues, it is so much more then a love story. Definitely one to be cherished.
Rating: 5/5
Favourite Quotes:
'Worry gives a small thing big shadows.'
'My love is as your shadow, unshakeable and always behind you.'
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