March 17, 2012
-
Week 11: Bittersweet
When I first saw the title “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet,” I was intrigued. I always judge books by their covers, and titles. I instantly wanted to read this book, even though I had no idea what it was about. Then, for Christmas, Mike’s mom gave it to me. At the time I had no idea how she knew I wanted to read it. I still don’t know for sure, but now that I’m about halfway through, I think perhaps she knew a little of what it was about and thought I might enjoy it.
The novel is about a Chinese-American boy, Henry, who grows up in Seattle’s International District during WWII. His best friend is a Japanese-American girl, whose family ends up being sent to an internment camp. The book jumps between 1942 (his childhood) and 1986, where a stash of Japanese artifacts is found in an old boarded up building. Henry enlists the help of his now-grown son to help him look for items that once belonged to his friend.
I’ve just reached a chapter called “Uwajimaya,” and it tickles me that I recognize many of the places that are mentioned in the book. And the story hasn’t fallen short of the title yet either.
