Julie Otsuka’s lovely debut novel “When the Emperor Was Divine” is a quiet character study as well as a revealing look at an unspoken part of World War 2 – the internment of Japanese in America. (This also happened in Canada, and here it is not often spoken of, although a formal acknowledgement was offered by the federal government in recent years. There was a very good novel written about a Vancouver Japanese family’s experience – Obasan by Joy Kogawa.) What struck me about this novel was Otsuka’s gentleness and judicious choice of words. Through spare phrases that have an almost poetic feel, she views the internment through the eyes of a family – the children, the mother, and the father who was imprisoned separately.
The book starts with the mother preparing for their departure from their home in California. In careful words, mimicking the careful control the mother tried to exert over the strange situation she found herself in, Otsuka details the multitude of preparations.
“There were things they could take with them: bedding and linen, forks, spoons, plates, bowls, cups, clothes. These were the words she had written down o the back of the bank receipt. Pets were not allowed. That was what the sign had said.”
The story continues with the journey to the camp and then the life spent in the camp itself, as seen through the eyes of the two children.
“The rules about the fence were simple: You could not go over it, you could not go under it, you could not go around it, you could not go through it. And if your kite got stuck on it? That was an easy one. You let the kite go.”
Perhaps the most haunting is the return to the family home and the experience of integrating back into society, right after the war, as seen again through the eyes of the children.
Finally, the novel culminates in the return of the father, with the final chapter, the shortest and most emotional, seen through his eyes.
This book was charming yet disturbing, quiet in prose yet purposeful in story. I look forward to reading more novels by Otsuka.
Rocks, Waves, Beach 
sounds like a very interesting and moving novel, kate. i alway enjoy reading your book reviews.
but of course the real question is, did its cover coordinate with your current knitting project?!? :)
By: melissa on July 18, 2013
at 5:01 am
Well, it coordinated with one of them :)
I enjoy doing the book reviews so I’m glad you like them.
By: Kate on July 18, 2013
at 8:08 am
Thx for another gr8 review! I look forward to them, esp. after reading one of the books you reviewed, ‘Clara and Mr. Tiffany’ (excellent read). I’ll keep these 2 (books) in mind, thank you.
By: 1treblemaker1 on July 18, 2013
at 10:28 am
As always, do let me know if you read them Kim, and what you think!
By: Kate on July 20, 2013
at 8:23 pm
I will!
By: 1treblemaker1 on July 22, 2013
at 7:42 pm
[…] 65 or so novels that I read this year (love that the library keeps track of my books for me) was When The Emperor Was Divine, by Julie Otsuka. Beautiful, lyrical writing; a simple story told with emotion; about a topic not […]
By: Looking Back at 2013 | Rocks, Waves, Beach on January 17, 2014
at 6:45 pm