Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - A Book Review
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel by Jamie FordMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
"The more Henry thought about the shabby old knickknacks, forgotten treasures, the more it seemed as if his own broken heart might be found in there, hidden among the unclaimed possessions of another time. Boarded up in the basement of a condemned hotel. Lost, but never forgotten."
The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel is a wonderful read. It's a heart breaking love story set in the midst of World War II, right after Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese. The setting is Seattle, where Chinese and Japanese people have immigrated.
It is a time of history that I knew very little about. I found it distasteful to read how we treated the people of Japanese descent... it was a racist, distrustful time in our history.
Henry is Chinese, and his father makes him speak only English in the home and wear a badge that says "I am Chinese". Neither his father or mother can speak English, so it becomes a very lonely time for this twelve year old boy.
He is bullied, teased and beaten on a regular basis by the white kids at his all white Elementary school. Simply because he looks Japanese. He falls in love with a Japanese girl at his school. She was his only friend, and they were a support system to each other.
The book jumps flawlessly back and forth between the 1940's and the late 1980's. The two stories build on each other perfectly, leading up to the beautiful, heartbreaking ending.
One of the focuses of the story is a rare Oscar Holden record, that everyone tells Henry does not exist. You really don't understand why he is so obsessed with it until well into the book. I found myself holding my breath, hoping, praying he would find that rare record.
Jamie Ford creates the corner of bitter and sweet as both a physical place—the Panama Hotel—and Henry’s emotional home-base, and he explores the experiences of Chinese- and Japanese-Americans during World War II with sensitivity and insight.
I loved every single page of this wonderfully historically based book and I really didn't want it to end. At the climax of the book, I found myself internally crying out NO! And then rejoicing in the conclusion. I found myself thinking about Henry and Keiko long after I had finished reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. It stayed with me... haunting me. It was a beautiful love story that no one should miss.
It is a time of history that I knew very little about. I found it distasteful to read how we treated the people of Japanese descent... it was a racist, distrustful time in our history.
Henry is Chinese, and his father makes him speak only English in the home and wear a badge that says "I am Chinese". Neither his father or mother can speak English, so it becomes a very lonely time for this twelve year old boy.
He is bullied, teased and beaten on a regular basis by the white kids at his all white Elementary school. Simply because he looks Japanese. He falls in love with a Japanese girl at his school. She was his only friend, and they were a support system to each other.
The book jumps flawlessly back and forth between the 1940's and the late 1980's. The two stories build on each other perfectly, leading up to the beautiful, heartbreaking ending.
One of the focuses of the story is a rare Oscar Holden record, that everyone tells Henry does not exist. You really don't understand why he is so obsessed with it until well into the book. I found myself holding my breath, hoping, praying he would find that rare record.
Jamie Ford creates the corner of bitter and sweet as both a physical place—the Panama Hotel—and Henry’s emotional home-base, and he explores the experiences of Chinese- and Japanese-Americans during World War II with sensitivity and insight.
I loved every single page of this wonderfully historically based book and I really didn't want it to end. At the climax of the book, I found myself internally crying out NO! And then rejoicing in the conclusion. I found myself thinking about Henry and Keiko long after I had finished reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. It stayed with me... haunting me. It was a beautiful love story that no one should miss.
I would have no problem recommending this book to anyone, even to high school kids.
Take a tour of The Panama Hotel with Jamie Ford, the author.
