As we’ve always held, it’s not about the food, or the setting, but as always, the Book Club last Thursday was regaled with a sumptuous meal in a sublime setting to discuss Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.
The novel is the story of two Asian children, a Chinese boy and a Japanese girl, and their families ethnic rivalries during the period of the internment of the Japanese of the pacific coast of the United States during World War II. The story opens with the clearing out of a basement of The Panama Hotel where family possessions of the Japanese relocated to internment camps were stored. It methodically follows the two main characters through their childhood separation, the boy’s father’s deceptive tactics to keep them apart, and their eventual reunion late in life.
Most readers appreciated the story for shedding light on a little known aspect of American history, and some elements introduced which lent the story real texture.
Salene, as always found something positive, in the recurring Jazz theme and the apt title in the real sense of the bitter sweet in the tale. Bill remarked that it was a great portrait of displacement, and with typical understatement, kind of insipid. Helen dubbed it certainly not a classic, but a pleasant easy read. Pietro repeated that as usual he enjoyed reading a book that he would not have chosen himself but that it was not great, filled with cliches, but did trigger other thoughts and reminded us of the horrors of the Japanese camps in Indonesia, an eye opener as to the basis of truth. Marijke agreed and added it was unrealistic, unbelievable and overall unconvincing. Krysia found it superficial and Cynthia thought it was an interesting story, but flat, of the push pull between immigration, integration and assimilation. All felt it too generalized, a missed opportunity to delve deeper into just one or two of the recurring themes.
In a delightful aside Bill recommended a few of his favorite books to add to our reading list: The Secret of Santa Vittorio by Richard Crichton; A Man Called Intrepid, by William Stevenson; Kabloona by French adventurer Gontran de Poncins, written in collaboration with Lewis Galantiere. Pietro recommended Canada by Richard Ford and The River Burns by Trevor Ferguson.
Thank you to everyone who contributed the delicious fare and participated in the lively discussion.
The next books and meetings are as follows:
June: Harvest by Jim Crace, TUESDAY 24 June at Bill and Cynthia’s
July: The Tin Ring by Zdenka Fantlova, date to be announced at Marijke and Pietro’s.
September: Dear Life by Alice Munroe, date and venue to be announced
