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The Buddha in the Attic Julie Otsuka Books

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The Buddha in the Attic Julie Otsuka Books

Incredibly well written description of the agony so many Japanese 'war brides' had to suffer from the moment they left their homes in Japan, their arduous journey across the ocean, their hopes, and fears described in surprisingly poetic style, making one part of their difficult journey and their great expectations only to be shattered by brutal reality when they arrived. Their dreams did not come through, they found themselves in virtual slavery, providing free labor and often badly mistreated by their husbands with no way out...They bore it in silence, suffered unbelievable hardship in silence and submission, something that they had been taught by their mothers in Japan. And then the ultimate punishment, being accused of collaborating with the Japanese aggressors in the war and just because of their Japanese roots they have to leave their homes, farms shops, and they are shipped to internment camps. The most soul wrenching chapter is at the end when we witness the reaction of their former neighbors. An unforgettable read!! Wonderfully presented.


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The Buddha in the Attic Julie Otsuka Books Reviews

Like so many other readers, I found the repetitive nature of the book tedious. It was interesting at first, and as a literary device to impart large amounts of information, could have been effective. But an ENTIRE BOOK? Of lists? The contents of the lists were somewhat interesting, but ultimately, that's all they were... lists.

I wanted to know the detailed story of ONE woman, preferably the teller of the tale. There was no way of knowing who was telling the story. I thought it began in one voice, but then shifted to a disembodied "us."

And the last chapter shifted perspective totally and appeared to be told from the perspective of the non-Japanese who watched their Japanese neighbors leave (is it really possible that when an entire town was empties of a large segment of its population, no one saw lines of people, or groups of people, moving toward the train stations? Really???) and never bothered to find out why or where.

All in all, this reads more like the notes for a novel than the novel itself. I'm giving it two stars instead of one because the bit of information that I was able to glean from the endless lists was interesting and kept me going.
This began well and sustained my interest for the first fifty or so pages, then it just became a tedious chore. I'm very interested in first person plural narration (FPP) and am attempting to read every book in FPP. I found Otsuka's ambitious attempt to be less than successful. Otsuka's FPP is too broad, There are so many ways Otsuka could have tackled this concept that would have worked better.

This would have worked as a short story or novella at half the size as is. But still would have run itself to the ground. By including all of Japan's picture-brides with no anchor of place, there is no one for the reader to embrace, root for, or despise. Had she narrowed her choice to a group of several women, perhaps from a neighborhood, or church, etc. This work could have taken on some definable shape to capture the weight of the tale she wishes to tell. The Point of View (POV) is simply too limiting for the scope of the story she wanted to tell. You cannot tell an entire nation of immigrant's experience within this POV because the individual experience will vary too greatly to be contained here. As it does within her attempt - had she narrowed it to just farm workers or maids or mothers, it would have stood a chance, but including every possible kind of female Japanese immigrant voice left no room for anything but the most sweeping of generalities.

This offering becomes static and highly repetitive. Otsuka often degrades the FPP to simplified lists that encapsulate generic experiences that are alienating and lose sight of the reader's empathy and patience. She often makes no attempt to lessen the harshness of the POV or weave the "we" voice into a more cohesive narrative. Indeed, as I read, I often felt I was being beaten over the head with the word "we."

I'm disheartened that the novel was unsuccessful. Otsuka is more than capable of creating an affable and compelling story. Her imagery is crisp and her prose is lean. It is a fast page-turning read with small, tight, and self-contained sections that make it a perfect book to read in waiting rooms and when you only have a minute here and there. There is a very poignant and important story within its pages that deserves telling, however, Otsuka is incapable of balancing all the elements of the story in addition to the ambitious choice of narration. While I am a fan of first person plural, it was a poor choice for this particular story. This story and the characters within it deserve a closer and more intimate exploration than the method Otsuka chose to apply allows.
I thought this book was deeply moving and the pluralized first person narrative made this book something unique. Japanese, mail-order brides have come to America married to men they have written to and have received pictures. They develop lives and while the book is in almost a chorus the reader still gets to know the individual and perhaps has an even better connection.

For those who say they won't read a short story or novella because a story can't be told well enough which means the reader won't have the same depth of feeling I challenge them to read this story. And I have to say (and I hate politics in reviews so I have to apologize) this was such a timely read in today's political climate.
Incredibly well written description of the agony so many Japanese 'war brides' had to suffer from the moment they left their homes in Japan, their arduous journey across the ocean, their hopes, and fears described in surprisingly poetic style, making one part of their difficult journey and their great expectations only to be shattered by brutal reality when they arrived. Their dreams did not come through, they found themselves in virtual slavery, providing free labor and often badly mistreated by their husbands with no way out...They bore it in silence, suffered unbelievable hardship in silence and submission, something that they had been taught by their mothers in Japan. And then the ultimate punishment, being accused of collaborating with the Japanese aggressors in the war and just because of their Japanese roots they have to leave their homes, farms shops, and they are shipped to internment camps. The most soul wrenching chapter is at the end when we witness the reaction of their former neighbors. An unforgettable read!! Wonderfully presented.