Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Wovon wir träumten

Gorgeous prose centering on the lives of Japanese "photo brides" and the generation of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans affected by Japanese internment. The story is told from the plural first person of the Japanese women, spanning from their arrival to the United States as brides-to-be to their forceful removal from their homes after Pearl Harbor. Absolutely stunning use of plural narration: individual experiences are woven together seamlessly to create a mosaic of community, with all of their differences and similarities highlighted. A heartbreaking and hauntingly beautiful embrace of womanhood.

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k_pelowk's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Goodness gracious, this book is so beautiful. I just finished it and think I may pick it up and read it again right away. Like a poem, rhythm, word choice and simplicity build effortless images and character sketches. It broadened my understanding of my American History and heritage. I loved every moment, even the frequent painful ones.

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goldenflame852's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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balfies's review against another edition

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challenging informative sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Beautiful little book about Japanese immigrants to America in the first half of the twentieth century, told from the collective perspective of the women. Otsuka is quickly becoming one of my favourite writers, she has such a unique voice and her storytelling collages are so deftly constructed.

One of the chapters appeared as a short story in a 2011 edition of Granta magazine, and I had used it as one of my HSC Belonging texts, so it's good to have finally read the full thing.

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