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lawofeyes's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Besides the last two stories, which I feel completely do not fit within the context of the book, all of the stories within the novel show a diverse picture of the Japanese and Japanese-American World War 2 experience, both the good and the bad. There's a wide range of characters and writing styles that I feel the author was able to succeed in making good.
chughes120's review against another edition
5.0
**4.5 stars** Individual stories across multiple generations of one Japanese family, following them through WWII, US immigration, and into the future. Through the characters’ own commentary and self reflection, it takes a philosophical and, at times, dark look at patterns of “occupation” through history.
This was quite the tapestry and it almost didn’t work, but then it did. I didn’t read the summary so I was confused about how everything was connected at first, since it’s not chronological, but it gave me goosebumps when it finally clicked. The way the storytelling style varies between family members (sometimes an interview, sometimes a conversation, sometimes in the third person present, sometimes a reflection on past events) made it a little confusing to listen to in audiobook format, but I still enjoyed that decision by the author.
This book also taught me about Unit 731 and the Japanese kaiten program, which sent me down a traumatizing research rabbit hole I never want to repeat.
This was quite the tapestry and it almost didn’t work, but then it did. I didn’t read the summary so I was confused about how everything was connected at first, since it’s not chronological, but it gave me goosebumps when it finally clicked. The way the storytelling style varies between family members (sometimes an interview, sometimes a conversation, sometimes in the third person present, sometimes a reflection on past events) made it a little confusing to listen to in audiobook format, but I still enjoyed that decision by the author.
This book also taught me about Unit 731 and the Japanese kaiten program, which sent me down a traumatizing research rabbit hole I never want to repeat.
bosstweed's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is so well executed. The stories are separate entities and yet weave together so well. They all deal with, as I see it, the central theme of what is inherited and passed down through history and generations, the largest theme I saw being trauma of some sort. But the book also dives into history and how various peoples can interact and make it. I really enjoyed this book for how it was fiction and nonfiction adjacent.
nuhafariha's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to DoubleDay Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Available July 14th 2020
When we think of Japan, we are often thinking of a sanitary, clean cut nation; maybe we just think of sushi or the bright and colorful anime world. We don't think about Japan's complicated history, its own internal and external wars and the lingering effects of colonialism. Asako Serizawa's "Inheritors" is a tour de force through modern Japanese history, often drawing on aspects of Japanese culture that we don't see in the mainstream. With a variety of narrative styles, Serizawa's collection of stories is surprisingly cohesive. From a simple tragic tale of a father leaving his family to a heart-wrenching and horrifying account of a true Japanese comfort woman, Serizawa shows the underside of Japan. The realities that Serizawa brings to life should be embraced and acknowledged as a part of history. A well written, emotive collection!
Available July 14th 2020
When we think of Japan, we are often thinking of a sanitary, clean cut nation; maybe we just think of sushi or the bright and colorful anime world. We don't think about Japan's complicated history, its own internal and external wars and the lingering effects of colonialism. Asako Serizawa's "Inheritors" is a tour de force through modern Japanese history, often drawing on aspects of Japanese culture that we don't see in the mainstream. With a variety of narrative styles, Serizawa's collection of stories is surprisingly cohesive. From a simple tragic tale of a father leaving his family to a heart-wrenching and horrifying account of a true Japanese comfort woman, Serizawa shows the underside of Japan. The realities that Serizawa brings to life should be embraced and acknowledged as a part of history. A well written, emotive collection!
categal's review against another edition
4.0
I read this very slowly for two reasons. One, because it’s phenomenal and the writing is gorgeous. It’s worth sitting with these images and sentences and spending the time. Two, because it’s a sucker punch and it knocked the breath out of me several times over.
Each chapter is a story about a different member of a family, spanning 100+ years starting in the 19th Century. A fantastic feature in the hard cover edition I read was a family tree at the front with chapter titles next to each member of the family. The stories shift from location to location, decade to decade, but ultimately, it paints a picture of how World War II impacted Japan through a Japanese family.
Easy read? Hell no. So beautiful.
Each chapter is a story about a different member of a family, spanning 100+ years starting in the 19th Century. A fantastic feature in the hard cover edition I read was a family tree at the front with chapter titles next to each member of the family. The stories shift from location to location, decade to decade, but ultimately, it paints a picture of how World War II impacted Japan through a Japanese family.
Easy read? Hell no. So beautiful.
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.0
Inheritors is a collection of interconnected short stories that form a sort of mosaic where the whole is infinitely greater than the sum of the parts. It traces the history of five generations of a family over 150 years, in Japan, China and the United States, from the nineteenth century into the future. The book explores the lasting impact of World War II, the way war affects people’s humanity and the concept of intergenerational trauma but the stories unfold non-sequentially. There is a family tree at the beginning which includes dates for each story. If I was reading again I think I’d use these to make myself a little timeline as I went, so I could keep the events, people and connections straight. I liked that there was a range of different styles in the stories. Willow Run, which featured one side of an interview with a clear agenda, was especially effective. The stories featured elements of the Japanese war effort that I hadn’t known, particularly Train to Harbin which focused on biological experiments on Chinese prisoners of war. I love when my fiction reading teaches me things, even if they are things I wish I didn’t need to know. In many ways this was a challenging read which features plenty of trigger warnings but it was undoubtedly a worthwhile one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and War
hannahsakura's review against another edition
5.0
This book shows the complexity of Japanese history of the generational trauma of atomic bombings and Japanese imperialist war crimes through the beautifully written stories of a family line. I loved diving into the Japanese diaspora and mixed Japanese Americans coming to terms with this history and their own colonialism. The look into the future wasn’t my favorite, but an interesting addition. Required reading in my opinion!!!!!
kidneynerd's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
2.0
You can say that Inheritors by Asako Serizawa is a short story collection, but it really is a series of interconnected stories not unlike another recent book I read called Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. And while Homegoing is about the impact of slavery through multiple generations, Inheritors is about WW2 and its ramifications on generations of Japanese before, during and after the war.
The difference between the two books, however, is that most of Serizawa's stories left me cold and indifferent to whatever's happening on the page. One reason is because Serizawa's characters mostly speak with the same voice — her voice, I reckon. Another reason is that the first half of the book is written in a rough, obtuse style that's hard to penetrate for the most part. Even though both Inheritors and Homegoing provide a helpful family tree at the front of the book to help readers keep track of who's who, I never had to refer to it for Homegoing. Over here, though, I find myself being confused half the time as to how everybody is related, and it doesn't help that Inheritors is largely told without a chronological order.
In the end, the general indifference to the story, the obtuse style of writing and the lack of chronology made this a tough read for me. I honestly did not enjoy any of the stories.
The difference between the two books, however, is that most of Serizawa's stories left me cold and indifferent to whatever's happening on the page. One reason is because Serizawa's characters mostly speak with the same voice — her voice, I reckon. Another reason is that the first half of the book is written in a rough, obtuse style that's hard to penetrate for the most part. Even though both Inheritors and Homegoing provide a helpful family tree at the front of the book to help readers keep track of who's who, I never had to refer to it for Homegoing. Over here, though, I find myself being confused half the time as to how everybody is related, and it doesn't help that Inheritors is largely told without a chronological order.
In the end, the general indifference to the story, the obtuse style of writing and the lack of chronology made this a tough read for me. I honestly did not enjoy any of the stories.
margaretefg's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful linked stories of several generations of a Japanese and Japanese American family.