Reviews with content warning for Animal death - When the Emperor Was Divine

I cannot recommend this breathtaking novel enough. It was tragic and absorbing. Its matter of fact writing style paired perfectly with grizzly subject matter we’re not often taught.

Please read this novel.

Content Warnings

wai's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad fast-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? Yes

5.0

This book is slim and a very quick read but one that stays with you. I found the end particularly poignant, discussing the surrealism of returning to society after internment and facing both overt and covert forms of racism and complacency in the white majority. The family survives but the trauma they all faced in imprisonment and the current social climate has taken its toll and begs the question - how much did they really survive?

I'm a quarter Japanese American and this just reminded me of all the history classes I've taken that discussed WWII, how little they all discussed Japanese internment and how much justification we were given for the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. More of this rhetoric exists still today than people realize and is hard for Japanese diaspora and their families.

Content Warnings

davidbythebay's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Reread Review: It has been 11 years since I first read this book. Back then, I was in college and just learned of the Japanese Internment during WWII in the United States. It just never came up in any history course before this one class I took on Asian American Workers and the Law. I remembered liking the book, but honestly didn't remember much.

Eleven years brings growth and perspective. This time, I was wowed by the mood created by Otsuka's prose. I really enjoyed this repeat read. I do wish that the story had something more, but I can't put my finger on what exactly I wish there was. But that slight feeling aside, this piece is as timely as ever. The Japanese Internment was a disgusting blemish on our history (one of many) and was overt racism. The language and situations this Japanese-American family experience involved racism which is easily seen today. Asian Americans - particularly Chinese Americans at the start and continuing through the coronavirus pandemic, but also all Asian American persons - continue to face bigoted situations like these here. But the book speaks beyond race to oppression and racism in general.

What struck me on this reread was how to story moved through the Internment (which I had remembered most of), but how it also ventured into returning to their home and what happens vis-a-vis the family and the public/neighbors, but also within the family due to the events of the novel I won't go into as it is spoilers of a sort. I really did enjoy this reread. If you can get past the early event described below as it is intense and emotional - to me at least - then it is a great read.

AND THERE IS A MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING TO KNOW!!!!!!!! Animal (dog) death within the first few pages of the book.

Reread: November 2021 (4 Stars)
Original Read: July 2010 (3 Stars)

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