Obasan by Joy Kogawa

Obasan

Obasan #1

Joy Kogawa

320 pages • first pub 1981 (editions)

fiction historical emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Description

Winner of the American Book AwardBased on the author's own experiences, this award-winning novel was the first to tell the story of the evacuation, relocation, and dispersal of Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry during the Second World War.

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Community Reviews Summary of 622 reviews

Moods

emotional 84%
reflective 78%
sad 78%
challenging 62%
dark 59%
informative 50%
tense 25%
inspiring 12%
mysterious 12%
adventurous 3%
hopeful 3%

Pace

slow 48%
medium 44%
fast 6%

Plot- or character-driven?

Character: 62% | A mix: 20% | Plot: 12% | N/A: 4%

Strong character development?

It's complicated: 41% | Yes: 37% | No: 16% | N/A: 4%

Loveable characters?

Yes: 56% | It's complicated: 24% | No: 20%

Diverse cast of characters?

Yes: 76% | N/A: 12% | It's complicated: 8% | No: 4%

Flaws of characters a main focus?

No: 36% | It's complicated: 31% | Yes: 31%

Average rating

3.68

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Content Warnings

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