The Woman in the White Kimono: (A BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick)

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Me encantó! Fue sencillamente espectacular. “Dos mujeres separadas por océanos y décadas a las que unirá la verdad”, es la mejor manera de definirlo. The writer carefully switches between the two timelines and I appreciated how she gradually establishes connections between Tori and Naoko. I could not have seen how the story would conclude and I enjoyed the eventual revelations. I fell in love with the whole cast and the love between Naoko and Hajime was boundless. It was easy to picture these characters and believe in the struggles that they faced. This novel is going straight in my Favourites list. When I return home to the U.K. I may even have to buy a physical copy for shelf display purposes (and probable future rereads… which doesn’t happen often.).

Ana Johns swept me away with her words and her stunning storytelling. Two women, two countries, thousands of miles and decades of years apart, but there is something that binds them. Japan 1957 Naoko finds herself caught between love, culture, and family obligations. Naoko is 17 and her parents have arranged a marriage for her, a marriage that will help her family’s business out immensely. The problem is Naoko is in love with another man, an American soldier. Not only does this not go over well with her family, but it does not go over well with most of Japan who still sees America as the enemy in this post WWII era. But Naoko is determined to follow her heart, but how much will she lose in the process? The US, present day Tori is taking care of her ailing father when she discovers a letter full of secrets. After her dad passes away she sells his beloved Cadillac and takes a journey to Japan to find out the truth.The prose is vivid and expressive. The characters are multi-layered, vulnerable, and resilient. And the plot is a profoundly moving tale about life, love, familial relationships, heartbreak, loss, guilt, grief, desperation, courage, hope, and regret. Johns is an accomplished writer and it’s easy to see why this book is so popular. But if the reader is familiar with Japanese society, history, language and customs they’ll notice some chapters sweep over important and deeper issues. There’s also a problem with the dialogue. The Japanese characters’ speech is continuously punctuated with well-known Japanese proverbs making them appear wise and profound but most Japanese people don’t speak like this. O mână de timp nu poate fi cumpărată cu o mână de aur, Naoko. Nu te poți întoarce înapoi în timp și nici nu-l poți grăbi, trebuie să-i înduri curgerea.”

Ana Jones not only writes in a beautiful and graceful style, but she also shows passion for her work by the way she presents the research she had to do while writing this novel. While this book is not a mystery or suspense read I could not stop reading it, there was such a strong pull for this story that I read it in just few hours. I highly recommend this book to all the historical fiction fans. El final es totalmente emotivo y hasta cierto punto desgarrador, pero para mí fue un cierre perfecto, que viene a ejemplificar que, en la guerra, no hay vencedores ni vencidos, sino que todos pierden algo. Overall, complex characters with a profound and poignant story, I highly recommend The Woman in the White Kimono for historical fiction fans. The fact The Eugenic Protection Law is mentioned in the ‘Author’s Note,’ but not explored in more detail, gives the writing less traction and makes light of the situation in Japan in the 1950s. This may have been deliberate on the part of the author and the publisher; the truth would have watered down the romance. The book fully covers the topic of abortion but skims over society’s opinion of “blood-mixing”. It was a hot topic in those days and the prohibition of American men marrying Japanese women as part of this Eugenic Law was a subject on everyone’s lips, including the press, teachers, and social activists. If it had been examined in more detail, it could have deepened Naoko’s character and the story would have been more authentic. Naoka, marries Hajime and on her wedding day receives an unexpected visitor with a very special gift. Her mother who brings her own White Kimono for the wedding ceremony and stays long enough to see her daughter dressed. Hajime leaves 2 weeks later with a promise of return.

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Ana Johns tells their story through two women, Tori Kova, the daughter of Hajmine who is dying when the story begins and Naoka Nakamura who knew the boy that became the man. DiscussTori’s situation. What do you think drove Tori to such extremes to learn about her father's first family? What would you do if faced with a similar family secret?