How to Be an American Housewife
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
A mother-daughter story about the strong pull of tradition, and the lure and cost of breaking free of it. When Shoko decided to marry an American GI and leave Japan, she had her parents' blessing, her brother's scorn, and a gift from her husband-a book on how to be a proper American housewife. As she crossed the ocean to America, Shoko also brought with her a secret she would need to keep her entire life... Half a century later, Shoko's plans to finally return to Japan and reconcile with her brother are derailed by illness. In her place, she sends her grown American daughter, Sue, a divorced single mother whose own life isn't what she hoped for. As Sue takes in Japan, with all its beauty and contradictions, she discovers another side to her mother and returns to America unexpectedly changed and irrevocably touched.
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This is one of those books that I so desperately wanted to like. It's what Code Switch calls the rep sweats: when you feel like you need to like something because it features characters who look like you. And although the central characters are a generation off from my life, I still connected with the Japanese culture represented in their stories and a mixed-race marriage and kids. But unfortunately, the writing just didn't keep up with the promise of the story. Central plot points were rushed, and characters were described rather than developed. It was a quick read, and I loved the descriptions of life in Japan. But I unfortunately wouldn't recommend.
