Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: Book Review.

A friend of my wife, who knew of my interest in World War II, actually handed her a copy of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford for me to read.  I must admit, at first, I wasn’t real excited.  I typically read nonfiction, and it just didn’t look like my kind of thing.  But because of the glowing endorsement, I thought I should at least give it a try.

The story, set in Seattle during World War II, centers around a Chinese-American boy/man named Henry and his relationship with Keiko, a Japanese-American girl of the same age.  Of course, China and Japan were at war long before the United States entered the fray.  Accordingly, Henry’s traditional father hated all things Japanese.  His feelings were deeply seated, almost genetic.  When Henry forms a bond with Keiko, conflict ensues.  Will Henry be a good son, by honoring the wishes of his father or will he follow his heart, and Keiko?

Complicating matters is the forced “evacuation” of Japanese Americans in the greater Seattle area.  Though a student of World War II and being familiar with the atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese, especially in their POW camps, I came away moved by the harsh treatment of the residents of Nihonmachi, the Japanese-American District of Seattle.  In looking back, these people were judged as a race, rather than individually, a dangerous thing.  Keiko, for one, was second generation American, born here.  She didn’t even speak the Japanese language.  Yet, like the others, she was rounded up, robbed of nearly all possessions and shipped to an internment camp inland for the duration of the war.

The Panama Hotel serves as the center piece of the story—a common thread between past and present as we follow Henry’s life from the 1940s to 1986.

Jamie Ford speaks about Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

I liked this book on many levels.  Obviously, I enjoyed the subject matter.  But I also found the narrative very well told.  Readers don’t always need smacked in the face with a car chase or bomb blast.  This tale rolled along at a wonderful pace, much like meandering down a river–no rapids, but no paddling required either.

Though the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford is not my typical read, I would, without hesitation, recommend it to a friend.