Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

author: Jamie Ford

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.94

book published: 2009

rating: 5

read at: 2014/04/20

date added: 2014/04/20

shelves: favorites

review:

I had heard that 'Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet' was a good book, but I resisted. Maybe something about the cover made me think it would be a sappy romance novel. While it does have a romantic relationship at it's heart, it was a much better novel than I anticipated. Relationships are at the heart of the novel, but they are more complex.



The main character is Henry Lee. In the present, 1986, he is recently widowed. In the past, 1942, he is a boy living in the International District in Seattle with his Chinese family. At the core is Henry's relationship with Keiko, a Japanese girl he goes to school with. There are many other relationships. Henry's dysfunctional relationship with his father, and with his son. Henry's relationship with Sheldon, the street musician that defends and understands him.



It's all set against the background of Seattle in 1942. Jazz music, segregation, internment camps, a world at war and unexpected friendships all weave a tapestry. There is love and loss that is both bitter and sweet. I really loved the story and felt it was pitch perfect and never heavy handed in it's subject matter.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://ift.tt/1jsxtuF