I gave this a 3 star rating not because of poor writing style, but topic content mainly. The book set out to discuss Western influence on post-occupied Japan. It does this in such a subtle way that it is almost non-existent.

The first chapter deals with Western ideals and asthetics, primarily through the character George. George symbolizes (at least in my opinion) the intrusion of the West into our protagonist's life.

Past this point, the majority of the book deals with the wife's breast cancer.The actual story of the wife and husband are what make this book redeeming. It gives a glimpse into the difference of cultures and some brief discussion on Western influence via the new home. If you are wanting a short book on the struggles faced fighting cancer, you may enjoy this book.

The ending is not the strongest but not terrible. I won't give any spoilers here but it felt like the book ended a chapter prior and this resolution felt out of place. I suspect the author wanted to show our protagonist returning to Eastern mannerisms.

Overall, the book deals little with Western culture in Japan. It tends to rely on symbolism to suggest that Western culture brought folly to the East and that a mixture of the two would not work out. Aside from this, roughly 70 percent of the book is about cancer and the toll it takes on the family. While I typically enjoy Japanese literature, this would not be a book I recommend to others. It is one you can easily read in a single setting but I doubt the story sticks with me for too long. You may give it a try and see if it speaks to you, as it isn't a terrible read but I think Japanese literature has a lot stronger candidates and cancer stories a lot more moving. ( )