Easy read ‘Midori’ is entertaining
By Phil Perry
“Midori by Moonlight” by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga, St. Martin’s Griffin Publishing (246 pages, $13.95)
Japanese
author Wendy Nelson Tokunaga’s short novel not only blends Japanese and
American cultures successfully, it sheds light on the dating scene for
30-something singles. I was expecting a cheesy “Sex and the City” vibe
before diving in, but was pleasantly surprised to find something a bit
deeper.The story brings young Midori from Japan to San Francisco on a fiancée visa to marry Kevin Newbury, a language teacher whom she met while he was working in Japan. After she arrives in the States, he dumps her for his ex-fiancée, whom she knew nothing about.
Left with a plane ticket and a visa to expire in 60 days, she must make decisions about her life. Would she go home or would she attempt to live the American dream?
The book draws upon vivid imagery when defining traits of Japanese culture and really hits the nail on the head when depicting some American attitudes toward others. I enjoyed the candor between characters and the evident confusion American slang language can cause.
The characters were easily digested, and I found Midori’s thoughts and feelings throughout the book to be believable and sometimes witty and charming.
While the storyline was solid and easy to follow, I became distracted midway through the book, but was reeled back in quickly for the ending, which was satisfying and worth the wait.
Tokunaga lives in San Francisco, which enhanced the details of the city wonderfully. This is not the type of book I would typically pick up, but I can see it being very appealing to fans of the romance genre. At 246 pages, this is a quick-read paperback that will entertain.
The author, won a 2002 Writer’s Digest award for her title "No Kidding."