The Buddha in the Attic, by Julie Otsuka

Oh, how I wanted to like this small and elegant novel —  finalist for the National Book Award and highly recommended by my friend Reiko (herself a Nisei and held in entournment camp).

The novel uses the collective voice and sadly I found it distanced me from the women, their stories and their plights.   I know the author got accolades and awards for this daring style but using the group to tell the individual stories left me wanting more — more connection with these nameless characters, more understanding of these woman as real people and more empathy with their heartbreak and struggles.

Sadly this was a book I did not finish and am quite sad about that, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.