After the Bloom - by Leslie Shimotakahara (Paperback)

About the Book

Rita Takemitsu is a newly single mother raising her daughter in 1980s Toronto. When her mother, Lily, goes missing, Rita sets out to find her. In the course of her quest, Rita uncovers a host of secrets surrounding her mother's internment at a camp in the California desert during the Second World War and the truth about her mysterious father.

Book Synopsis

Rita Takemitsu is a newly single mother raising her daughter in 1980s Toronto. When her mother, Lily, goes missing, Rita sets out to find her. In the course of her quest, Rita uncovers a host of secrets surrounding her mother's internment at a camp in the California desert during the Second World War and the truth about her mysterious father.

Review Quotes

After the Bloom offers characters of exacting specificity, ones who destroy pat generalizations and reveal the particular people, families, and faces that were stereotyped, amassed, depersonalized, and sometimes destroyed by this oft-overlooked moment in history.

[F]lawlessly transitions between the two storylines.... As the story progresses, you'll find yourself itching to keep reading, just as anxious as Rita to uncover the truth of her mother's past.

A compelling tale of hearts and minds caught in the tumult of history, memory and love, across generations. A sweeping page-turner.

A deep and beautiful story ... Poetically told and laced with Japanese folklore, the novel takes cues from a more mythical narrative, parables abounding in its fiction but always with a point.

A masterful and deeply moving tale of mothers and daughters, of hidden histories and repressed memories, of loss and of love, After the Bloom is a potent reminder of the legacy of the internment and the power of reclaiming the past.

Leslie Shimotakahara uses bold strokes of unflinching and honest prose to paint a landscape of beauty and brutality in her compelling debut novel After the Bloom as she tells one woman's journey and a daughter's desire for truth. Like evocative cherry blossoms, Shimotakahara's powerful words float from page to page, enticing the reader to take courageous steps through the tragedy and oppression of an internment camp. With sharp insight and grace, she has created a narrative full of emotional impact and vivid characters. After the Bloom is deeply moving and enthralling with scenes that will remain with readers long after the ending. This book is just the beginning of a brilliant career for this captivating new voice.

Leslie Shimotakahara's novel is a poignant exploration of mothers and daughters, secrets and lovers, and the brutal legacy of Japanese internment.

Presents an affecting inside view of what Japanese-Americans endured, both within the camps and afterward.

Shimotakahara writes with refined sensitivity about the fragility of human nature, and how such vulnerability can transform into strength in the name of love.

Shimotakahara's writing is personal and entrancing, unflinchingly shining a light on this difficult part of history.

After the Bloom offers characters of exacting specificity, ones who destroy pat generalizations and reveal the particular people, families, and faces that were stereotyped, amassed, depersonalized, and sometimes destroyed by this oft-overlooked moment in history.-- "Foreword Reviews"

[F]lawlessly transitions between the two storylines.... As the story progresses, you'll find yourself itching to keep reading, just as anxious as Rita to uncover the truth of her mother's past.-- "Nikkei Voice"

A compelling tale of hearts and minds caught in the tumult of history, memory and love, across generations. A sweeping page-turner.-- "Kerri Sakamoto, author of The Electrical Field"

A deep and beautiful story ... Poetically told and laced with Japanese folklore, the novel takes cues from a more mythical narrative, parables abounding in its fiction but always with a point.-- "National Post"

A masterful and deeply moving tale of mothers and daughters, of hidden histories and repressed memories, of loss and of love, After the Bloom is a potent reminder of the legacy of the internment and the power of reclaiming the past.-- "Lynne Kutsukake, author of The Translation of Love"

Leslie Shimotakahara uses bold strokes of unflinching and honest prose to paint a landscape of beauty and brutality in her compelling debut novel After the Bloom as she tells one woman's journey and a daughter's desire for truth. Like evocative cherry blossoms, Shimotakahara's powerful words float from page to page, enticing the reader to take courageous steps through the tragedy and oppression of an internment camp. With sharp insight and grace, she has created a narrative full of emotional impact and vivid characters. After the Bloom is deeply moving and enthralling with scenes that will remain with readers long after the ending. This book is just the beginning of a brilliant career for this captivating new voice.-- "Sonia Saikaley, author of A Samurai's Pink House"

Leslie Shimotakahara's novel is a poignant exploration of mothers and daughters, secrets and lovers, and the brutal legacy of Japanese internment.-- "Book Riot"

Presents an affecting inside view of what Japanese-Americans endured, both within the camps and afterward.-- "Historical Novel Society"

Shimotakahara writes with refined sensitivity about the fragility of human nature, and how such vulnerability can transform into strength in the name of love.-- "Ottawa Review of Books"

Shimotakahara's writing is personal and entrancing, unflinchingly shining a light on this difficult part of history.-- "Booklist (starred review)"

About the Author

Leslie Shimotakahara's memoir, The Reading List, was the winner of the Canada-Japan Literary Prize in 2012. Her fiction has been short-listed for the K.M. Hunter Artist Award. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Brown University. After the Bloom is her debut novel. Leslie lives in Toronto.