The Woman in the White Kimono - by Ana Johns (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Japan, 1957. Seventeen-year-old Naoko Nakamura's prearranged marriage would secure her family's status in their traditional Japanese community, but Naoko has fallen for another man--an American sailor--and to marry him would bring great shame upon her family. When it's learned Naoko carries the sailor's child, she is cast out in disgrace, forced to make unimaginable choices with far-reaching consequences.

America, present day. Tori Kovac finds a letter containing a shocking revelation about her father--one that calls into question everything she understood about her family and herself. Setting out to learn the truth behind the letter, Tori's journey leads her halfway around the world to a remote seaside village in Japan, where she must confront the demons of the past to pave a way for redemption.

In breathtaking prose and inspired by true stories from a devastating and little-known era in Japanese and American history, The Woman in the White Kimono illuminates a searing portrait of one woman torn between her culture and her heart, and another woman on a journey to discover the true meaning of home.

Review Quotes

"The Woman in the White Kimono is a powerful and heartbreaking literary novel; a lush and masterful exploration of the indomitability of the human spirit set against the backdrop of post-World War II Japan. Johns's exquisite and emotionally satisfying tale spans a cultural divide to marry a mother's courageous determination to protect her daughter at any cost with a daughter's quest for truth. I loved this book!" --Karen Dionne, bestselling author of The Marsh King's Daughter

"Cinematic, deeply moving, and beautifully written. I so enjoyed this." --Carol Mason, bestselling author of After You Left

"A well-researched piece of historical fiction, loosely inspired by the military experience of the author's father, that shines a light on a dark chapter of Japanese history that will be unfamiliar to many readers." --Booklist