Thank you to NetGalley and Stone Bridge Press for the e-arc. Personally, I had never heard of Izumi Kyoka before, but now I am curious to try out his writing. In the novel, Emmitt works on translating his works and making them available to English readers in the hope that that will keep his works alive. Kyoka is a Japanese author native to Kanazawa. Kanazawa has definitely made it on my to visit list for when I eventually visit Japan.Īnother thing that the novel did for me was pique my interest in the works of Izumi Kyoka. While reading it, I caught myself multiple times grabbing my phone to look for pictures of the locations described. In fact, this is the first literary novel available in English that is set in this particular location in Japan. The setting of the novel, the city of Kanazawa and its surroundings, is beautiful. More than just the story of a marriage at a crossroads though, the book focuses more on Emmitt's perspective, as he questions his life purpose. Mirai, though once having shared the same dream, becomes more attracted to the idea of building a life in Tokyo, and craves the busy, city life. He cannot see himself and his family anywhere else. Emmitt, a lover of slow, old Japanese living, wants to invest time and money in buying a machiya, an old, traditional Japanese house in Kanazawa. Emmitt and Mirai's marriage starts to crumble when they realize that their dreams for the future are no longer following the same path. The story follows Emmitt, an American ex-pat living with his Japanese wife, Mirai, and her family in Kanazawa, Japan. While not a book translated from Japanese, 'Kanazawa', is set in Japan, and exudes the tranquility that many lovers of Japanese literature look for in their book selections. 'Kanazawa', by David Joiner was my second pick for #januaryinjapan.

Lotusland by David Joiner