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''The Buddha in the Attic'' was nominated for a [[National Book Award for Fiction]] (2011) and won the [[Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction]] (2011) and the [[PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction]] (2012).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/julie-otsukas-the-buddha-in-the-attic-wins-2012-penfaulkner-award-for-fiction/2012/03/26/gIQA8AcvcS_story.html|title=Julie Otsuka’s ‘The Buddha in the Attic’ wins 2012 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction|last=Charles|first=Ron|date=March 26, 2012|work=Washington Post|accessdate=3 October 2012}}</ref> |
''The Buddha in the Attic'' was nominated for a [[National Book Award for Fiction]] (2011) and won the [[Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction]] (2011) and the [[PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction]] (2012).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/julie-otsukas-the-buddha-in-the-attic-wins-2012-penfaulkner-award-for-fiction/2012/03/26/gIQA8AcvcS_story.html|title=Julie Otsuka’s ‘The Buddha in the Attic’ wins 2012 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction|last=Charles|first=Ron|date=March 26, 2012|work=Washington Post|accessdate=3 October 2012}}</ref> |
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==Plot== |
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There is no plot in the usual sense of specific individuals going through particular events. The novel is told in the first person plural, from the point of view of many girls and women, none of whom is individualized as a continuing character, but all of whom are vividly described in a sentence or two. The first chapter, "Come, Japanese!" describes a boatload of Japanese [[Picture bride|picture brides]] coming to California to marry men they have never met. The next chapter, "First Night", is about the consummation of their marriages with their new husbands, most of whom are nothing like the descriptions they had given. The third chapter, "Whites", describes the women's lives in their new country and their relationship with their American bosses and neighbors. Some of the women become migrant laborers living in rural shacks, some are domestic workers living in the servants' quarters of suburban homes, and some set up businesses and living quarters in the "[[Japantown]]", or "J-Town", area of big cities. "Babies" tells about giving birth and "Children" about raising American-born children, who want to speak only English and are ashamed of their immigrant parents, but are discriminated against by most of their classmates, neighbors and merchants. "Traitors" describes the effect of the [[Pearl Harbor attack]] and [[World War II]] on the families: the rumors and increasingly the reality of Japanese men being arrested without warning, the fear and eventually the reality of entire families being sent away to parts unknown. "Last Day" tells of the departure of the Japanese from their homes, jobs and schools. The final chapter, "A Disappearance," is told from the point of view of the white American families left behind, who at first miss their Japanese neighbors but gradually forget about them. |
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==Reception== |
==Reception== |
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Revision as of 04:53, 23 October 2012
The Buddha in the Attic is a 2011 novel written by American author Julie Otsuka about Japanese mail order brides immigrating to America in the early 1900s[1]. It is Otsuka's second novel. The novel was published in the United States in August 2011 by the publishing house Knopf Publishing Group.
The Buddha in the Attic was nominated for a National Book Award for Fiction (2011) and won the Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction (2011) and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction (2012).[2]
Reception
The New York Times compares the book to "the Japanese art of sumi-e, strokes of ink are brushed across sheets of rice paper, the play of light and dark capturing not just images but sensations, not just surfaces but the essence of what lies within. Simplicity of line is prized, extraneous detail discouraged. ... Otsuka’s incantatory style pulls her prose close to poetry."[3]
The Guardian says, "This is a small jewel of a book, its planes cut precisely to catch the light so that the sentences shimmer in your mind long after turning the final page. With The Buddha in the Attic, Julie Otsuka has developed a literary style that is half poetry, half narration – short phrases, sparse description, so that the current of emotion running through each chapter is made more resonant by her restraint."[4]
The Chicago Tribune says, "Read the book in a single sitting, and this chorus of narrators speaks in a poetry that is both spare and passionate, sure to haunt even the most coldhearted among us."[5]
In a review for the Washington Independent Review of Books, Alice Stephens writes that "Though Knopf, publisher of The Buddha in the Attic, classifies the book as a novel, it is more like a beautifully rendered emakimono, hand-painted horizontal scrolls that depict a series of scenes, telling a story in frozen moments. For those looking for a traditional story, be forewarned that there is no protagonist, plot or dialogue. The main character is simply “we.” Sometimes a name is mentioned, occasionally even the same name twice, but for readers who prefer well-defined characters with whom to identify, and a clear narrative arc, this book is not for you. If, however, you are interested in a social history of the Japanese immigrant experience wrought in exquisite poetry, each sentence spare in words, precise in meaning and eloquently evocative, like a tanka poem, this book is a rare, unique treat."[6]
References
- ^ http://www.julieotsuka.com
- ^ Charles, Ron (March 26, 2012). "Julie Otsuka's 'The Buddha in the Attic' wins 2012 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction". Washington Post. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ Becker, Alida (August 26, 2011). "Coming to America, Lured by a Photo". New York Times. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ Day, Elizabeth (April 7, 2012). "The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ Taylor, Elizabeth (September 30, 2011). "Editor's Choice: 'The Buddha in the Attic' by Julie Otsuka". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ Stephens, Alice. "The Buddha in the Attic review". Book review. The Washington Independent Review of Books. Retrieved Aug 30, 2011.