Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet

by Jamie Ford

No cover — Jamie Ford: Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet (2009, Thorndike Press)

English language

Published Nov. 16, 2009 by Thorndike Press.

ISBN:: 978-1-4104-1497-7
OCLC Number:: 300722463

(14 reviews)

"Sentimental, heartfelt....the exploration of Henry's changing relationship with his family and with Keiko will keep most readers turning pages...A timely debut that not only reminds readers of a shameful episode in American history, but cautions us to examine the present and take heed we don't repeat those injustices."-- Kirkus Reviews"A tender and satisfying novel set in a time and a place lost forever, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet gives us a glimpse of the damage that is caused by war--not the sweeping damage of the battlefield, but the cold, cruel damage to the hearts and humanity of individual people. Especially relevant in today's world, this is a beautifully written book that will make you think. And, more importantly, it will make you feel." -- Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain"Jamie Ford's first novel explores the age-old conflicts between father and son, the beauty and sadness of what happened to Japanese Americans in the Seattle area during World War II, and the depths and longing of deep-heart love. An impressive, bitter, and sweet debut."-- Lisa See, bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret FanIn the opening pages of Jamie Ford's stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry's world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While "scholarshipping" at the exclusive Rainier Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship--and innocent love--that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept.Forty years later, Henry Lee is certain that the parasol belonged to Keiko. In the hotel's dark dusty basement he begins looking for signs of the Okabe family's belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot begin to measure. Now a widower, Henry is still trying to find his voice--words that might explain the actions of his nationalistic father; words that might bridge the gap between him and his modern, Chinese American son; words that might help him confront the choices he made many years ago. Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart.From the Hardcover edition.

3 editions

chefraven reviewed Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by Jamie Ford

Review of 'Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A wonderful little book. So many moments it made my heart smile.

GoodWGirl reviewed Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by Jamie Ford

Review of 'Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I absolutely adored this book. It was probably my favorite read of the year!

A lot of people seem to be saying that because the main characters (Keiko and Henry) were so young that they're feelings/romance wasn't believable. I strongly disagree. First off, this was set a long time ago when (in Henry's culture) boys were considered men at the age of 13. Second, one of the main reasons they developed such a strong mature relationship was because they had almost no one else to rely on in their lives. Henry didn't have his family, neither of them had other friends at school, and both experienced discrimination and racism on a regular basis. Consequently, their relationship meant more to them than a typical adolescent romance might. Third, nobody in the book was claiming they were going to marry at thirteen, they were simply engaged and would probably have had a long (at least a year or more I would say) courtship. Fourth, people even today meet at this age and go on to be together the rest of their lives. It may not be common but it certainly happens, especially if loyalty, commitment, working hard on a relationship, and making sacrifices for each other are values you both adhere to. You can see from Henry's marriage and his determination to look after his wife till the end that he holds these values dear. Fifth, Henry was building a relationship with her family as well, as was more common in traditional cultures and in the past in America, which gave him even stronger ties to her.

Aside from the romance, I was thrilled to read a story that contained tragedies such as war, internment, family breakdown, illness, etc, and yet still managed to be hopeful and have a happy ending! I don't mind sad endings but I really felt this one was uplifting and still fairly realistic. I'd love to have known more about what happened after the scene where the book left off, but at least I can imagine things stayed happy and worked out for everyone.

The historical fiction aspect was great; I honestly knew next to nothing about the Japanese-Chinese conflicts or what it was like to live during the internment camps, so this book was a great introduction because I could really put myself in their shoes. The author combined the emotional and historical pieces beautifully and I liked how diverse the characters were. They weren't all racist or all accepting or whatever, there was a mix. The lunch lady was an especially cool character because I didn't at all expect her to help Henry out so much based on what we'd seen earlier on.

I recommend this book to anyone, especially if you're a fan of romance, historical fiction, or hopeful/spiritual messages. :)

unicorndeburgh reviewed Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by Jamie Ford

Review of 'Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

This was selected for the book group at my library. I enjoyed the view into life in Seattle's International District in the 1940s; however, I didn't enjoy the book all that much. It's told in chapters that alternate between the protagonist when he's a boy, ages 12 to about 18, and when he's a man in his 50s. When he's a boy, the tone is naive, as you'd expect. The characters he's describing lack depth. When he's adult, I thought they did, too. I guess I found the tone a bit twee.

Some pieces of the plot didn't make sense to me:

As a child, he wants to protect the Japanese neighborhood, so that when his sweetheart Keiko comes back from the internment camp, she'll have a sense of coming home. But why does he pick a hotel? I don't remember anything they do before she leaves Seattle that involved the hotel--but he needs to retain a place where her family's belongings could still be found years later, so that's the place he protects.

He has the money to take a Greyhound bus to the internment camp because he earned 10 cents an hour working on the weekend, and his aunt gave me a $10 gift. But his family is short of cash, after his father's stroke, so why hasn't his mother asked him to contribute to rent and food?

Sheldon and Keiko's parents think it's fine for a 13-year-old to hop on a Greyhound bus to another state for a weekend trip. Really?

In 1986, his son can do an online search and find information about a woman across the country. That might happen 1996, but not in 1986. There was no such thing as a browser in 1986, and no search engine. It's highly unlikely that she'd have any information about herself available online.

AliCorbin reviewed Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by Jamie Ford

Review of 'Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

It feels like yet another YA novel, trying to introduce young people to the shameful events of a time that their grandparents might not even remember. Some of the characters seem too good to be true, while others have no redeeming value whatsoever. Henry himself is a bit clueless - overly quick to give up on his own true love when he'd been ready to overcome all obstacles.