Some are as young as 14, still girls, filled with hope and expectation for building a new life with prosperous young men. “On the boat we were mostly virgins,” Otsuka begins, capturing Japanese picture brides early in the last century, traveling to the other side of the world to join husbands they have only seen in photographs. Using a chorus-like ‘we,’ Otsuka’s eight spare chapters are chant-like revelations of the Japanese American experience. Otsuka distills nearly a half century of history into 129 exquisite pages of powerful intensity like the very best poetry, every page has been reduced to the most essential details, moments, phrases, memories. The Buddha in the Attic – recently named a 2011 National Book Award finalist – is another masterpiece. Truth be told, Emperor ranks so high on my personal list of all-time revered titles that I felt unable to read Otsuka’s latest for many months the thought that I might have another near-decade to wait for her next title haunts me still.
Almost 10 years after Julie Otsuka made her spectacular literary debut with When the Emperor Was Divine, I remain even more convinced that Emperor is the best book I’ve ever read about the Japanese American imprisonment during World War II.
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