gimplimp's Full Review: Sara Backer - American Fuji: A Novel
Because of her experiences Sara Backer has a lot of flavor to add to her novel. The author, took a job in Japan, not knowing she would be the first American and first woman to serve as visiting professor of English at Shizuoka University. She was there for three years.
The characters are believable. The story line makes you want to keep reading. The constant description of Japanese culture and how it conflicts with American ideas is written without becoming course or obnoxious, and it is enthralling. The plot lines are complex without becoming confusing.
The characters include:
Gaby - a transplant to Japan from America. She doesn't know whether she wants to stay in Japan or go back to America. She was fired from her job teaching English at the university. She now has to seek expensive fantasy funerals. She MUST find out the real reason why she was fired. Through events she is told to help Alex which get her embroiled in various problems.
Cody - the deceased. Many of the characters are brought together because he was in an accident, and his heart turned up in someone else's body. Was it organ robbing? Why did his father's letters to the funeral company go unanswered? What really happened since there are too many non-answers.
Alex - Cody's father. He has come over from America to find out how and why his son died. He wrote a psychology book and is paying for part of his trip by speaking concerning his book. No one would give him the details. Why was his son's heart transplanted into someone else after the accident when his son Cody didn't want to be an organ donor? Why can't the hospital that took Cody's heart be found? He doesn't speak Japanese He must find the answers with or without Gaby's help.
Mr. Eguchi - Gaby's boss. Is he a decent person, or is he a member of the Japanese mafia? Did he conspire to have the heart transplanted? Why is the wrong address on the shipment for Cody's body and did Mr. Eguchi have anything to do with it?
Mr. Aoshima - a sale Gaby makes at the beginning of the book. Is it coincidence, or did Cody's heart get transplanted into Mr. Aoshima?
Lester - A Brit in Japan. A regular slimeball. Is he involved?
Jonko - Cody's Japanese girlfriend.
Marubatsu - from the university. What did he do get Gaby fired? Did he have anything to do with Cody's death, since the timing of the death and Gaby's firing seem to coincidental. Why was Gaby fired - was he involved - will he tell?
Also other characters that I will not define so as to not give away the plot lines.
This book reads like it could have really happened. Of course, I have never been to Japan....
One other thing. As long as the author could come up with new mysteries, she could easily start a series of interesting books with Gaby as the main character in all of them. This is aided by Gaby getting ready to move at the end of the book. There could be a new mystery to go along with the new locale.
Mount Fuji is the backdrop for this story of Gaby Stanton, an American professor living in Japan, who helps Alex Thorn investigate the death of his so...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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