NATIONAL BESTSELLER
•
PEN/FAULKER AWARD WINNER
The acclaimed author of
The Swimmers
and
When the Emperor Was Divine
tells the story of a group of young women brought from Japan to San Francisco as “picture brides” a century ago
in this "understated masterpiece ... that unfolds with great emotional power" (
San Francisco Chronicle
).
In eight unforgettable sections,
The Buddha in the Attic
traces the extraordinary lives of these women, from their arduous journeys by boat, to their arrival in San Francisco and their tremulous first nights as new wives; from their experiences raising children who would later reject their culture and language, to the deracinating arrival of war.
Julie Otsuka has written a spellbinding novel about identity and loyalty, and what it means to be an American in uncertain times.