Alberta, and the postwar years and early adulthood
in Coaldale, where Naomi attended an evangelical
church, which contribute to her feelings of exclu-
sion and guilt.
Kogawa sensitively describes Naomi’s aunt’s de-
cline after her husband’s death. The accumulated
clutter of things saved during a lifetime of depri-
vations found at the aunt’s house compounds the
heartbreak of having to institutionalize her and of
parting from her. Equally touching are Naomi’s
visits to Japanese Canadians at various nursing
homes to gather and document their memories.
Through Naomi’s conflict with her brother Ste-
phen, a famous violinist reticent to acknowledge
his Japanese ancestry publicly, the question arises
as to how to serve one’s people best: through music,
silence, or political action. Paralleling the Japanese
Canadians’ struggle, Naomi slowly emerges from
her cocoon of insecurities and attains the ability
to reach out to Father Cedric. This sense of con-
nectedness also permeates Naomi’s awareness of
the strength of her community and distinguishes
her from her brother.
While this novel is not as technically accom-
plished or lyrically beautiful as Obasan, it sheds
an interesting light on the redress movement. For
American readers, especially those unaware of Jap-
anese internment during World War II, the novel
may serve as a historically accurate introduction to
this subject matter.
Susanna Hoeness-Krupsaw130 Itsuka