The Translation of Love: A Novel

by Lynne Kutsukake Narrated by Nancy Wu

Overview

An emotionally gripping portrait of postwar Japan, where a newly repatriated girl must help a classmate find her missing sister

Born and raised in Vancouver, thirteen-year-old Aya Shimamura is released from a Canadian internment camp only to be repatriated to Japan with her father, who was faced with an unsettling choice: move east of the Rocky Mountains or go back to Japan. With no hope of restitution and grieving the loss of Aya's mother during internment, her father feels there's nothing left for them in Canada and signs a form that enables the government to deport him.

But life in Tokyo is not much better. Aya's father struggles to find work, compromising his morals and toiling long hours. Aya, meanwhile, is something of a pariah at her school, bullied for being foreign and paralyzed when asked to communicate in Japanese. Aya's alienation is eventually mitigated by one of her principal tormentors, a willful girl named Fumi Tanaka, whose older sister has mysteriously disappeared.

When a rumor surfaces that Douglas MacArthur, who is overseeing the Allied occupation of Japan, sometimes helps citizens in need, Fumi enlists Aya to compose a letter asking the general to find her beloved sister. The letter is delivered into the reluctant hands of Corporal Matt Matsumoto, a Japanese American serving with the Allied forces, whose endless job is translating the thousands of letters MacArthur receives each week. Matt feels an affinity toward Fumi but is largely powerless, and the girls decide to take matters into their own hands, venturing into the dark and dangerous world of Tokyo's red-light district.

Told through rich, interlocking storylines, The Translation of Love mines a turbulent period to show how war irrevocably shapes the lives of the conquered-and yet the novel also allows for a poignant spark of resilience, friendship, and love that translates across cultures and borders to stunning effect.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"The Translation of Love is a rarity: a haunting mystery that is also a moving coming-of-age story. A young woman disappears in the midst of the American occupation of Tokyo after the Second World War, and her younger sister tries desperately to find her. Lynne Kutsukake has written a remarkable, beautiful first novel."
—Chris Bohjalian, author of The Guest Room and Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands

“Lynne Kutsukake paints a vivid portrait of the American Occupation of Japan in The Translation of Love and keenly tackles the layered complexities of national identities in flux: Japanese, Canadian, and American.  At the heart of this book is a young girl's page-turning quest to find her missing sister, and a touching, masterfully-woven tale of bystanders who cannot look away.”
— Suzanne Rindell, author of The Other Typist

"An evocative and compelling tale of friendship, family and a country in transition. Lynne Kutsukake’s novel is an elegantly crafted reminder that no one is left untouched by the ripple effects of war, and that our quests for outside truths can often lead us to secrets we’ve been keeping from ourselves."
—Sarah Bird, author of Above the East China Sea

“The Translation of Love is a sweepingly gorgeous book about post-war Japan, a shattered country trying to piece itself back together. It begins with a letter passed to General MacArthur by two little girls, and ends with a heart-stopping search for a lost sister in the underbelly of Tokyo. From the desperate clutch of friendship in the time of tumult, to the bustling night markets and brothels—-every brutal, moving moment is beautifully wrought in Lynne Kutsukake's expert hands. An incredible debut.”
—Lisa Gabriele, author of Tempting Faith DiNapoli and The Almost Archer Sisters
 
 
“Lynne Kutsukake is a beautiful writer. The Translation of Love is shaped by her spare and elegant prose into an accomplished and powerful story.”
—Helen Humphreys, author of Coventry
 

“In clear, confident prose, Lynne Kutsukake examines the lives of people who have been affected by the horrors of war and who must now navigate a new world order. In doing so, she explores the complexities of the human heart and the universal need to belong. A must-read, a strong and impressive debut.” 
—Judy Fong Bates, author of Midnight at the Dragon Café

 
“Moving from the gorgeously epic to the unflinchingly intimate, The Translation of Love takes us to the emotional core of Occupied Japan. It captures the strange, liminal time between destruction and recovery, and the uttermost vulnerability of those carrying on in the rubble of uncertainty and loss. This beautiful and mesmerizing book will be a special treat for anyone who loves dramatic history and ingenious storytelling.”
—Kyo Maclear, author of The Letter Opener

Library Journal

11/15/2015
Forcibly repatriated to Japan with her father after World War II, Japanese Canadian Aya Shimamura is taunted as an outsider but eventually helps a friend by writing a letter to Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Japanese Canadian Kutsukake worked as a librarian at the University of Toronto.

AUGUST 2016 - AudioFile

Aya Shimamura, just 13, moves with her father from Canada to Japan in the aftermath of WWII. Nancy Wu delivers this story of friendship and love in a melodic voice with barely audible inflections. Fumi Tanaka, Aya’s new friend, asks her to write a letter about her missing sister to General MacArthur, who may be able to help. Later, Fumi and Aya meet Corporal Matt Matsumoto, a Japanese-American who translates letters for the general. As Wu’s steady performance drives the story to its conclusion, she differentiates characters with subtle shifts in tone. Overall, Wu’s voice acts as a beacon that directs listeners through the tangle of Japanese customs and code of honor. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169548761
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	04/05/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged

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