Etsuko, a widowed woman living in England, is shattered by the suicide of one of her daughters and by the distance which exists in her relationship with her remaining daughter. The difficulty of the present time make Etsuko reflect on her past life in Japan. One particular summer seems to recur to Etsuko with special force and significance. In a hot summer after the war, Etsuko had been pregnant with her first child. Etsuko noticed a new woman arrive in the neighbourhood that summer and befriended the woman and the woman's little girl. The woman was Sachiko, a wealthy woman whose fortune had been reduced. The little girl, Mariko, was strange, often running away and seeing strangers which no one else seemed aware of. Etsuko tried to help both mother and daughter, but found their ways strange and even unsettling. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of book? - thoughtful Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's Ethnic/Regional/Religion Family, struggle with Yes Struggle with: - Daughter Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - none Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 () Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Asia/Pacific Yes Asian country: - Japan Small town? Yes Writing Style Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |