Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet deals with a past event that we've heard about again and again— World War II. This coming-of-age story about first love and forging one’s own way in the world, even against a parent’s wishes, is set against a backdrop of prejudice and misguided patriotism that rises to a crescendo after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1942. Though he thinks often of Keiko, Henry never lets his wife know and is a caring and devoted husband till the end. Henry, Keiko, and their families aren't fighting in the war or otherwise directly involved, but their lives get turned upside down anyway due to the culture of fear—particularly around the internment of Japanese American citizens—and prejudice that runs rampant during the war. Before reading this book, I knew nothing about how badly the Japanese in America were treated during the war.

In 1986 the Panama Hotel is the centre of refurbishment as it has lain abandoned since it was boarded up during the war. Certainly their relationship is sweet and I felt myself pulling for them, but I was pulling with all the strength and enthusiasm I would if I were pitted in a game of tug-o-war against a two year old. I've just finished reading Jamie Ford's forthcoming novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, and am still basking in the glow. You will be the first to hear about new books, old favourites, author events and exclusive promotions. Regardless of my less than perfect reading experience, I think this would be a great book for someone looking for a 20th century historical romance.

To him Keiko is his special friend, she’s American, her parents are professional people, she doesn’t even speak Japanese. A dual time narrative, set in 1942 and 1986 – in Seattle, USA, with Henry Lee as the main character. In moving all Japanese-Americans to horrible camps, away from friends, jobs and their legally purchased property, Japanese-American citizens lost everything they owned and all of their hard-earned wealth besides their Constitutional rights. When the residents of the city's Japantown are threatened with evacuation to internment camps, Henry safeguards Keiko's family's photo albums.

The story covers an aspect of the war that I hadn’t really appreciated, how Japanese immigrants were treated in the United States after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. They speak only Cantonese, and although they want Henry to be only American, they follow the old ways of their Chinese community. This is an entertaining and often illuminating tale that no doubt will be appearing at a cinema near you soon.

In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. I’ve met Fred Korematsu, whose challenge to internship went all the way to the Supreme Court back in the day. I do want to urge everyone to pick up this wonderfully written, beautifully evocative story and read it. the exploration of Henry’s changing relationship with his family and with Keiko will keep most readers turning pages. However, Ford deftly pulls off a Hollywood-worthy romance from the files, one anchored to a true event.

Sometimes the reader annoyed me when he said the main character's (Henry's) words with a Chinese accent (inconsistently at that! I found the relationship between Henry and Keiko difficult to accept as these were children 12 years old the relationship and emotions are way too advanced for children of this age and I feel that for me this is where the author got it badly wrong. The only thing I didn't like was that Henry was portrayed as an 80 year old while he was only 56 in the story. Doing this while an ongoing war has intensified panic and fear Henry is lucky to find two mentors - a Black man and a White woman - who allow him the space and support he needs to become a liberal American-Chinese adult father.

Although I’ve seen Japanese written in English before, it was refreshing to see Cantonese too, though for readers unfamiliar with the language, the words might not be intuitive to pronounce. Once I did, I was hooked instantly by the wonderful character of Henry Lee, a 12-year-old boy in Seattle's Chinatown during the early years of America's involvement in WWII. The details of Japanese internment in America during WWII was certainly interesting to read about, especially since I know so little about it. When he meets and begins to like a 12-year-old Japanese girl attending the same elementary school he is before the Japanese were forced into the camps, Henry has to make some immediate decisions about his father, his obligations to his Chinese society's traditions and what exactly being an American 'of color' and yet also a completely Americanized American-born citizen, is about.