Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet 
  - Jamie Ford

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a beautiful, touching tale of friendship and love, that moves between two time periods – the past is in 1940’s, and the present in 1986. The protagonist, Henry Lee, is a second generation Chinese American, who has never been to China, and who grew up in the USA in the times of WW2. His relationships form the core of the story, and give the bitter-sweet feeling that the title mentions.

Henry’s complex relationship with his parents present an important cultural aspect – being first generation immigrants, their heart is Chinese, but they dream of an American life, especially for their son. Their internal conflict between their two identities, and the way it impacts their son, is something that most Indians of our generation can understand and identify with. His father’s efforts for the Chinese cause, and hatred of the Japanese, his imposing on Henry to speak only English (which neither of the parents understand), and yet complete his education in China, his mother’s constant and quiet efforts to placate the father and son, and the expectation of both of them that Henry unquestioningly obey his father’s wishes - their interaction offers a glimpse of the traditional Chinese family values and norms. The nuances are beautifully described, and wonderfully woven into the story.

Henry’s unlikely friendship with the local, black, Jazz musician Sheldon is full of warmth and compassion, and results in a lifelong brotherhood. Not only does Sheldon stand by young Henry, when he has no support from any other corner, he also introduces Henry to music that anchors him through the most difficult times in his life. Even though I have no understanding of Jazz, I could feel the beauty of the music, and loved the way it describes the Jazz scene in Seattle.

The friendship between Chinese-American Henry, and Japanese-American Keiko, forms the main thread in the story. Thrown together as kids in a school where they are isolated from everyone else, they forge a bond that grows stronger with time and adversity. I feel that it was primarily due to Henry’s loyalty and kindness that this relationship grew into a tender, unspoken love, and withstood the challenges faced by them. He stands up to his father who harbors a deep-rooted hate for the Japanese, and despite the threat of severe retribution, helps Keiko and her family.

It is quite unusual to find a WW2 story, that has a backdrop other than Europe. All the books on this theme that I had read so far, were set in England, France, Italy or Germany. In that aspect, it was a new learning for me. All the stories I had come across were from the allies’ point of view, so I did not have an idea of what the people from the other side went through. For Germans or Italians (and ultimately, the Japanese, of course), it was understandably a very horrific time, for the war was actively fought on their territory. However, the suffering of the people who were away from the actual scene of war, is relatively unknown. I am rather ashamed to admit that I had no idea of how the USA – the nation that prides itself in the idea of freedom and equality for all – had treated people of Japanese origin during the war. They faced racial abuse, and were later interned in labor camps. These included second and third generation Japanese, who had only ever identified themselves as Americans. The camps were not as terrible as the Nazi concentration camps, but they certainly were no picnic, and the author may have portrayed a lighter picture of the reality.

Also woven in the story are the relationships Henry shares with his wife, and his son and son’s fiancé. His wife had died shortly before the story opens, and this aspect is therefore in retrospect, and gives a moving account of his devotion. The way his relationship with his son, Martin, evolves in the course of the story is heart-warming. Throughout, Henry comes across as a kind-hearted and generous person, who you can’t but help feel for.

One glaring loophole that the book had was the mention of an internet support group in 1986 (that was presumably accessible to the public, since Martin was a part of it). Other than this, where I found the book lacking was a closer look into Keiko’s life. Whereas Henry’s family life is closely examined in nuanced detail, we get to see that of Keiko only from outside. It is possible that the author portrayed it as a happy, ideal family with no tensions to lend interest to the story, though I feel that would have added depth. I would have really liked to know about what happened to Keiko after the war.

At times, the relationships and events described in the book are not entirely believable (not going into more detail to avoid spoilers), but overall the story is very engaging and deeply touching. It takes you on an emotional roller-coaster ride of hope and desperation, rejection and warmth, loss and love, as it traverses seamlessly between the past and present.