Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

“Try not to live in the past, but who knows, sometimes the past lives in me” is the first line I highlighted while reading this book. It led me to have some faith that all would be resolved at books end.  I wondered through its pages if there would be resolution or not.  I cannot imagine how life was in Seattle or any other Pacific coast city during WWII.  I did not even learn of the relocation centers where we placed American citizens based solely on their ethnicity until I was a first year teacher. That had conveniently been omitted in the history books I encountered in West Virginia, even as a Social Studies major in college.  I believe the friendship between Henry and Keiko would have been the equivalent to a friendship between a Caucasian and African American in this part of our nation for many years.  Henry fought his father’s hatred of the Japanese, his unwillingness to speak anything but Cantonese, his being disowned for having his own stubborn streak and even his willingness to return to China to finish his schooling.  His father was living in the past.  He did not want to do so. Yet, he always lived with Keiko in his heart.

Honor is very much a part of Asian culture, possibly even more so than for other cultures. Henry respected his mother for honoring his father by always doing as he declared. “Obedience as a sign of loyalty, as an expression of honor, even as an act of love, was a well-worn theme in his household.” Henry saw this every day as his mother would prepare his food and sneak his letters under his pillow all the while not talking to him because to do so would go against her husband.  When she does speak with him it is to ask obedience of him to take the suit, the ticket to Canton and the money and obey his father’s wishes that he return to China and complete his education.  He agreed under certain circumstances which his father did honor as well—keeping the Panama Hotel from being sold.

“Feelings can only be hidden so long from those who really pay attention.”  Henry’s mother always knew how he felt about Keiko.  Being a woman, I would have thought she would have had a bit more empathy for his situation but that did not keep her from wanting her only son to grow up, meet a nice Chinese girl, marry and have a family!  It is one of the underlying themes in this entire book—loyalty and honor above all else.  The interesting thing is to compare the way Keiko’s family saw these items as opposed to Henry’s.  The Okabes took people at face value with actions speaking louder than any ethnic tensions between two worlds.  They saw the love their daughter had for Henry and he for her.  They knew that he respected them as well and were able to welcome him to their home.

Henry did meet Ethel, marry and have a son.  While he continued to think of Keiko, he was a loving partner and a good father.  I think it interesting that his reasons for marrying Ethel also revolved around loyalty and honor.  He had started dating her after he found Keiko did not show up at the Panama Hotel as requested. He assumed she had moved on. Later he would find that his father had used his power to keep not only his letters from going to Keiko but also him from receiving hers.  At this time he considered, at least momentarily, going to find Keiko but he had asked Ethel to marry him in a burst of passion on V-J Day.  His parents loved her and accepted her. To go back on his proposal would have been dishonorable to Ethel.

I believe he had a good live with Ethel.  He continued to honor her by keeping her with him while she dealt with her cancer and later died of it. “But choosing to lovingly care for her was like steering a plane into a mountain as gently as possible. The crash is imminent; it’s how you spend your time on the way down that counts.” As one who lives with a person who suffers from an incurable disease I know that it is both a joy to spend the time together and a pending crash into the mountain side as you never know what is around the next day.  Will it be a good or a bad day?  Will the progression of the disease accelerate or slow?  That is why I push to get the most out of life every day while we can. I know the day will arrive when we cannot travel, when life as we know it now will change dramatically, but in the meantime I choose to spend the our time on the way down in a manner that creates joy and love. Henry did the same for Ethel. 

I believe it is the way he loved and cared for Ethel that leads Marty to help Henry find Keiko in the end.  He knew his father had sacrificed much for his mother and he deserved to find happiness.  Everyone tells Henry to “fix it” but in the end it is his own son and future, American, daughter-in-law who fixes it.

What I liked about the book:  easy to read, based on historical facts, dealt evenly with the events of the time period without dwelling on the misery and depicted the importance of friendship.  I loved that he and Sheldon remained close friends throughout their lives.  Good friends are there through good times and bad times and they were there for each other.  I loved that Keiko had kept the record and gave it back to Sheldon when she heard he was dying.  It meant as much to her as to Henry and Sheldon. It was like it kept them together even when they were apart. 

What I disliked: Chaz, (even though I am sure his kind existed then as they do today), the conditions under which we treated people in our own country who were American born citizens, and that it took Henry forty plus years to find Keiko. However had he reconnected immediately after the war it would have been a much shorter, less poignant book!