OBASAN

by Joy Kogawa

I’ve mentioned before the odd coincidence when I feel that a theme or time period is suddenly everywhere in my life. Right now all of my media seems to be World War II related. Not the most uplifting moment in history, and sometimes downright traumatic. But even though I am feeling a bit inundated, Obasan stood out as a truly remarkable piece of writing.

One of the reasons I was drawn into this book was the new-to-me subject of the internment of Japanese-Canadians. I have read more than a few wonderful and heart-breaking books about Japanese internment in the United States, Snow Falling On Cedars being my all-time favorite. But I had never heard anything about internment in Canada and would have assumed they would have handled things better and more humanely. I was completely wrong. 

Obasan illuminates this incredibly painful time through the eyes of a young girl named Naomi. She lives with her family in Vancouver, but by the time she is five, Japanese Canadians are being sent to stadiums and barracks and being treated worse than animals. Eventually, Naomi's family is sent away from the coast to abandoned mining towns in Manitoba and Alberta. Naomi is separated from her parents and left scrambling to survive with her brother and her aunt, her Obasan. 

This is not a story full of hate and recrimination, but neither is it full of hope. I found by the end that I was left with a pile of questions right along with Naomi, many of which continue to be disturbingly relevant in today’s conflicted world. (Lily)