This is rich fare but tasty. We start in Japan (that had me in from page one) as we meet the narrator Lucy Jarrett. She is living there with her partner Yoshi. Gradually themes emerge from her narrative about the details of the day (peppered with earthquake shocks). It becomes clear we are going to be looking at the idea of family relationships, the role of the near and far past in impacting the present, ideas about domesticity and independence, food, fine art and beauty. The book seems initially to be a fairly light read, but partly due to a small font and partly due to the gorgeous descriptive passages it took me longer than expected.
Lucy journeys back to her home town (by the Lake of Dreams). Nothing is as she remembers it: her mother is falling in love with someone she has met, her uncle seems bent on purchasing pristine lake frontage and commercially developing it, and a former boyfriend is now a much talked about glass blower in the “crafts” section of the town. We walk with Lucy through small events, interactions and discoveries, and gradually the pace and intensity picks up. She becomes intrigued by evidence she discovers of an unknown relative two generations prior, and this becomes the focus of one of the larger story arcs.
The book is well crafted, with a pacing that ebbs and flows, but I was interested till the conclusion. There are moments of high drama with particular revelations, but it is less about the surprises than gradual uncovering of dimensions in her own past that end up feeding significantly into her present dilemmas. The process of story telling is therefore more like polishing an old vase until you can start to see your own reflection.
It is unlikely to attract younger teens given the lyrical passages, multi-layered narrative and rich use of interlinked motifs: recommended for older teens and adults. There is certainly reference to adult themes and interactions but little to be uncomfortable about.
Andrew Lack
Head of the Odell Learning Resources Centre
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