Thank you Michael Pronko for recommending this book. It was a very interesting look at an expat's life married to and divorced from a Japanese man. A good insight into the way things work in Japan. I found the characters believable, though I agonized over some of the choices they made. I really felt for the child who seemed to be the whipping boy in the whole sorry affair. He is the one who was most injured it seemed to me. This is a novel and I would be curious to find some non-fiction, like True Crime Japan, that would explore this topic further. ( )

This is the story, well summarised below, of Jill Parker -- an American woman living in Japaan who loses custody of her son when she leaves his father. The author is an American living in Japan, and her knowledge of Japanese customs and laws add depth to this story.

I find I liked it less than the others who have reviewed this book so far. It is told in the first person of Jill's voice. This makes the other characters, particularly the men, somewhat two-dimensional. The plot also lacked depth in the way the events unfolded and resolved themselves relatively quickly. Still, a nice quick read that will provide insights into Japanese culture. ( )

Losing Kei is a novel by the American expatriate author Suzanne Kamata. Written in 2007, portions of Losing Kei were previously published in New York Stories, Literary Mama, and Her Circle Ezine before the novel was released in its entirety by Leapfrog Press in 2008. Originally from Michigan (which I was excited to discover since I currently live in Michigan) and then South Carolina, Kamata now lives in Japan. While Losing Kei was Kamata's first novel, many of her shorter works had previously been published. She also acted as the editor for the collection The Broken Bridge: Fiction from Expatriates in Literary Japan which I would be very interested in reading. I first learned about Kamata's work and received a copy of Losing Kei through LibraryThing's Member Giveaway program. Described as a mix of Lost in Translation and Kramer vs. Kramer, I was looking forward to giving it a try.

Jill Parker was an aspiring artist who had her heart broken. Her response was to move from the United States to the other side of the world. Finding a remote area of the Japanese coast to pursue her painting on her own terms, Jill never intended to fall in love with and marry the owner of a local art gallery. Yusuke's parents don't particularly approve of their son's marriage to a foreigner; Jill is in for a bit of a culture shock when she is expected to adapt her behaviour to meet their expectations. But for a time Jill is happy, especially after the birth of her son Kei. Unfortunately, her happiness doesn't last. Her relationship with her husband and his family falls apart, ultimately ending in divorce. Perhaps the worst of it for Jill is that she loses custody of her son. Separated from Kei and shut out of his life by Yusuke's mother, Jill would do anything to get him back.

Losing Kei is told directly from Jill's perspective, allowing Kamata to firmly establish Jill's thoughts and feelings as events unfold. In fact, the narrative follows her point of view exclusively. Doing so does limit the reader's understanding of the other characters and their actions; only one side of the story is told in Losing Kei. However, Jill is a fully realized character with both strengths and faults because of it. To be completely honest, while I could sympathize with Jill's plight, there were often times that I really didn't like her as a person. To me, this was actually a sign of a well-developed character. Kamata captures Jill and all of her fears completely. The tense atmosphere of Losing Kei is an excellent portrayal of one woman's struggle to adjust to a foreign country and culture as she deals with a terrible situation which she helped to bring about. Jill jumped into her new life without fully comprehending what exactly that would mean. It results in tragedy for her, but as her understanding grows, so does she as an individual.

Losing Kei is an engaging novel. The chapters alternate between the past and present, a technique that works extremely well for this story. In the past Jill is full of optimism as she recovers from her broken heart while her present is filled with an entirely different heartache. The contrast between the two time periods is used very effectively to drive the narrative. I wanted to keep reading Losing Kei in order to discover how things could go so terribly wrong when it finally looked things were turning out right for Jill. Knowing that she loses her son from the very beginning only increases the tension as the story unfolds. Kamata does falter slightly during the novel's climax, introducing an element seemingly out of nowhere to force the plot in the right direction, but overall Losing Kei is a strong debut. Kamata's own experiences as an expatriate in Japan lend to the novel's authenticity; it offers a glimpse into aspects of the country that are not always seen.

Experiments in Manga ( )

I really enjoyed this book. It was well-written and easy-to-read. The writer has such an easy style that you simply fall into the story and her great descriptions and story. ( )

My Mind Found a Story
In Losing Kei




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Suzanna Kamata, the author of this GREAT book, contacted me to see if I would be interested in reviewing Losing Kei. I, of course, accepted with pleasure. Truthfully, I had forgotten about it and it appeared on my doorstep… in a package from Japan. My girls were so excited… “Mom, you got a package from Japan!” I kept the envelope just because I’ve never received a package from so far away… so cool!

So, I finished up two other review books and was staring at my “pleasure read” pile. I so wanted to pick up a different book… one that I had purchased. But, I have committed to giving priority reviews to author and publisher provided books, so I looked at my other pile. Losing Kei was not first in line. But, I kept staring at it…. it was vibing me… calling my name. That’s it… that’s the one I’m reading! Oh… so glad that I did! Did I already say that I loved this book?


Anna at Diary of an Eccentric reviewed this book. I just finished reading her AWESOME review. I don’t think that I can do a better job at it than she already did. She recounts the story perfectly. Much of my review will most likely repeat what she’s already done so efficiently.

The Review:
Title: Losing Kei, A Novel

Author: Suzanne Kamata
Author’s Website: http://suzannekamata.com/

Publisher: LeapFrog Press

Publisher’s Website: http://www.leapfrogpress.com/

Total Pages (Paperback): 193




Type: Fiction
ISBN #: 978-0-9728984-9-2

As I mentioned before Anna’s review was superb. If you’d like to read the details about the story-line, I think you should click on over to her review

(Click Here).The book explains, in detail, the terms of Yusuke’s power and wealth. Due to this, and his emotional fear of his mother (no better way to describe it, in my opinion), he swiftly regains physical possession of Kei and refuses to release any rights to Jill. Apparently, in Japan, there is no such thing as joint custody… it belongs to one parent only. With Yusuke’s Japanese nationality and his social status, he has no trouble winning custody. Jill’s lawyer simply tells her, “it’s not against the law to kidnap your own child in Japan.” What? That’s craziness!
From that point in the story, I loved the tale of Jill’s visit with Phillip in Indonesia. I have been in a similar circumstance… on a dream-world escape with the love of my life with no regard for outcome. Like Jill, my only thoughts were wrapped in the encasing of the rapture of a once full and true love. The visual picture that Kamata creates in this story is so vivid, so colorful, and so bare. I have lived this story, with different surroundings. This part of the novel tugged at my heart.

Reading about Jill’s recovery of the loss of her son is agonizing for me. I can imagine immersing myself in similar vices. Reading about how Jill cleverly gains Kei’s heart and trust back, is genius! Suzanne Kamata keeps you waiting, until the very end of the book to learn whether or not Jill gets her son back and finds herself a home and a life that makes her complete and happy. I like that… because, I wasn’t sure… even at the end of the book. There’s nothing worse than a predictable book or story.

I also enjoyed the character, Eric. This wanderlust, and who I’m guessing is either a Pieces or Gemini, is a sexy surfer-man who is free, raw, and an untamed man that, unlike Jill, I wouldn’t have been just friends with. I definitely would have gone the other way! I can’t say “no” to those type of men. But, Jill’s decision to remain friends with Eric supplies the reader with lots of stories and updates on Eric, a character that I believe every reader can relate to and who is one enjoyable color in this quilt of characters.I recommend that you pick up this book and read it… there are many other sub-stories within this novel that you can sink your teeth into.

Oh, and Suzanne Kamata… just know that when I read this story, I wanted a “lunchbox” so much!



On Sheri’s “One Out of Ten” Scale:
I mainly have reserved my 10’s for the classics… those pulitzer prize winners and books that are just mind-blowing intense. This is not that book. But, it is my favorite genre of book.. FICTION. I love stories, especially one that I actually meet new characters in. Suzanna Kamata ensured that I met hers and kept my full attention at every opportunity I had to read. OK… so, this one is getting a 9.8! Me likey likey… even if it’s not Oprah’s book selection for the Fall. I loved it and this is my blogsite… so I get to rate it how I like! Hummpph! (Hee Hee). Seriously, buy it! Read it!
But, Sheri… Can I Win It?
Oh, so glad you asked! As a matter of fact…. (drum roll, please)…. YES!
Suzanne Kamata has graciously agreed to award a SIGNED COPY of this wonderful book to one of my A Novel Menagerie Winners. I immediately asked after I finished the book. But, if you win this book, I want to ensure that you are a book review blogger and that I get to read your review… so this contest is only open to book reviewers/bloggers who sign away their life in blood promising me a review! Sorry for being selfish on this one… but, I want to read other’s opinions on this book. So far, I’m with Anna… but I’d love to know what you think! Wow… I’m being bratty on this one, huh? (O.K…. so you know you don’t have to sign your life away… but, you get what I mean? See? If I was in a book club, I would do this book for a book club read so that I would get that instant gratification of the thoughts of many on the book. Does anybody have one that I can join the in O.C. Area?)
Back to the contest:

If you are a bonafide book review blogger, or published book reviewer of any kind that I can read your review, you can enter. All you need to do is submit your name below. If you mention my review or this contest on your website, you will get a triple entry (but, I need the link). The winner will be chosen, at random, from a computer generated number picker. Contest starts: NOW! Contest Ends: Sunday, November 16th, 2008.

Sheri, I never win contests… Where shall I buy it?


The best price around is Amazon.Com - Click Here! ( )