All Sorrows Can Be Borne
On 6 August 1945 in Hiroshima, Japan, seven-year-old Noriko is at school when the “Little Boy” explodes over the city. Fortunately, the teacher scrambles the class into the cellar, and Noriko escapes the widespread devastation with only a cut on her forehead. Miraculously, her parents also survive the nuclear bomb’s blast and continue to support Noriko’s desire to be an actress. When Noriko nears eighteen, she goes to Osaka, taking a job as a waitress in her stepsister’s tea-room. There, she and the manager, Ichiro, fall in love and marry. They have a son, Hisashi, a bundle of joy for them. However, their happiness is short-lived, for Ichiro contracts tuberculosis and is sent to a sanitorium. Facing financial hardship and wanting a bright future for Hisashi, Ichiro suggests sending Hisashi to be brought up by his sister in Montana. Initially horrified, Noriko finally acquiesces but is heartbroken. Years later, Hisashi (renamed Dwight) enlists in the U.S. Navy, and when his ship docks in Tokyo, he meets his birth mother, which rekindles her sorrows.
The narrative feels very realistic, and it doesn’t come as a surprise when Loren Stephens mentions in the acknowledgements at the end that it is based on her husband’s story! As such, she includes authentic details on the Japanese people’s locations, lives, and mannerisms. The writing, mainly in Noriko’s first-person voice, adds more appeal to the story than a biography would have. The setting of post-WWII Japan, covering the lives of survivors of the nuclear bombings, opens readers’ eyes to Japanese citizens’ resilience and determination to rebuild their lives. The hierarchal society in Japan and the continuing resentment towards the Japanese in the US are subtly presented. An engrossing read, which is likely to catch the eye of a movie producer or director. Highly recommended.
