The Year of the Barbarian: A Historical Novel of Japan (Dragonfly Trilogy)
With her father serving as a Dutch interpreter, Sumi has grown up with foreign books and ideas. She wants to learn more about the “barbarians.” Curiosity, though, is not an ideal quality when negotiating a betrothal. Japanese wives are supposed to be subservient to their husbands in all things, a future Sumi dreads.
Meanwhile, after learning the company he invested his inheritance in is smuggling opium, John Cardiff is searching for a new business venture. He travels to China to begin a new trade. His dream is Japan, a country that fascinates him but whose ports have long been closed to foreigners. However, the threat of pirates pursuing them on his first voyage may shatter all of John’s dreams. Will the risks to claim his dream also claim his life?
John is fascinated with the distant shores of Japan. He’s coming into his own while hoping to prove his worth to the family of the woman he’s courting. His travels bring a bit of intriguing adventure to the story. Sumi is an intelligent, lively character whose future threatens to swallow everything about her—a sadly common theme for women throughout history. Boyles does a good job making Sumi believably spirited while also keeping her period-accurate.
The cultural distinctions are done well. I loved Sumi’s first impressions of Americans. “Barbarians” who wear their shoes indoors, wear their emotions on their faces, and clutter their homes with large furniture—how strange! This is a well-researched and character-driven story of cultures colliding for the first time. The narrative is ripe with feelings of honor, wonder, fear, and suspicion. I anticipate book two to be an equally fascinating study of two worlds trying to find common ground and understanding. Recommended.
