Plot Summary
The narrator of this novel, Naomi Nakane, receives news that the uncle who helped raise her has died. She returns to her childhood home and Obasan, her aunt. During this visit home, she tries to piece together the mystery of what happened to her family shortly after the Pearl Harbor invasion. A Japanese Canadian citizen, she has hazy memories of her childhood as the daughter of loving parents, her father a well-to-do shipbuilder in Vancouver, B.C. After the invasion, the family is forced to leave their coastal home in an affluent community and are removed to the dusty interior of Canada where they work on a sugar beet farm. Naomi's mother, who had left on a trip to Japan shortly before the invasion, is never seen again. On her return home, Naomi tries to piece together the mystery of what happened to her mother by examining newspaper articles, scraps of poetry and family letters.
Critical Evaluation
Kogawa is a poet, and the spare, elegant prose reflects a careful precision with language. The narrative is non-linear which will demand patience for those accustomed to a more traditional story line. Finally, it is important to note that this novel is autobiographical in nature--Joy Kogawa's family was interned in the interior of Canada during WWII. Some of the power of the narrative comes from it being grounded in true events, which the author solidifies by weaving primary source documents throughout the novel. Many readers may be surprised to learn of this piece of Canadian history; this novel explores this little known history, one that stands as a cautionary tale for all of us.
Reader’s Annotation
What happened to Naomi’s mother? She left for Japan before the invasion, before the rest of the Nisei family was interned in the dusty interior of Canada. Naomi returns home to Obasan, her aunt, to see if she can piece together the family history.
Information about the Author
According to Gale’s Books and Authors database, “Joy Nozomi Kogawa is best known for the novel Obasan, a fictionalization of her own experiences as a Japanese-Canadian during World War II. Like Obasan's narrator, Kogawa was exiled into a detention camp in the Canadian wilderness. She published her first book of poetry, The Splintered Moon, in 1967. After two follow-up volumes, she received national acclaim for Obasan. With Obasan, wrote Gurleen Grewal in Feminist Writers, "Kogawa proved herself to be among the finest of feminist-humanist writers." Out of Obasan came the sequel, Itsuka, and Naomi's Road, a version of the story for children. In addition to pursuing her career as a writer, Kogawa has turned her attention to political work on behalf of Japanese-Canadian citizens.
Kogawa turned back to poetry after publication of her novels. The "insight found [in Woman in the Woods]," wrote Frank Manley in Books in Canada, "is enlightening." He also lauded the book's "passion for life" along with "its ability to say volumes with only a few words." A more recent poetic text, A Song of Lilith, takes as its theme the Biblical story of Adam's first companion, Lilith, who was created out of clay to be his equal. When this harmonious relationship is destroyed, Lilith escapes from Eden and is subsequently banished from earth. Yet she returns many generations later to comfort and help humanity in its distress. The poem was commissioned by theater director Kristine Bogyo as part of a multidisciplinary production incorporating poetry, projected paintings, and original music. The piece has been produced in Toronto, Vancouver, and other Canadian cities.”
Genre
Historical Fiction, Cross-Over
Curriculum Tie
This would be an excellent literature circle option for a unit on WWII.
Booktalking Ideas
It is likely that many readers will be unfamiliar with this history, so reading from some of the primary sources woven through the novel might be one way to enter into the novel.
Reading Level/ Interest Age
16+
Challenge Issues
N/A
Why Included
This is a beautiful, little known novel that addresses a little known piece of history. The language is haunting, and for more mature readers, this novel is a revelation. I’ve had students who have loved it and so I decided to include it.
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