by Keita Nagano
Published: September 2019
Publisher: SparkPress
Genre: Women's Fiction, Japan
Paperback: 344
Rating: 5
Goodreads
First sentence(s):
I was okay with living in a town where work was boring, there was not entertainment, and almost nobody spoke English when I thought I could leave whenever I wanted.
After fleeing a disastrous teaching job (and a bad gambling habit) in Boston, Lindsey starts teaching English in Hime, a small fishing town in Japan. One morning, while trying to snap the perfect ocean sunrise photo for her mother, she slips off a rock at the edge of Toyama Bay, hits her head, and plunges into the sea―and in doing so, sets off an unexpected chain of events.
When Lindsey comes to in the hospital, she learns that she owes her life to a young man named Ichiro―a local fisherman who also happens to be the older brother of one of her students. She begins to spend time with her lifesaver, and in the ensuing months, she becomes increasingly enmeshed in her new life: when she is not busy teaching, she splits her time between an apprenticeship with the local master sushi chef and going out fishing with Ichiro. As she and Ichiro grow closer, however, she also learns that not all is well in Hime, and she is drawn into a war to stop the town next door from overfishing their shared bay. Soon, she, Ichiro, and her pastrami-obsessed best friend, Judy―the person who talked Lindsey into coming to Japan in the first place―are spending all their free time working together to rescue the town. But when their efforts backfire, Hime gets closer to falling apart―putting Lindsey’s friends, her budding relationship with Ichiro, and her career in jeopardy. To save Hime, Lindsey realizes, she’ll have to become a true American fisherwoman and fight for her new home with everything she has.
My two-bits:
Loved getting exposed to the small town fishing village in this story. I really felt the sense of community and history through the eyes of the protagonist.
Also loved the character growth.
* part of blog tour
* weekly theme: Japan - small town
