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The Ocean in the Closet
Reviews
Asian American Press:
“Based on the real stories of mixed-race children of war and occupation . . . The Ocean in the Closet evokes the stories of two imperial histories from a child’s limited perspective, thus inviting readers to use their imagination, their ability to empathize . . . Since the effects and memories of recent and currect wars will continue to reverberate in the collective and individual consciousness of many generations to come, we can only hope for the triumph of imagination and understanding.”
Chattahoochee Review:
“A multigenerational story that illustrates, remarkably, how trauma, both political and personal, reverberates through generations. It’s a heartbreaking book.”
Daily Yomiuri:
“Taniguchi shows a knack for depicting how children think. . . . To write from the point of view of elderly war veteran Hideo, Taniguchi had to step further outside of herself. In the process, she touches on an old issue that lately has gotten fresh attention in the news. Remembering his first glimpse of the brothel where his sister toiled, Hideo says: ‘At Komachi-en, when I saw a long line of foreign soldiers from the front door all the way to the outside entrance fence, I almost thought that I was back in Indonesia.’ He uncomfortably remembers how he looked down on the ‘comfort women’ he saw in his army days: ‘Back then, I truly believed that they actually volunteered and got paid to do what they did, and I had no sympathy for the young Korean, Chinese and Filipino women.’ . . . Hideo needed a measure of psychological denial to survive the war, [Taniguchi says], but when he came home and saw what his sister was going through, he had to face what had happened overseas.”
Dave Wood’s Book Report, River Falls Journal (syndicated in several Minnesota and Wisconsin newspapers):
“Realistic and wrenching.”
Estella’s Revenge:
“A startling and beautiful tale of healing and forgiveness.”
Gustavian Weekly:
“In The Ocean in the Closet, Yuko Taniguchi holds a light up to events and emotions of those affected by war three generations after the bombs stopped illuminating their pain.”
Japan Visitor:
“The title of the novel comes from the tradition of punishing a bad child by locking it in a dark closet. Going into this metaphorical closet, Taniguchi has written a story that portrays redemption and tragedy.”
Library Journal:
“Taniguchi’s poetic descriptions and touching interplay of the various members of this extended family make this a wonderful book. Likely to appeal to a wide variety of readers, this is highly recommended.”
Los Angeles Times (also syndicated in Newsday):
“There is a gentle, rhythmic lapping at the core of this quiet novel, a sense of time passing and the inevitable, painful dissipation of trauma over generations.”
Minnesota:
“Powerful, a gripping read filled with pain and balanced by flashes of great beauty.”
Minnesota Monthly:
"Magical."
Multidiversity: Myers:
“Eloquent, distinctive and tender. . . . Offer[s] new ways to understand war and its impact.”
ThingsAsian:
“A must read—a compelling tale and a true testimony to the power of the human spirit.”
Chitra Divakaruni:
"Yuko Taniguchi has created a beautiful and poignant novel that adroitly spans generations and continents to explore the intricate workings of the human heart in times of war and peace."
Kyoko Mori:
"Ambitious and tender at once, The Ocean in the Closet examines the devastating consequences of war on a family divided by an ocean of history and pain. Yuko Taniguchi's writing is remarkable for its music and vision. In the sounds of ice breaking in the river, silkworms eating mulberry leaves in the night, and Mahler played on the double bass, her characters hear the music of human suffering and redemption. The dead return in the faces of the living and in the stories they tell each other, seeking and offering consolation. The Ocean in the Closet is a compelling and moving novel."
From the booksellers . . .
Hans Weyandt, Micawber’s Books:
“[Taniguchi’s] fiction reads like poetry (in the best way) and is filled with exacting language and a care for characters that is oftenhard to find.”
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