The Buddha in the Attic

A while back my mom lent me Julie Otsuka's novel The Buddha in the Attic. She had stumbled upon it and, thinking that it sounded good, immediately bought and read it. She gave it to me, saying that it was really good and a fast read. I was especially intrigued when I saw it had won the PEN/ Faulkner award. And yet it took me forever to actually pick it up, but when I finally did, I was captivated. The story of a group of young women who are brought to Japan as "picture brides" is told in first person plural, a technique that can be a slippery slope, but Otsuka skillfully navigates the narrative voice. Her writing is beautiful and she makes the reader feel for these women, regardless of the fact that their stories blend together. Because the novel is so beautiful (yet short) I'm going to go ahead and recommend it as I doubt anyone could read it and regret having done so.