Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The premise and setup of this book seemed interesting when I read the book’s description, but I don't think it was executed well. This book is told mainly from the perspectives of the ghosts of three men who happened to be together on the day that Emperor Hirohito surrendered, putting an end to the Japanese part of World War II. These men decided they would return and reminisce after their deaths. What they mostly reminisce about is a woman who played a key role in each of their lives. We learn much about this woman, but only through these men's eyes, which limits what we can truly know of her. In a time when we are trying to give women and girls more of a voice and a place at the table, so to speak, it seems strange to only know this woman as these others see her. Their thoughts about her are often self-serving or reveal more about the men than her. She has no voice here of her own. As such, I didn't feel like I could connect with her because she didn’t come across as a real, flesh-and-blood female—believable and relatable. At times, she felt like a caricature or stereotype, a woman much abused and perhaps remembered as too perfect by the men who knew her. In terms of writing style, the author told more often than she showed. There is a reason why there is an adage in writing that authors should “show, not tell.” It is distancing, can often provide too much irrelevant information, and makes you crave for something to actually happen in front of you. The heavy reliance on telling had just such negative effects here. And I felt like the book completely lost me when it switched from having the three ghost perspectives to having dogs as narrators. Yes, I said dogs! At first, I couldn't quite believe what I was reading. This story had potential, but it just was not realized. TRIGGER WARNING: War violence, sexual assault UPDATE: I'm not quite sure why other reviewers stoop to the level of making ad hominem attacks (attacking the person, not their ideas) on another's review. I have been a proofreader and editor for over 30 years, and I stand by my review. Even if I saw this as literary fiction (and I don't), not all literary fiction is good. If you are unsure about this book seeing two such different reviews, I suggest you check out the 10% preview available here on Amazon. If you think that is well written, you may enjoy the rest of the book... and at least you've been warned about the dog narrators! If you agree that it's mostly telling—and most of the book is like that—then make another choice this month for your First Reads! I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.