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| Plot Summary of American Fuji |
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" American therapist Alex Thorn on tour in Japan is allegedly promoting his book Why Love Fails. However, Alex has a deeper reason for his trip here. He needs to learn what happened to his son who died while a student in Japan. Alex's son was a practicing Buddhist and thus did not believe in organ donation. When his son died, his body lacked a heart, apparently harvested for transport use.
The only clue Alex possesses is the cancelled check he made out to "Gone with the Wind", a Disney-like funeral service. Alex meets expatriate American Gaby Stanton, who informs him her company, has no record of his son and the bill is a clever forgery. Together they look for answers and Alex's grief lessens as he comes to care for his companion. She, in turn, learns that she wants to remain in Japan for more than just the medical coverage that helps pay for her health condition.
Sara Barker has written a mainstream drama that is unusual and poignant. The audience gains a unique glimpse into Japanese culture while realizing that when East meets West, anything can happen. AMERICAN FUJI has cross-genre appeal to a wide range of readers who loyally will look for more novels by Ms. Barker.
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"In Sara Backer's American Fuji, the adventures of Gaby and Alex are not only absorbing and exotic, they are a unique glimpse into the Japan that IS Japan. Having lived in Japan for eight years, I am pleased to say that Backer's ability not only to choose the right detail but to choose the most interesting, astonishing, revealing, and accurate detail is unparalleled. From Gaby's unusual occupation to the odd tension of dining in a foreign country as everyone watches your every move, every scene presents the atmosphere of Japan as I remember it, but whether you've been to Japan or not, you will have been there once you read this book. The story is compelling, the characters are fascinating, and the imagination that produced this work is engaging, remarkable, and wild--in the finest sense of the word. After a debut like this, I will buy every book Backer ever publishes. Buy it for yourself and for your friend who teaches English in Japan.
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Eric Paul Shaffer, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of American Fuji |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of story
- Dry-cynical
- very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain?
- Moderately Challenging
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Murder of certain profession?
- students/teachers
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- business executive
- teacher
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- physically sick
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- scholar
Eccentric:
Yes
- deluded
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
- power
The antagonists are:
- foreign organized crime
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- Japan
City?
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
How many deaths?
- 1
Sex
Yes
Unusual forms of death
- run over
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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