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| Plot Summary of A Town Where Lights Are Blue |
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"John Sky is a Viet Nam Vet, who fell in love with Yokohama, and has committed his life to playing piano in a bar band. After an evening of performing, he and friends, like Ota—a womanizer—go from bar to bar, drinking in excess. Ota generally goes home with a new woman each night, and Sky heads home alone. Sky spends his life in a blur, a constant buzz, living for the moment, but not looking to do anything in particular with the moment of time he's in, until he meets two women and his life changes.
Sky finds himself intrigued by Sayoko, a prostitute. Night after night, she shows up at the different bars with different men. Regardless, she and Sky bond as life long friends. But there friendship was not strong enough for Sayoko to share with Sky a secret that she has kept hidden for the last few years.
Then there is Miyako. She is what they call a “bargirl” in her country. In our country, she is a barmaid. She thinks she is old in her mid-thirties and harbors a restless prejudice against Americans, until she finds herself attracted to Sky. Her own depression might be caused by the mixed marriage of her parents. Or, it might stem from her own dissatisfaction with the career she's chosen for her life.
Saffell tells his story with taut scenes descriptive narrative, and crisp dialogue. It's like reading Steinbeck, had Steinbeck of written books based in Hong Kong. The tale explores culture and racial issues. A Town Where Lights Are Blue is a character driven story that will leave the reader thinking long after they've finished reading the book.
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Phillip Tomasso III, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of A Town Where Lights Are Blue |
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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 book?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- 1960's-1970's
Romance/Romance Problems
Yes
Kind of romance:
- boatload of casual sex without love
Other aspects:
- best friends
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Struggle over
- conduct in war
Culture clash?
- visiting a culture in other country
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Outside culture (society)
- Japanese
If story of urban/rural...
- Small town life
Main char. serviced by prostitute?
Yes
Ethnic/regional/gender life
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- musician
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- society
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 4 (a fair amount)
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- Japan
- China
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Unusual Style:
- a lot of stream of consciousness
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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