The Buddha In The Attic

THE BUDDHA IN THE ATTIC
by Julie Otsuka

 Award: PEN/Faulkner Winner 2012

 Nominations: Dublin Finalist 2013, LA Times Finalist 2011, National Book Finalist 2011

 Dates Read: October 18, 2012 & November 5, 2019

 The Buddha In The Attic is a short novel focusing on Japanese immigrants to the US and their treatment before and during WWII. Women departed Japan with uncertain futures to marry Japanese men already established in the US. What they would find when they arrived was not what they expected. I cannot imagine taking a journey like this as a young woman, often young girls, to embrace such an uncertain future - unknown country, unknown husband, unknown way of life.

 Arriving, these women were faced with hardships they had no knowledge was awaiting them. They faced racism, endless manual labor and poverty. Few had hope of ever rising above a bare subsistence and many longed to return. Yet, they persisted and won a place, albeit secondary and often begrudgingly, in society, showing themselves to be dependable and trustworthy.

 And what do they get for this small, hard-won victory? They get interred during WWII - a questionable response to war and a part of our history for which we should forever be ashamed. 

 What makes The Buddha In The Attic truly unique is the multitude of experience Otsuka draws from. There is no one narrator or protagonist but an account of collective experience that encompasses  so much more than a single narrative could ever provide. A truly remarkable accomplishment.

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