Collections
Series
Publication
Anchor (1994), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 300 pages
Description
A powerful and passionate novel, Obasan tells, through the eyes of a child, the moving story of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. Naomi is a sheltered and beloved five-year-old when Pearl Harbor changes her life. Separated from her mother, she watches bewildered as she and her family become enemy aliens, persecuted and despised in their own land. Surrounded by hardship and pain, Naomi is protected by the resolute endurance of her aunt Obasan and the silence of those around her. Only after Naomi grows up does she return to question the haunting silence.
Media reviews
The Globe and Mail
Obasan's power comes from the beauty of the writing, the stark imagery and vivid symbolism, and from the calm recitation of events that destroyed families, a culture, and a way of life.
Subjects
Awards
American Book Award (1983)
Amazon.ca First Novel Award (Winner — 1981)
Canadian Authors Association Award (Winner — Fiction — 1982)
Notable Books List (1982)
Language
Physical description
300 p.; 7.84 inches
ISBN
0385468865 / 9780385468862