March 2012 Debut of the Month. 40 years on, the discovery of a Japanese family's personal belongings stirs memories of an innocent first love. This New York Times best-seller has sold more than 1 million copies and been translated into 30 languages – but that is because it is a very special debut book. Beautifully and evocatively written this tender story of the power of love and the human heart will stay with you long after you finish it and is perfect for reading groups.
In 1986, the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps in the US were discovered in the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown. Henry, a Chinese American, remembers a young Japanese American girl with whom he forged a bond of friendship as a youth, and so he embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
