Island of Bicycle Dancers: A Novel

by Jiro Adachi

This is the coming-of-age story of twenty-year old Yurika Song, a Korean-Japanese woman who comes from Japan to New York City for a summer to work with her Korean relatives and improve her English. Yurika's friends back home have always joked that she is half-sushi/half kim-chi. But cross-Asian ethnicities turn out to be far less jarring than her entree into New York life in the guise of bicycle messengers and the street culture in which they thrive.
On one level this is a tale of mistaken love--Yurika falls hard for an attractive, but dangerous, Puerto Rican bicycle messenger nicknamed "Bone." But on another, deeper level, our heroine finds freedom in this new language, which to her "is like a huge octopus, very clever and sometimes hard to catch."

Genres: Fiction, Asian American

244 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jen Haas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally I read this book in one of my Asian American studies classes and I'd have to say that if I had not been in that class this book might not of held my attention. It's not that the book is badly written or the subject bad however the main female lead, Yuriko, and I have little in common. When looking at the book in a cultural and social context I have to say that it is truly unique and captivating. Most people do not write on Japanese born Koreans, not to mention a character that is half of each culture. To add the dynamic of her learning English in New York is all the more fascinating. New York is a great place to base a story like this and her interest in messenger boys was odd. One thing I can say is that the characters in this story were unusual and original.

[Aitziber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. The Island of Bicycle Dancers: A Novel tells the story of Yurika Song, a 20-year old half-Korean Japanese who comes to New York for the summer to learn English. As tends to happen, she finds herself, discovers a few secrets about her family and we're led to believe her actions lead to horrible consequences for the men who cannot get enough of her.

The English angle was pretty attractive. Jiro Adachi teaches English as a foreign language, and the love for his job comes through in the book. Yurika's cousin, Suzie, previously apathetic towards school, discovers her passion for foreign-language teaching as she instructs Yurika in the nuances of English. This story arc was probably the most interesting in the novel.

Not as interesting was the realization of the main character. Being an ESL speaker myself, I was mildly intrigued by the idea of a narrator who was learning to express herself in English. There was some interest in the way her conversations with other characters were terribly broken, and Jiro Adachi manages to convey through the narration that the various language barriers made the characters unable to communicate with each other. It makes sense, then, that characters would have wrong ideas about the nature of their relationships with each other, since so much of those relationships consisted of characters thinking to themselves without being able to express those thoughts.

And this is where the novel becomes a mess. Adachi failed to convince me that a rudimentary speaker can make a good narrator, and oh, how I wanted to be convinced. In addition to that, the love triangle (of course) that Yurika finds herself involved in is repellent. So a white bike messenger, Whitey, falls in love with her. It's cringeworthy to read about him wanting to kiss her, while she's completely unaware of his crush. Yurika is attracted to a bike messenger of Latino descent, Bone, who is (of course) a bad boy.

Whitey takes Yurika and Bone's interest in each other predictably and annoyingly badly. He's the Nice Guy who women aren't attracted to, because they go for Bad Boys like Bone, who are bad for them, but oh so sexy. Whatever. What's worse is that Yurika does her best to re-establish her friendship with Whitey, but he rejects her attempts and outright avoids her (what a nice guy!). And yet, when Whitey ends up in a freak accident after Bone messes with Whitey's bike, Yurika actually blames herself and comes to the conclusion that she's been a bad friend. Sure.

Adachi's novel could have been improved by focusing on Yurika's parents and the relatives she's staying with while at New York, and downplaying the love triangle severely. As another reviewer noted, this could've been a great novel about culture clash, immigration, family and the effect learning a second language has on the learner's identity. Instead, the stale Nice Guy stuff makes it DOA.

[Erin]

this book... review of this book, review of this book... let's see... why did i read this book? oh yes. it was in a half price bookstore that i practically bought out after they went out of business in the local mall and dropped all their prices to 25 cents. i took anything that wasn't an excercise manual or a 'chicken soup for the soul'. the thing is, i can't remember much about this book, except that someone steals bicycle parts and this girl has grungy sex all over the place. and their are lots of couriers, who are endeared to me anyway because i can't help but be fascinated by a job that let's you fly all over the city like a maniaical crazy person, one hand on a cup of coffee and one hand curled around 2 packages and no hands on the steering, cursing at buses and taxis and pedestrians and veering all over the street like you're straight out of the circus. annnnd i can't help but be curious about the outfits they get away with.

if only i could wear hot pink 1970's track shorts, a stretch t-shirt, headbands and one of those home depot back-saver belts to work everyday. *sigh*. anyway i'd say i should probably reread this, but if it goes a full year and a book doesn't leave that great an impression, then let it slide. or... in this case, roll away. quickly. on one stolen wheel and a rusty chain.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good debut, but too many narrative perspectives and stock villains weaken what could have been a very strong examination of immigration, family lives, and how learning a second language brings the learner a new identity.

[Samantha Shaffer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book as a gift. I liked it because it shows you coming of age and how people are effected by others in their life. This book also shows everyone has flaws and everyone is capable of great things.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best writing.

[Joe Lunievicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Island of Bicycle Dancers by Jiro Adachi is a beautifully written coming of age story that delves deeply into the cultural mixes that make up Flushing and lower Manhattan's east side. With a pitch perfect cast of characters and a half Korean and half Japanese protagonist, Adachi uses his protagonist, Yurika, as a wonderful lens from which to observe New York City, her family, and the well detailed and nuanced environments of The Lucky
Market where she works and her aunt and uncles home where she lives. As she learns the language we share her frustrations with two cultures that come at life from opposite directions. Observations on how English is spoken - it's physicality and nakedness - are fascinating and help develop a narrative of love and family that moves in surprising and poignant direcctions. This book drew me into the lives of its characters deeply and quickly, and did not let me up for air until I turned the last page.

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm. I don't really know what to say about Jiro Adachi's Island of the Bicycle Dancers. It's strange to say this, but I didn't "connect" well with any of the characters. I haven't felt this detached from a novel in a long time and the writing or story isn't bad at all. I sort of feel like it's one of those moments in life where you have two close friends, but those two close friends aren't friends of each other. In this case, I feel like I'm a fairly open minded reader and the book itself is well-written, polished, and has a moving plot, but yet, there was no spark. Sorry Jiro! It wasn't you. It was me.

[Elysabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been putting off reading this book because the reviews were so tepid, but I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed the rich texture of all of the characters and the commingling of their ethnic backgrounds and attractions to one another. I also really loved the backdrop of the East Village and the city as a whole for this novel -- it sort of felt like a sexy, sad, incredibly modern fable of the fluctuating life of new immigrants who are trying to create a different kind of American dream.

I loved it. I've been feeling disappointed by my last couple of book selections, but I'm satisfied with this one.

[Jenifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book on my reading journey through N.Y.C. I have always been interested in the lives of immigrant people in New York; however I was excited to read this book mainly because of the bicycle messengers. I thought they would be a wholesome granola-crunchy kind of group. I give this book a high rating because it was interesting for me.

I liked the story even though it was simple. I liked the plot line of a modern immigrant learning about America and its language through the lens of the city. I liked the surprise of finding out that the bike messengers are actually quite a salty bunch (watch out for bad language and, well, ahem). I liked the characters. So, for me, a four.

[Ajo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters each had their own distinct personality and I had no trouble hearing their voices in my head as I was reading. I also knew nothing about Asian American life much less that of couriers and messenger bikers - perhaps that's why I enjoyed it so much, I didn't have any real experiences to contradict the experiences of the characters.
I had fun reading this book, ran the gamete of emotions and learned things in the process... What more could I ask for

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A melancholy but unique coming of age about a Japanese-Korean 20 year old who gets tangled into the wrong crowd while working for her relatives. A fast, polished, unique but surreal in a way that comes from the intense perspective on what could've been an otherwise boring novel. The first half of the novel is slow going but is well worth the wait.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

A solid debut, a nice book for the author to build their career upon. The writing was a bit sloppy at points and at times the novel felt disjointed, but not so much that it took away from the enjoyment of the writing.

[Saya · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can tell it's a first book but it's pretty good too. As an English teacher myself I appreciated the way the author used his knowledge of speakers of English as a foreign language to flesh out the characters' personalities.

[Marietta]

this book was recommended to me by halvsie.com and its funny and cute and easy to read and in the point when it come to bi-racial people...

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute story about a girl who comes to New York to learn English

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the premise of this book much more than the book itself.

[Powells.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Loved Yurika Song's fascination with the NYC bike messengers. Loved Yurika. An illuminating corner of the Big City.
Recommended by Adrienne, Powells.com

[Arch]

This is an interracial book.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

adachi has it down, japanese, korean, koreans in japan, koreans in the states, this is a good book!

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for a first novel - a quick read that held my attention.