The Secret Lives of the Sushi Club

by Christy Yorke

After years of exchanging secrets over sushi, Jina, Irene, and Mary are stunned when their friend Alice, a struggling novelist and fellow member of the "sushi club," publishes a a best-selling tell-all novel that brings their lives into print, a betrayal that forces all four women on a wilderness trip designed to help them re-evaluate their lives. By the author of Song of the Seals. Original.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Own

342 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2005

About the author

Christy Yorke was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where she went to college and married her high school sweetheart. After graduating magna cum laude from California State University, Northridge with a degree in Psychology, she and her husband moved to Idaho for the fresh air and opportunity to live and play in the wilderness. With two nearly grown children, Christy spends her time writing, working as an internet consultant, gardening, hiking with her black Lab, and enjoying her rustic, electricity-less cabin in the woods.

Reviews

[Pam Varga · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had so much potential. I loved the premise. A failing author writes the secrets of her sushi club friends. Awesome. But it didn’t really stick with that.
Then it was about a river rafting adventure and I thought, great, I don’t know much about river rafting, this has potential too… nope.
I don’t really think the author knew which direction she wanted to go with this book. Maybe the river is a metaphor for the chaos of this story :/
I was highly confused at the character motivations, and decisions and oh my gosh to put one Muslim character in the book and make him a terrorist … just ugh!!!
I had thought the ‘bad guy’ was going to be the woman who wrote all the secrets about her friends but I leave this book disappointed.
Ending was also meh which had a big reveal that was a given.
I do not recommend.

[Sorina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a horrible book, it’s a weak one, the characters show no development. The author didn’t know how to create intriguing passages, she just wrote down ideas / events without any spark,the book felt more like a sketch than actual work. She missed so many good plot opportunities: Mary’s whole character and also her relationship with Drew, she didn’t make a big deal out of them WHICH SHOULD’VE BEEN and I would’ve loved it, Irene learned nothing and was just lucky to be forgiven by Naji, Jina literally had just shot someone and she seemed okay with it and it was forgotten ( doesn’t make sense for her character ). The whole sushi club never happened: we just know about it but we should’ve had at least one scene with all of them together, and them making up and being friends again happened out of the blue and it should’ve been ( again ) a big deal. She didn’t write well Zach’s story. I wish someone would rewrite this book because it’s a great idea but it’s poorly written and carelessly worded.

[Carrie Turney bressers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with a slow start. It was hard to fall in love with the main couple at first, and the author probably wanted it that way. But big changes come fast in this novel about girlfriends, living multiple lives in the span of one lifetime, and how, when you don't talk about the big things in your past, it can upend your future. Really enjoyed all the character play in this one.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't want to be sucked into this tale because it seemed a bit contrived and trite at the beginning, the characters a bit too one dimensional. The more I read, though, the more I got caught up in each of the main character's stories. There were a few times when the interactions of the women in this story seemed a bit unbelievable and the ending of the book wrapped everything up in a mostly positive vein, ( a little too neatly for my tastes) but it was a nice little diversion from some more in depth reading I was doing at the time.

[Deborah Sowery-Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four long-time friends face disruption in their friendship when they discover that the writer among them includes personal details about their lives in her latest novel. One of them decides to go on a wilderness trip, reliving a tragic part of her life, & they all join which results in drama, secrets revealed & a lot of other stuff. Entertaining read.

[Violet Danae Orion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the theme of water throughout. Was decently written and decent plot. Loved the nature and descriptions, but had a hard time with changing perspectives of characters abruptly after the second half of the book.

[Gerri Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was a bit patchwork for me, jumping between the past and the future. I had to reread some of the sentences because they were confusing. But I liked the character arcs of each character.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third time through. I really enjoyed this, good story with a bit of magical realism.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

As book clubs become more and more popular, it's only natural that more books about book clubs should emerge (I really enjoyed The Jane Austen Book Club). The Sushi Club consists of four middle-aged women: a writer (Alice), a former soap-opera star (Irene), a single mom who lost the love of her life in a river rafting accident (Jina), and a female 40-year old virgin (Mary). When Alice uses the secrets revealed in the book club as the basis for the only bestseller of her life, the others feel betrayed and are forced to reexamine their lives. Jina's son convinces them all to go back to the river that claimed his father - to face their demons and find the strength to forgive. This book is chick-lit for middle-aged women, but it was a fast read, and it was decently entertaining. Yorke tries to do a little too much with some of her characters, to make profound political statements where none really exist, but a couple of the side stories are entertaining, and it was a good mindless distraction.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the message of the book was confusing, I enjoyed the journey. The plot was an interesting idea, but unfortunately fell flat. I expected more when I picked it up.

Favourite Quotes:
"...in actual reality people were almost always more honorable than they were given credit for. Devotion undermined greed. She was nearly sure of it."

"So unsympathetic, Jina couldn't even root for herself."

"...she wondered if even words you disregard and scorn sink into your skin. If the things people say flippantly, meanly, carelessly, slither down to bone and build who you are."

"You were on the wrong path, and you blew up the rest of the road."

"The trouble with ambition is that it leaks. It trickles from work to relationships, to bodies to home repair, until nothing you have is in the shape you'd like it to be."

"This was no place to begin a life; it was where you ended it or proved it's worth."

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book about 4 women who often meet over sushi to discuss
their lives. Their lives are turned upside down when one of them
writes a book about their lives and the secrets divulged in their
meetings. One is a has been actress who may lose her husband when he
finds out she was unfaithful, one is a virgin, one lost her husband
twelve years ago in a river rafting accident and has not told her son
how his father died.

After their lives and their families lives are turned upside down when
the book becomes a hit, the women go on a river rafting trip as a
therapeutic measure. The characters are defined pretty well, although
there is a strange subplot of one of the character's brothers
potentially being a terrorist. Good enough to keep me interested
throughout the book.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be some kind of cautionary tale for LJ folks with lots of writer friends. After a number of marginally successful novels, one of the main characters manages a best seller and her friends can't wait to celebrate over their weekly sushi date…until they read the novel and see just how much of what's been shared over rolls has made it into the book. This was a fantastic read with great characters, beautifully done prose about the journeys we all take on our way to our best selves, and with a dash of magical realism that's central to Yorke's style. Lovely! I adore this writer.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I somewhat enjoyed this. The plot was ok but somewhat predictable. There was supposed to be this big twist about 3/4 of the way through but, I had already figured it out. It is a super easy read. There are some really descriptive passages and I did enjoy some of the statements about relationships and the future that Yorke made throughout the book. I read this over a weekend and it was a nice escape from the reality of life. I would recommend this to someone who wants a fun read without really having to think. Yorke did a good job it just fell a bit short of my expectations...

[Anca · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subject had so much more potential and it ended up disappointing me with the finale. I could have lived without the 'paranormal' side of the story and I guessed the reveal in the middle of the book. I did, however, enjoy the characters construction and development. The idea that everyone is redeemable whatever he/she does did strike a cord in me - I was so angry when Alice came on the trip with the girls she had betrayed, but in the end it all made sense. I liked the writing style and there were some good reflections on relationships and life.

[Alexa Mackintosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

AMAZING. Simply amazing. Thriller. Romance. Mystery. Fantasy. Everything you could want from a book. Thank you, Christy Yorke. The only thing I would change is the name. "The Secret Lives of the Sushi Club" makes it seem like a fluffy book: girly and superficial, which is what I expected (and wanted) when I picked it up. It is so much more than that. A better name would have been "Salmon", or "The River". Even just "Water", as it was a running motif in this book. Overall though, amazing.

[Lianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure if the author could decide on what kind of story she wanted this to be. The magical/supernatural parts were confusing and didn't seem to fit at all. As an Idahoan, I was excited to read about the places with which I am so familiar. But while the descriptions of the scenery, mountains, sky, etc. were pretty great, I was so disappointed with her portrayal of the people who live here. We are not all crazy, racist republicans. It was disheartening to see those stereotypes represented.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the premise of this book (a group of four friends is thrown into chaos when one of them, a writer, writes a book that reveals all their secrets), but I was sort of afraid of the chick-flicky-ness of it. The execution of the story was totally solid - but it was really more of a light summer read than anything I could sink my teeth into.

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

BOO. I was really excited to read this book. So maybe my expectations were high, but I had heard so much hype about it. But honestly, it was incredibly boring. There was too much about water rafting, I felt like I was reading some sort of hiking journal. So mid-way through, as much as I hate giving up on books I have already invested time in, I have to put it down and move the heck on.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one's got "soon to be big-budget chick flick" written all over it. It was an enjoyable summer read, but I'm troubled by the author's representation of her Arab characters. The inter-cultural marriage plot was a good idea in theory for this book, but too simplistic in execution. I fear the character of Ahmad will fuel too many Western stereotypes of fanatical Muslim men.

[Kendra · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was NOTHING like I thought it would be. It turned into this whole rafting adventure which to me was totally boring. I thought it would be more about the women dishing their secrets in their "sushi club".

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is NOT about four girlfriends eating sushi and telling secrets, as the cover leads you to believe. The plot is weird, but the writing is good and the characters (although there are too many) are fairly well-developed. I enjoyed it - all in all, a good read.

[Mich · Rating 4 out of 5]

chick lit
a group of close knit women are torn apart after one opts to write about their stories and it turns into a best selling novel. to get them 'back together' they take a rafting adventure down the snake river in idaho where one of the women's stories took place.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Secret Lives of the Sushi Club is the story of four friends who get together once a month for sushi and secrets. Alice, the struggling author, writes a book that spills these secrets to the world. Hurt and devastated all four end up on a rafting trip in Idaho. Great summer read.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different from what I expected. Pretty much what's been said in previous reviews. Not sure about the fantasy and terrorist sub-plots but really enjoyed the descriptive beautiful scenery of the Salmon River in Idaho.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a much better book than anticipated. I thought it was going to be a frothy summer read and it turned out to have much more substance than I expected. In addition it was set in Idaho, not far from where I currently live so that was fun too.

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot was interesting enough to keep my attention, but the characters were unconvincing. Despite the fact that they were all drastically different, I heard the author's voice the whole time -I could hear her trying to get inside their heads, but I felt she came up short.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book. I wanted to like the characters and it just did not happen. I found the story to be slow moving and even biting at times. I found myself skimming the last half of the book just so I could finish it.

[Tonni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just walk away.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has some good parts, but too many strange parts to allow me get comfortable while reading it. I never knew what other form of fantasy was going to be thrown in.

[Lisa Joyner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read