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East Is East
Young Japanese seaman Hiro Tanaka, inspired by dreams of the City of Brotherly Love and trained in the ways of the samurai, jumps ship off the coast of Georgia and swims into a net of rabid rednecks, genteel ladies, descendants of slaves, and the denizens of an artists' colony. In the hands of T. Coraghessan Boyle, praised by Digby Diehl in Playboy as "one of the most exciting young fiction writers in America," the result is a sexy, hilarious tragicomedy of thwarted expectations and mistaken identity, love, jealousy, and betrayal.
364 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
71 people are currently reading
1466 people want to read
About the author
T. Coraghessan Boyle
156 books2,999 followersT. Coraghessan Boyle (also known as T.C. Boyle, is a U.S. novelist and short story writer. Since the late 1970s, he has published eighteen novels and twleve collections of short stories. He won the PEN/Faulkner award in 1988 for his third novel, World's End, which recounts 300 years in upstate New York. He is married with three children. Boyle has been a
Professor of English at the University of Southern California since 1978, when he founded the school's undergraduate creative writing program.
He grew up in the small town on the Hudson Valley that he regularly fictionalizes as Peterskill (as in widely anthologized short story Greasy Lake). Boyle changed his middle name when he was 17 and exclusively used Coraghessan for much of his career, but now also goes by T.C. Boyle.
Professor of English at the University of Southern California since 1978, when he founded the school's undergraduate creative writing program.
He grew up in the small town on the Hudson Valley that he regularly fictionalizes as Peterskill (as in widely anthologized short story Greasy Lake). Boyle changed his middle name when he was 17 and exclusively used Coraghessan for much of his career, but now also goes by T.C. Boyle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
May 23, 2012
One thing T.C. Boyle does better than just about anyone else is tackling the Big Ideas™ without looking like he's tackling them. In East Is East Boyle gives us a story that, in summary, appears to be a straightforward genre exercise about a manhunt for a Japanese immigrant on a small island off the coast of Georgia. Of course what Boyle's really dealing with are issues like honor, the fickleness of art (and artists), American and Japanese prejudice, and the corrosive influence of jealousy. And, as with the rest of his work, the story is told in the graceful prose that Boyle does so well. This is something like the 8th book of his I've read, and I've yet to encounter one that isn't remarkable.
March 13, 2025
T.C. Boyle is a writer I have admired for many years. I have read and enjoyed several of his novels and short story collections and I always look forward to reading more of him. East Is East is, at the beginning, a somewhat humorous look at what happens when a 20-year old Japanese seaman jumps ship off the coast of Georgia in hopes of finding acceptance among the many races that abound in America. His name is Hiro and he has been scorned and ridiculed in Japan because he is a half-breed. His father was an American hippie who abandoned him and his mother when he was a baby. Hiro doesn't really know much about America other than what he has learned from TV, movies and pop music but he feels if he can make his way to a large American city such as "The City of Brotherly Love", he'll be able to fit in with the masses. But ultimately, Hiro is in trouble when he first sets foot on Topanga Island off the Georgia coast. He is hungry and alone and when he approaches a poor black resident cooking up some oysters, he doesn't expect to be attacked and the results leave Hiro on the lam from the law and the INS. He does finally find food at the cottage of a woman writer who is in residence at an artists' colony and she takes pity on him. But of course, this doesn't last and Hiro becomes the target of most everyone on the island.
When I first started reading this, I felt it had the feel of a Carl Hiaasen novel, full of humor and characters that deserved to be put in their place. Hiro was a character that you commiserate with and hope that he will be able to live his dreams. Another character, Ruth, the woman who befriends Hiro is also someone to root for. But the novel definitely has a darker side and is a harsh look at how we view outsiders. This story reminded me somewhat of one of my favorite Boyle novels, The Tortilla Curtain, which was also about an oppressed man who is on the run in America because he is from another culture and is misunderstood. Boyle is really a great wordsmith and I'll be looking forward to more.
When I first started reading this, I felt it had the feel of a Carl Hiaasen novel, full of humor and characters that deserved to be put in their place. Hiro was a character that you commiserate with and hope that he will be able to live his dreams. Another character, Ruth, the woman who befriends Hiro is also someone to root for. But the novel definitely has a darker side and is a harsh look at how we view outsiders. This story reminded me somewhat of one of my favorite Boyle novels, The Tortilla Curtain, which was also about an oppressed man who is on the run in America because he is from another culture and is misunderstood. Boyle is really a great wordsmith and I'll be looking forward to more.
January 24, 2008
This is the 4th TC Boyle book I have read and I gotta say, I don't like him. His books start out so great and the writing is beautiful but as a story teller phew. Around the middle of the story you start to have to make yourself finish the book and I have not liked one ending of any of his books. But hey that is just me. This is college core reading, just the kind of thing a lit prof would want you to read, and wish they had written.
September 4, 2009
I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable from the first paragraph to the very last word. It was an easy read and a fun story but still had depth. It's the story of searching for one's identity and place in the world, of prejudice and preconceived notions, of misunderstandings. Hiro Tanaka is born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a white father who abandoned them before he was born. As a half-breed he is never accepted in Japan, so at the age of 20 he decides to get a job as a cook on a ship bound for America, where he has heard they will accept anyone. Unfortunately, things go badly and he ends up jumping ship off the coast of Georgia, finally coming to shore on swampy, confusing Tupelo Island. Meanwhile, Ruth Dershowitz is an aspiring author at an artist's colony on the island struggling to make her mark on the world. Their paths intertwine. I really enjoyed the way the story was told from the points of view of different characters--from the main characters to minor characters to very minor characters--which helped explain all of the misunderstandings and how even though everyone has good intentions, bad situations can still occur. A great story. I'd love to read more by this author.
November 10, 2014
Great T.C. Boyle style. Interesting characters. Satire and humor with pathos for the underdog.
Young mixed-blood Japanese seaman jumps ship off the Georgia coast and comes ashore on a swampy island inhabited by red-necks, negroes, and an elite creative artist and writers retreat. Hilarious and sad events involve his efforts to stay alive in the swamp, to get off the island. The contrasting cultures of Japan and the American south are on a collision course.
Young mixed-blood Japanese seaman jumps ship off the Georgia coast and comes ashore on a swampy island inhabited by red-necks, negroes, and an elite creative artist and writers retreat. Hilarious and sad events involve his efforts to stay alive in the swamp, to get off the island. The contrasting cultures of Japan and the American south are on a collision course.
January 21, 2016
I'm giving this book 3 stars, though I guess it would be closer to 3.5 stars if I could do that. Boyle is an amazing writer, with perfect analogies and atmospheric environmental descriptions, and the plot was generally exciting and well thought-out. But the book could have been shorter by cutting out some unnecessarily slow pacing and repetition. I liked it, I really did, but it just didn't hook me enough for me to round it up to 4 stars.
And now onto my general thoughts and ramblings while reading this book:
TC Boyle is really intriguing to me in that as far as I've seen, he always chooses a protagonist quite different than himself, usually a minority or some other disadvantaged or marginalized group. I sort of wonder how accurately he can really get into the worldview of an illegal immigrant, a deaf woman (not this book, I'm thinking of Talk Talk), or a Japanese "halfbreed" never able to find a place where he can fit in (this book's hero, Hiro).
And this book sort of raises this question too with Ruth, a struggling writer after the fame and recognition of her contemporaries with her in the artist commune, who secretly helps Hiro hide from the INS, both out of sympathy and because he helps her write her story about a Japanese woman. It's pretty clear that she can only think of Hiro within his connection to her own life, and that both Hiro and Ruth's weird story really suffer as a result. I can't imagine that Boyle didn't see the parallels between himself and Ruth, in that both attempt to speak from the perspective of someone so separate from their own reality.
Whether TC Boyle was successful or not in his portrayal of what it's like to be a mixed race person in a racist society is for someone else to say. But I will say it seems to me that he puts in a lot of effort getting into the head of all his protagonists. After reading Hiro's POV chapters I totally understand why he did what he did in the end, and I too pretty much hated all Americans, including myself, while reading his chapters. At the same time, though, I think it takes a little more than throwing in a lot of Japanese words and talking in great detail about food to create a fully formed character, and Hiro didn't quite make the cut.
Ruth was particularly interesting to me because I detested her but had spent so much time in her head that I understood her. By the end I also passionately hated Jane Shine, even though I knew Ruth was just petty and self-absorbed. I think it takes a lot of skill to get me to relate so much to such an annoying character to the point that I even start hating myself. Boyle seemed to convey Ruth's character with a lot more nuance than he does Hiro's. Maybe that was the point though, in naming him Hiro.
And now onto my general thoughts and ramblings while reading this book:
TC Boyle is really intriguing to me in that as far as I've seen, he always chooses a protagonist quite different than himself, usually a minority or some other disadvantaged or marginalized group. I sort of wonder how accurately he can really get into the worldview of an illegal immigrant, a deaf woman (not this book, I'm thinking of Talk Talk), or a Japanese "halfbreed" never able to find a place where he can fit in (this book's hero, Hiro).
And this book sort of raises this question too with Ruth, a struggling writer after the fame and recognition of her contemporaries with her in the artist commune, who secretly helps Hiro hide from the INS, both out of sympathy and because he helps her write her story about a Japanese woman. It's pretty clear that she can only think of Hiro within his connection to her own life, and that both Hiro and Ruth's weird story really suffer as a result. I can't imagine that Boyle didn't see the parallels between himself and Ruth, in that both attempt to speak from the perspective of someone so separate from their own reality.
Whether TC Boyle was successful or not in his portrayal of what it's like to be a mixed race person in a racist society is for someone else to say. But I will say it seems to me that he puts in a lot of effort getting into the head of all his protagonists. After reading Hiro's POV chapters I totally understand why he did what he did in the end, and I too pretty much hated all Americans, including myself, while reading his chapters. At the same time, though, I think it takes a little more than throwing in a lot of Japanese words and talking in great detail about food to create a fully formed character, and Hiro didn't quite make the cut.
Ruth was particularly interesting to me because I detested her but had spent so much time in her head that I understood her. By the end I also passionately hated Jane Shine, even though I knew Ruth was just petty and self-absorbed. I think it takes a lot of skill to get me to relate so much to such an annoying character to the point that I even start hating myself. Boyle seemed to convey Ruth's character with a lot more nuance than he does Hiro's. Maybe that was the point though, in naming him Hiro.
November 24, 2021
סיימתי את הספר בקושי רב. ספר נכתב בשנות ה-90 , טרגיקומדיה יותר טרגי לדעתי, על אי סבלנות כלפי האחר ושנאת זרים . הנושא חשוב אבל .. ספר משעמם , מרובה בדמויות . כן עיניין אותי ״ אז מה יהיה בסוף״ אבל לא מעט פעמים רציתי לפרוש או לעבור ישר לסוף וזהו.
December 21, 2020
Sofern ich die Sache richtig einschätze ist dieser Roman damals bei der Kritik nicht besonders angekommen und inzwischen mehr oder weniger vergessen. Nachvollziehen kann ich das nicht. Sicher, „Der Samurai von Savannah“ ist ganz bestimmt nicht T.C. Boyles bester Roman, und auch nicht der komplexeste oder gar der tiefgründigste. Möglicherweise aber der lustigste! Ich habe jedenfalls schon lange nicht mehr beim Lesen eines Buches so oft und so laut gelacht, und das kann ja schon mal kein schlechtes Zeichen sein.
Wenn man den Roman nicht mag könnte man ihm vorwerfen dass hier alles gnadenlos überzeichnet sei, die meisten Charaktere lediglich Karikaturen und die Handlung in vielen Punkten wenig wahrscheinlich. Stimmt alles, macht aber überhaupt nichts, da das ganze Buch von Anfang an klar erkennbar als grelle Satire angelegt ist, eine entsprechende Verfilmung durch die Coen-Brüder hätte sich eigentlich geradezu aufgedrängt.
Wer also große Literatur will sollte lieber zu einem anderen Buch Boyles greifen, „World's End“ böte sich hier an, wem aber der Sinn nach einem vollkommen überdrehten, dabei aber trotzdem ausgesprochen intelligenten, außerordentlich unterhaltsamen, extrem witzigen, selbstverständlich großartig geschriebenen (und übersetzten) Roman steht mit dem man einfach perfekt abschalten kann, sollte unbedingt mal einen Versuch mit „East is East“ wagen!
Wenn man den Roman nicht mag könnte man ihm vorwerfen dass hier alles gnadenlos überzeichnet sei, die meisten Charaktere lediglich Karikaturen und die Handlung in vielen Punkten wenig wahrscheinlich. Stimmt alles, macht aber überhaupt nichts, da das ganze Buch von Anfang an klar erkennbar als grelle Satire angelegt ist, eine entsprechende Verfilmung durch die Coen-Brüder hätte sich eigentlich geradezu aufgedrängt.
Wer also große Literatur will sollte lieber zu einem anderen Buch Boyles greifen, „World's End“ böte sich hier an, wem aber der Sinn nach einem vollkommen überdrehten, dabei aber trotzdem ausgesprochen intelligenten, außerordentlich unterhaltsamen, extrem witzigen, selbstverständlich großartig geschriebenen (und übersetzten) Roman steht mit dem man einfach perfekt abschalten kann, sollte unbedingt mal einen Versuch mit „East is East“ wagen!
August 30, 2021
This was very much like Totilla Curtain—the undocumented alien a fugative in an unwelcoming, hostile, unforgiving foreign land. The charactonymous Hiro Tanaka driven by the samuri code meets the equally aptly named Ruth Dershowitz, venal, amoral, manipulative and self-delusional, both pursuing their idea of the American Dream in the great American swamp.
March 1, 2017
This was a very interesting read with T.C Boyle's usual raw imagery and quirky story line. Although I wasn't drawn into it immediately, there came a point where I suddenly couldn't put it down. A gripping multicultural story about travel and identity.
September 29, 2021
T.C. Boyle usually has quite the way with words and analogies, his writing is almost flawless. While I LOVED the many other books he has written, this one fell a bit short. I guess I would have liked it to be a bit more fast paced and less detailed about characters who didn't really matter.
September 28, 2016
Read this long long ago and the memory is dimming. Another T.C/. Boyle with lovely lovely writing and his typically 90 degree off normal slant on things.
February 5, 2017
Quizá es el más flojo de Boyle pero es un 5 estrellas IGUAL porque es un Boyle y cualquier Boyle es siempre GENIAL.
October 4, 2021
El segundo que leo de este autor y cada vez me gusta más. Es como descubrir de nuevo a John Irving pero con más mala leche y un sentido del humor más negro.
«Mientras vivimos, la muerte es irrelevante; cuando estamos muertos, no existimos. No hay razón para temer a la muerte».
«Mientras vivimos, la muerte es irrelevante; cuando estamos muertos, no existimos. No hay razón para temer a la muerte».
June 22, 2020
Read this for the first time 30 years ago. Not Boyle’s best but still very inventive and entertaining.
December 24, 2011
(this is volume two of a strange coincidental random three-book tour of the waterlands of the SE United States, starting with the beaches of South Carolina [in the execrably maudlin goo-fest that is David Baldacci's "One Summer"], then traveling further south to the islands (and the vast Okefenokee Swamp) girding Savannah, Georgia [in this book, "East is East"], and finally landing in South Florida around the 10,000 Islands/Lake Okeechobee swamplands [in {duh} Swamplandia!, wonderfully whimsical])
*sigh* As I was trying to come up with a even-handed review for "East Is East" (one of TC Boyle's earlier works which I put off reading just because I hated the goofy cover), a review that wouldn't come off as biased, I found I just can't do it. I'm a TC Boyle fan. For every negative comment against Boyle's writing (no matter how accurate), I'd probably counter the supposition with "yeah, maybe; but I'd rather read Boyle at his worst than most at their best". I totally acknowledge many of his books (despite their wildly varied subject material) adhere to a cookie-cutter formula with clearly defined good guys and bad guys, and more often than not, a political stance all-but-neon'ed upon Boyle's sleeve. Doesn't matter if it's a topic I've no interest in, or a political opinion that runs counter to mine: I just like the guy's writing.
So, back to "East Is East": a curious amalgam of two of Boyle's later novels ("The Tortilla Curtain", about illegal immigration to the US and its direct effect in Southern California; and "When the Killing's Done", about biodiversity in the Channel Islands off Santa Barbara). It doesn't particularly bother me that many of his novels resemble others...in fact, if anything, it serves to cement my respect for him, that although some are quite similar in tone and structure, Doyle consistently throws curveballs that rarely fail to find their target.
Our protagonist in this one, Hiro (get it?), a half-Japanese/half-gaijin (American) who'd experienced daily ostracism an prejudice from his fellow Japanese for appearing "too Western" (aquiline nose and hulking appearance), decides to get work on a commercial ocean freighter hauling goods from Asia to Savannah, GA, gets in a fight with the ship's head cook for screwing up the preparation of some traditional Japanese soup, gets thrown in the brig, escapes and jumps ship, swims/floats to Tupelo Island, GA, and thus starts a brand new odyssey of degradation and discrimination, far far worse than that which he suffered in Japan. He gets the Tupelo islanders (an odd mix of Gullah blacks, stereotypical redneck Southerners, and moneyed elite) all up in arms over some of his actions after landing on the island, eliciting the arrival of two of the most inept Nerf-brains ever put on government payroll, under the auspices of the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service...now referred to post-Homeland Security as ICE). When a starving, bedraggled, manhunted Hiro stumbles upon an art colony on the island, where he's harbored as a fugitive by girlfriend of the son of the owner of this colony. Hijinks ensue, leading the action off the island and into the mainrand's (sp) Okefenokee Swamp.
Despite the rather bleak subject matter, this was one of Boyle's funniest novels. Predictably, though, much of the comedy stems from pratfalls of the two bumbling turds representing the INS. It's these over-the-top buffoons (one a Vietnam Vet, the other a lazy racist with a penchant for slinging around the Asian N-word epithet in describing our "slant-eyed" AADAA (INS-ese for Armed and Dangerous Alien Amok). Stereotypes are held under the microscope in such fine resolution that they're almost too painful to read, as abrasive as the swamp sawgrass abrading (or leeches perforating) Hiro's fair skin.
But don't blame me for this four-star review; in the spirit of full disclosure: I done tole you I wuz a Boyle junkee. If you get hooked, tha's on you, not me, man.
*sigh* As I was trying to come up with a even-handed review for "East Is East" (one of TC Boyle's earlier works which I put off reading just because I hated the goofy cover), a review that wouldn't come off as biased, I found I just can't do it. I'm a TC Boyle fan. For every negative comment against Boyle's writing (no matter how accurate), I'd probably counter the supposition with "yeah, maybe; but I'd rather read Boyle at his worst than most at their best". I totally acknowledge many of his books (despite their wildly varied subject material) adhere to a cookie-cutter formula with clearly defined good guys and bad guys, and more often than not, a political stance all-but-neon'ed upon Boyle's sleeve. Doesn't matter if it's a topic I've no interest in, or a political opinion that runs counter to mine: I just like the guy's writing.
So, back to "East Is East": a curious amalgam of two of Boyle's later novels ("The Tortilla Curtain", about illegal immigration to the US and its direct effect in Southern California; and "When the Killing's Done", about biodiversity in the Channel Islands off Santa Barbara). It doesn't particularly bother me that many of his novels resemble others...in fact, if anything, it serves to cement my respect for him, that although some are quite similar in tone and structure, Doyle consistently throws curveballs that rarely fail to find their target.
Our protagonist in this one, Hiro (get it?), a half-Japanese/half-gaijin (American) who'd experienced daily ostracism an prejudice from his fellow Japanese for appearing "too Western" (aquiline nose and hulking appearance), decides to get work on a commercial ocean freighter hauling goods from Asia to Savannah, GA, gets in a fight with the ship's head cook for screwing up the preparation of some traditional Japanese soup, gets thrown in the brig, escapes and jumps ship, swims/floats to Tupelo Island, GA, and thus starts a brand new odyssey of degradation and discrimination, far far worse than that which he suffered in Japan. He gets the Tupelo islanders (an odd mix of Gullah blacks, stereotypical redneck Southerners, and moneyed elite) all up in arms over some of his actions after landing on the island, eliciting the arrival of two of the most inept Nerf-brains ever put on government payroll, under the auspices of the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service...now referred to post-Homeland Security as ICE). When a starving, bedraggled, manhunted Hiro stumbles upon an art colony on the island, where he's harbored as a fugitive by girlfriend of the son of the owner of this colony. Hijinks ensue, leading the action off the island and into the mainrand's (sp) Okefenokee Swamp.
Despite the rather bleak subject matter, this was one of Boyle's funniest novels. Predictably, though, much of the comedy stems from pratfalls of the two bumbling turds representing the INS. It's these over-the-top buffoons (one a Vietnam Vet, the other a lazy racist with a penchant for slinging around the Asian N-word epithet in describing our "slant-eyed" AADAA (INS-ese for Armed and Dangerous Alien Amok). Stereotypes are held under the microscope in such fine resolution that they're almost too painful to read, as abrasive as the swamp sawgrass abrading (or leeches perforating) Hiro's fair skin.
But don't blame me for this four-star review; in the spirit of full disclosure: I done tole you I wuz a Boyle junkee. If you get hooked, tha's on you, not me, man.
May 7, 2019
This was my choice for my family book club read and boy was I disappointed. I really like the other books I've read by TC Boyle so I specifically chose one of his. I guess it shows that this is one of his earlier works; he comes off as a little arrogant. The mother who is (only) celebrating her 71st birthday is described as so old to be almost on her death bed; none of the characters are likable, there is a lot of cultural stereotyping going on, it's not clear to whom this story actually belongs, it's not funny and not a lot happens. Added to this, the Japanese character is left locked first in a sort-of jail cell and then in a sweltering hot car trunk for about 24 hours without a. dying and b. having to pee. Some of the other book club members found it more enjoyable than I did which made me feel less guilty about making them read it.
February 28, 2017
I read this book because Stepehn King mentioned it in his biography. He described life in the Thanatopsis artist colony and that made me want to read the whole story. The story was interesting enough to finish it in a few days and I liked the way Boyle used japanese words in Hiros chapters. But Ruth Dershowitz... she was annoying. The woman lives in a perfect world for every writer an all she's concerned about is her social status and her looks. Interesting because you learn about japanese culture but in the end, not my piece of cake.
September 22, 2018
This is the first TC Boyle book that I have read. Boyle can write beautifully and he has a great sense of the quirks of personality in his characters. This book has depth beyond the words and humor. The racism that has again raised its ugly head here in the US is reflected in this book and the illegal immigrant subject is of our daily headlines. Quirky book, good plot line and great writing.
March 15, 2025
My first T.C. Boyle and I quite liked it. Lots of description. Made me feel I was there. Made me love his use of language. Some parts made me angry. But I’m glad he kept it all real. No sugarcoating anything.
Worth a read
Worth a read
October 18, 2007
the colorful characters and almost outlandish premise would make for an entertaining screenplay!
March 22, 2017
Keystone Kops meet Heart of Darkness.
December 5, 2017
B. Interesting and entertaining story, although I did not care for the conclusion.
Read
January 23, 2025East Is East presents itself in typical Boyle fashion, with his trademark structural style and the wit that I have come to appreciate so much from him.
It’s about Hiro, a Japanese sailor, who jumps overboard during a fight with his shipmates and strands on a small island on the coast of Georgia in the middle of an artist’s colony, where he is on the run from the police and struggles for survival in a hostile territory where seemingly everyone wants him dead - including every reptile and insect that lives in the nearby swamps.
I liked it for the aforementioned things that I like every Boyle for. His writing is exquisite, quite addictive and keeps me turning the pages with fascination, what will happen next. I would describe it as higher literature than what I typically read. But it never feels intellectually superior or self-important. Just smart and always a little sneeky.
At the same time I must admit I wasn’t fully taken in by East Is East. Boyle’s characters are always a bit on the unsympathetic side of things. Self-absorbed, not very empathetic, never fully bad people, but also not the type that I would choose to hang out with. Many of them are manipulative destructive. It’s part of his view on people, his commentary on society. It’s also part of what I like about his books. Only this time there was a certain edge missing that made me love to dislike his characters the way I loved to dislike Depeyester Van Wart in World’s End. Which is the reason why the continuous misery, that he inflicts upon our hero Hiro (no pun intended) is a little bit one-sided this time around, because Ruth (one of the artists living in the colony who is hiding Hiro from the law enforcement) is not interesting enough (just a selfish and jealous brat) to justify the amount of time we spend with her and not evil enough to let me feel a whole lot of fascination for what she is up to and what reason she has for putting Hiro through his troubles instead of helping him get off the island.
It was a fast read. I didn’t dislike it. I was actually rather enjoyed by it. But didn’t feel quite as wholesome as some of the other stuff I read of his. And the narrative’s glee in watching our characters get tortured fell a bit flat this time around.
Boyle #07
It’s about Hiro, a Japanese sailor, who jumps overboard during a fight with his shipmates and strands on a small island on the coast of Georgia in the middle of an artist’s colony, where he is on the run from the police and struggles for survival in a hostile territory where seemingly everyone wants him dead - including every reptile and insect that lives in the nearby swamps.
I liked it for the aforementioned things that I like every Boyle for. His writing is exquisite, quite addictive and keeps me turning the pages with fascination, what will happen next. I would describe it as higher literature than what I typically read. But it never feels intellectually superior or self-important. Just smart and always a little sneeky.
At the same time I must admit I wasn’t fully taken in by East Is East. Boyle’s characters are always a bit on the unsympathetic side of things. Self-absorbed, not very empathetic, never fully bad people, but also not the type that I would choose to hang out with. Many of them are manipulative destructive. It’s part of his view on people, his commentary on society. It’s also part of what I like about his books. Only this time there was a certain edge missing that made me love to dislike his characters the way I loved to dislike Depeyester Van Wart in World’s End. Which is the reason why the continuous misery, that he inflicts upon our hero Hiro (no pun intended) is a little bit one-sided this time around, because Ruth (one of the artists living in the colony who is hiding Hiro from the law enforcement) is not interesting enough (just a selfish and jealous brat) to justify the amount of time we spend with her and not evil enough to let me feel a whole lot of fascination for what she is up to and what reason she has for putting Hiro through his troubles instead of helping him get off the island.
It was a fast read. I didn’t dislike it. I was actually rather enjoyed by it. But didn’t feel quite as wholesome as some of the other stuff I read of his. And the narrative’s glee in watching our characters get tortured fell a bit flat this time around.
Boyle #07
June 23, 2020
Hiro is a young seaman, half Japanese and half American, who dives overboard near the coast of a Georgia island. A tony writer’s retreat on the island becomes his safe haven for a while, as Ruth Dershowitz surreptitiously shares her lunch with him, brings him clothes, and helps him hide from the authorities. Ruth is not the same caliber of writer as some of her housemates, but she is the girlfriend of the owner’s son, Saxby. This novel is primarily Ruth’s story, and T.C. Boyle does not disappoint. We see Ruth’s rise and fall in the pecking order of the colony, as we follow Hiro’s struggle to survive in an environment that is basically an inhabited jungle. Boyle never shies away from controversial topics, and here the theme of bigotry is what makes Hiro’s story so poignant. He was bullied in Japan for being only half-Japanese, and in the U.S., he is branded as a “Nip” and hunted by the authorities like an animal, without having committed a serious crime. He ricochets from one bad situation to another throughout the book, relying on his wits and his will to keep him one step ahead of the INS, represented by one man who is overly concerned about his reputation and another who is an incompetent fool. Hiro is the hero, and Ruth is the damsel who tries to save him, even as she is repeatedly thwarted by her own mistakes and hubris. The pace of this novel never lets up, especially while Hiro is on the run. When he’s not, Ruth and Saxby dominate the storyline, and they are just as captivating.
February 7, 2024
Während eines Sturms geht ein japanischer Matrose von seinem Schiff über Bord. Er hat Glück: er wird am Strand einer Insel vor der amerikanischen Küste angeschwemmt. Aber sein Glück ist schnell vorbei, denn bei der Mischung aus verrückten Künstlern, biederen Amerikanern und schwarzen Hungerleidern kommt es jeder Begegnung zu dramatischen Missverständnissen.
Es war kein Zufall, dass der junge Mann über Bord gegangen ist. Er ist auf der Suche nach seinem Vater, von dem er nicht viel mehr weiß, als dass er ein Amerikaner ist und der Name der Stadt, aus der er gekommen ist. Seine Flucht hat er zwar vorbereitet, aber alle Vorbereitung nutzt nichts, denn die Menschen begegnen ihm von Anfang an misstrauisch und mit falschen Vorstellungen. Schon im Meer wird er von der Crew einer vorbeifahrenden Yacht nicht gerettet, weil sie ihn für einen Verrückten hielten. Der erste Mensch, dem er begegnet, hält ihn für einen Einbrecher und Dieb und dieses Vorurteil wird er nie los. Man macht Jagd auf ihn, meistens ohne genau zu wissen, was wirklich passiert ist.
Auch wenn es auf den ersten Blick wie eine herrlich ironisch erzählte Geschichte wirkt (und das teilweise auch ist), hat die Art, wie mit dem jungen Japaner umgegangen wird, trotzdem nichts Komisches. Die Wenigsten machen sich die Mühe, ihn wirklich zu verstehen oder ihm zu helfen. Die wenige Hilfe, die er bekommt, bekommt er aus eigennützigen Motiven. Aber die Art, wie er seiner Umgebung einen Spiegel vorhält, ist die perfekte Vergeltung.
Es war kein Zufall, dass der junge Mann über Bord gegangen ist. Er ist auf der Suche nach seinem Vater, von dem er nicht viel mehr weiß, als dass er ein Amerikaner ist und der Name der Stadt, aus der er gekommen ist. Seine Flucht hat er zwar vorbereitet, aber alle Vorbereitung nutzt nichts, denn die Menschen begegnen ihm von Anfang an misstrauisch und mit falschen Vorstellungen. Schon im Meer wird er von der Crew einer vorbeifahrenden Yacht nicht gerettet, weil sie ihn für einen Verrückten hielten. Der erste Mensch, dem er begegnet, hält ihn für einen Einbrecher und Dieb und dieses Vorurteil wird er nie los. Man macht Jagd auf ihn, meistens ohne genau zu wissen, was wirklich passiert ist.
Auch wenn es auf den ersten Blick wie eine herrlich ironisch erzählte Geschichte wirkt (und das teilweise auch ist), hat die Art, wie mit dem jungen Japaner umgegangen wird, trotzdem nichts Komisches. Die Wenigsten machen sich die Mühe, ihn wirklich zu verstehen oder ihm zu helfen. Die wenige Hilfe, die er bekommt, bekommt er aus eigennützigen Motiven. Aber die Art, wie er seiner Umgebung einen Spiegel vorhält, ist die perfekte Vergeltung.
October 20, 2025
Saw that the German version is called “The Samurai from Savannah”- there’s no reason the English version couldn’t have had that same much cooler title.
The story of Hiro, the actual “Savannah Samurai” gets pretty short shrift when compared to the story of a wannabe writer at an artists colony whose POV chapters probably take up 60-70% of the book (the rest are split between Hiro, her BF, a random INS agent and his sidekick and a few one-offs).
And I get that people are supposed to write what they know (or something?)…but man is she the least interesting of all the characters. So we get a story where the main action is about this wild ass guy on the lam and the focus is instead on artists interacting in a sort of Victorian salon and scoring weird political points against each other. Why we, or the characters, even care that much is sort of…not well defined. But that’s obviously what the author really wants to write about.
It seems like maybe the author started out with the catalyzing idea of a Japanese guy trying to sneak his way into America and hiding out from the authorities, but then realized what he actually could sink his teeth into was how literary personalities interact. Which is fine- it just makes the book a bit wonky. I feel like you could totally eliminate Hiro from the story about the artist colony rat race and it would change that story barely at all.
The story of Hiro, the actual “Savannah Samurai” gets pretty short shrift when compared to the story of a wannabe writer at an artists colony whose POV chapters probably take up 60-70% of the book (the rest are split between Hiro, her BF, a random INS agent and his sidekick and a few one-offs).
And I get that people are supposed to write what they know (or something?)…but man is she the least interesting of all the characters. So we get a story where the main action is about this wild ass guy on the lam and the focus is instead on artists interacting in a sort of Victorian salon and scoring weird political points against each other. Why we, or the characters, even care that much is sort of…not well defined. But that’s obviously what the author really wants to write about.
It seems like maybe the author started out with the catalyzing idea of a Japanese guy trying to sneak his way into America and hiding out from the authorities, but then realized what he actually could sink his teeth into was how literary personalities interact. Which is fine- it just makes the book a bit wonky. I feel like you could totally eliminate Hiro from the story about the artist colony rat race and it would change that story barely at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2021
I picked this up, having read T.C. Boyle's Water Music years ago & remember quite enjoying it. This narrative was also fairly engaging & entertaining, however, there was an undercurrent of trying to be edgy, controversial or anti-politically correct that turned me off. With a title East is East, one might expect some cultural discussions or revelations. I am not woke or totally PC, however, the use of racial slurs in this book was off putting. There was some juxtaposition of racial slurs of American's towards Asians, and the lead character, Hiro, as I thought about it trying to read in what the author's purpose in using the slurs was, also used slurs to describe Americans. Perhaps cultural sensitivity has shifted since this was published in 1990 to make these derogatory words less accepted now; I struggled with their use here & not sure if I think they were necessary or somehow illustrated a point the author was trying to make. It came off more like T.C. Boyle trying to channel his inner Mark Twain & failing. If I can set the uncomfortable components aside, the story was interesting & the writing decent, but I have trouble giving a pass to this hakujin.
January 16, 2022
This one is right up there with World’s End and Water Music as being one of my favorite Boyle novels. Ruth Dershowitz, Saxby Lights, and the rest of the Thanatopsis House assembly are some of the most relatable and vividly rendered of all Boyle’s characters. The main locations—Tupelo Island and the Okefenokee Swamp, are fun, adventuresome, and downright repulsive set pieces.
That said, I do wish the novel had ended differently. Hiro’s suicide closes the door on any kind of redemptive, rags-to-riches (or, at least, middle-class stability) ending for Hiro, which is desperately hoped for by the reader.
Also, Ruth’s decision to sell-out to the artists’ colony, betray Hiro, and turn Hiro’s journey of torture into a lucrative journalism deal is a bit of a letdown. In the end, Ruth is nothing more than the same kind of self-serving, solipsistic, conniving faker that she judges the other writers for being. I had hoped the novel would reveal her to be, in the end, a bit more.
Still, all in all, an engaging, satirical, evocatively written novel!
That said, I do wish the novel had ended differently. Hiro’s suicide closes the door on any kind of redemptive, rags-to-riches (or, at least, middle-class stability) ending for Hiro, which is desperately hoped for by the reader.
Also, Ruth’s decision to sell-out to the artists’ colony, betray Hiro, and turn Hiro’s journey of torture into a lucrative journalism deal is a bit of a letdown. In the end, Ruth is nothing more than the same kind of self-serving, solipsistic, conniving faker that she judges the other writers for being. I had hoped the novel would reveal her to be, in the end, a bit more.
Still, all in all, an engaging, satirical, evocatively written novel!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2022
This is one wild ride of a book. Haven't read any Boyle in a while and this certainly filled my brain. What a mind he has, so full of words and images.
I did find that the tale of Hiro Tanaka inspiring. Not the right word. Unbelievable? But I guess that I find the rest of the cast unbelievable, too. Hiro who gets through the worst sorts of jams (physical/mental/legal) guided by his spirit samurai, is "taken in" to the Thanatopsis (hooray for death!) artists' colony by Ruth Dershowitz, would-be novelist. Her lover, Saxby Lights, is also ensnared although his heart belongs to pygmy fish he hopes to breed.
Sometimes it all felt like "hot air and horseshit" and then the temps would change.
Maybe the Georgia swamps are the key characters here!
The novel is just over full of wonderful, awful characters. It really is.
So get in the boat and head on out to Billy's Island. You'll learn a lot in the process.
I did find that the tale of Hiro Tanaka inspiring. Not the right word. Unbelievable? But I guess that I find the rest of the cast unbelievable, too. Hiro who gets through the worst sorts of jams (physical/mental/legal) guided by his spirit samurai, is "taken in" to the Thanatopsis (hooray for death!) artists' colony by Ruth Dershowitz, would-be novelist. Her lover, Saxby Lights, is also ensnared although his heart belongs to pygmy fish he hopes to breed.
Sometimes it all felt like "hot air and horseshit" and then the temps would change.
Maybe the Georgia swamps are the key characters here!
The novel is just over full of wonderful, awful characters. It really is.
So get in the boat and head on out to Billy's Island. You'll learn a lot in the process.
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