Floating City

by Kerri Sakamoto

Citizen Kane reimagined, a novel about ambition and the relentless desire to belong, from the author of the Commonwealth Prize-winning and Governor General's Literary Award-nominated The Electrical Field .

Frankie Hanesaka isn't afraid of a little hard work. An industrious boy, if haunted by the mysterious figures of his mother's past in Japan, he grows up in a floating house in the harbour of Port Alberni, BC. With all the Japanese bachelors passing through town to work in the logging camps and lumber mills, maybe he could build a hotel on the water, too. Make a few dollars. But then the war comes, and Frankie finds himself in a mountain internment camp, his small dreams of success dashed by the great tides of history.

After the war, Frankie tries his luck in Toronto, where possibility awaits in the form of a patron who teaches him how to turn effort into money, and a starry-eyed architect who teaches Frankie something harder to come by: the ability to dream big. Buckminster Fuller's role as Frankie's outsized spiritual mentor is one of just many real-life touchstones and extraordinary points of colour in this fairytale-like story about family, ambition and the costs of turning our backs on history and home.

Genres: Canada, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published April 17, 2018

Reviews

[Lata · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure what to say about this book. My last Kerri Sakamoto book, The Electrical Field, left me confused and I cannot say that I enjoyed reading it. I thought I'd give this author another chance, so....My reaction to this book is not so negative, but I kept finding myself gritting my teeth at the writing style, which I found choppy and abrupt. I was also thrown by Frankie's conversations with Bucky throughout the story as that left me wondering whether this book was fiction or magic realism. Anyway, I liked the cover a lot.

[Brooke — brooklynnnnereads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. This book was not a book for me. I would say this novel is for a specific reader to enjoy. What kind of reader? Well, I don't even have an answer for that one. It's hard for me to even pinpoint a genre for this novel. It came across as one part historical fiction, one part literary fiction, and potentially even one part magical realism. If that sounds like your cup of tea, maybe give it a shot.

Overall, I found the story and the writing kind of bland; however, that's a personal opinion. Some people enjoy stories that have a slow pacing and I must say that this novel felt a lot longer than the 272 page count.

I do have to admit that this was a story that had me reflecting on history while also questioning the sustainability of the future. I think that point alone makes it somewhat of an important novel but I know I will not remember this story for the longterm.

***I received this ARC from a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you to Goodreads and the publisher for hosting this giveaway***

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. So often, books about immigrants pursuing the 'American Dream' and becoming a 'Master of Industry' feature white men; this is the first time I can think of that I've seen the story told with a Japanese-Canadian man. Floating City is about a man driven by ambition, often to the detriment of his loved ones, and like many ambitious heroes, Frankie Hanesaka ends up sacrificing a lot to achieve his dreams. There's something Gatsby-esque about Frankie -- he's a charismatic, brilliant man who appears successful on so many levels, yet there's a melancholy emptiness that just won't go away.

There's also a lot that's specifically Japanese-Canadian about Frankie's character -- I love the tension between his ambitions to take over Toronto real estate and the ever-looming significance of the number four in his life. In Japanese writing, similar to Chinese writing, the symbol for four is also the symbol for death, so the number four is seen as particularly unlucky. There's a moment where he completes his masterpiece building, and his contractor is thrilled to have gotten two extra steps in, but the triumph is marred by the realization that the number of steps has now become divisible by four. I can imagine my Chinese grandmother reacting similar to how Frankie's mother did, and I loved the realism of this moment.

I thought Sakamoto did a good job depicting the fear and racism that Frankie and his family went through around the time of WWII -- particularly powerful was a moment where a Chinese-Canadian neighbour and friend illustrated a poster about the difference between "honest" Chinese-Canadians like himself and "sneaky Japs" like one of his Japanese-Canadian neighbours. It's definitely an unjust and racist action, but I can sympathize as well with the Chinese-Canadian man's desire to protect himself and his family from the hatred Japanese-Canadians were facing.

I also liked how Frankie Hanesaka felt the need to rename himself "Frank Hanes" to do business. I thought it was a realistic portrayal of how persons of colour often feel the need to assimilate to survive. Sakamoto wrote about an incident where a man refused to do business with Frankie, but quickly agreed to the deal when it was presented by someone who wasn't Japanese-Canadian.

Sakamoto also does a great job in drawing parallels between discrimination and injustice faced by different communities, particularly with the characters of Uri Slonemsky and his wife Hannah, who took Frankie under their wing because, as Jews, they could understand the discrimination Japanese-Canadians experienced. I found this passage particularly powerful: "No one else would hire the Japanese. Only the Jews extended a helping hand, having received so few themselves." (p. 78)

Overall, a compelling story, beautifully told.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did enjoy the beginning of the book, which gives a glimpse into the immigrant experience. If you are looking for a historical fiction novel, this is not the book for you. The time spent in the internment camp is less than twenty pages and the book spans decades with little detail. The book moves quickly from one setting to another and you don't become emotionally involved in the characters, or the setting.

[to’ar · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5/5
Read for a class. Enjoyed the first half of the book. Would’ve been a 4/5 if the second half wasn’t meh… in retrospect I would’ve rated the author’s other book (Electrical Field) higher. I’m not a fan of the writing in this book as well. Many times I really thought I wasn’t focusing hard enough to understand the course of events. More on the essay I have to submit in 5 hours 🤠🫠

[Catharine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is marvellous: sweet, sad and magical, full of beautiful and heartbreaking nuance. Your imagination will soar, but there are just enough real-world touchpoints (people, places, events) to make it all seem possible and true. My mind keeps returning to Floating City's fascinating characters and intricate spaces.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

zzzZzZZZZzZZZZZZzZZzzZZZzZzz

Why did it take me so long to get through this book? I was reading it for a month and a half. I never felt like I could place myself in the world that Sakamoto was creating. I know Toronto a bit, and I was missing some key place markers that would allow me to fit in this newer, changed city. I also discovered that this was semi-based (as based as you can get when getting a little magical) on a real person at the end of the book (outside the narrative, printed as its own paragraph like just before the end credits run in a movie). Probably just a personal thing, but I would have loved that endnote to be transformed into a preface.

For me, it was ok. I just sort of floated through The Floating City, so I hope you other readers are able to find some exciting rapids within its pages.

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half of the book: an easy four stars. Second half: around two.
I really loved the beginning of this. I was so invested in the lives of Frankie and his family, and my heart ached for all their hardships. I was really rooting for things to finally start looking up after he moved west!
But once Frankie came to the big city, I started losing interest - it was a real effort to finish the book, which I'm still pretty sad about. It was lovely and whimsical, but I'm a wimpy reader and hate it when characters start making bad decisions. And there were so many bad decisions!
Also, I'm still betrayed by Frankie's relationship. She just disappears and is never mentioned again - why not go after her??

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Floating City is a standalone, historical fiction written by Kerri Sakamoto. It is a semi-bildungsroman story of a Japanese-Canadian named Frankie Hanesaka and his journey from Port Alberni, British Columbia to Toronto, Ontario. It has been short-listed for the 2018 Toronto Book Awards.

Frankie Hanesaka is a boy in rural British Columbia who grows up to be a mover-and-shaker cluttering the Torontonian lakeshore with apartment blocks and towers. His family grew up in poverty and racism and Frankie Hanesaka grew up learning to hustle and appreciating the power of money. His plans were significantly derailed on the onslaught of World War II and were assigned to an internment camp in Tashme, an abandoned mining town.

At the end of the war, the internees are given an extremely restricted choice of where they can reside. Vancouver Island, where Port Alberni, his family's hometown, is not among the places they could reside. Although, his family remains in Tashme, Frankie Hanesaka winds up in Toronto as a penniless outsider and Anglicized his name to Frankie Hanes.

By happenstance, Frankie Hanesaka meets Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller, a modernist visionary, who would eventually become his mentor. Soon enough, Frankie Hanesaka managed to scrape together enough money to begin his own shady business – building towers and apartment blocks along the lakeshore.

However, when his family finally arrives as planned, Frankie Hanesaka realizes how much his life in pursuit of money and power has diverged from his humble roots. His viewpoint of capitalism, materialism, and power are sharply contrasted by his feelings of family, tradition, and generosity, which resulted in further tragedies.

Floating City is written somewhat well. It covers significant periods in Canadian history, opening on Vancouver Island in the late 1930's and closing half a country away just after the highs of Expo '67 in Montreal, Quebec. It follows a Japanese-Canada from his childhood home in Port Alberni to a shack in the internment camp in Tashme, British Columbia and to his post-war home in Toronto, Ontario.

While written rather well, it did suffer from having a rather large plot and not enough space to examine them properly. Spanning nearly four decades, there are many minor plot points left unanswered or unsatisfyingly addressed. Furthermore, the cast of characters are huge – the Hanesaka Family is big on their own and like the plot, there is not enough space to explore each of them better.

All in all, Floating City is a somewhat wonderful cautionary tale about the pursuit of money, power, ambition and the costs of turning one's backs on family, history, and home.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a work of historical fiction that tells the life of Frankie Hanesaka. Frankie, later calling himself Frank Hanes is an industrious boy who grows up in Port Alberni, BC, and whose family gets moved to a Japanese internment camp during WWII. When the war is over, he is able to move to Toronto, leaving his family behind, in order to try and earn enough money to have his family eventually come with him.

Frankie's ambition is to eventually build a floating city. He learns some tricks of the trade working as a gardener for an architect and receives advice and guidance from Buckmister Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome. Frankie finds that many are weary of a Japanese builder, so he changes his name to Frank Hanes, and begins his building empire.

I didn't know what to expect after the first couple of chapters, which begin when Frankie is very young. As the novel progressed through Frankie's life, I found many similarities to Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, an ambitious architect who struggles to find acceptance, however it lacked the depth of Rand's masterpiece.

Overall, while the book was still a good read, I found it to be lacking with many parts of Frankie's life glossed over and leaving questions for the readers.

I received an ARC of this book for free through Goodreads First-Reads.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book struck me as somewhat strange during the first chapter or two, but then things were explained and I fell into a rhythm of reading it, having a tough time taking a break when I had other obligations to tend to.

I loved that the story took place in parts of British Columbia that I am familiar with. It was difficult to read of the poverty, unfairness, and prejudice that took place during the 1940s in Canada. A very shameful time in Canada's history.

Frankie, his brother and sisters were born in Canada, but his parents were from Japan. I was struck by the style of writing whereby it was somewhat vague in details; which matched the character of Frankie, who was very stoic, duty-bound, family oriented and a man of few words. Even though I wanted to learn more, the vagueness was understandable.

Frankie's time in Toronto was so interesting, as I had no idea of any of the history mentioned in this part of the story. Very heartbreaking in parts and lots of historical information; even though I was left yearning for more. This is a story that I will not forget and I am grateful to Goodreads and the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, for providing me with this ARC.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a short magazine review of this book and a few days later saw it on the "Best Bets" shelf at the library. I was intrigued that one of the characters was Buckminster Fuller. I did enjoy "Floating City" but I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't know about things like Hurricane Hazel.
I found that I couldn't make sense of the timelines in the book. Our main character Frankie seems only to have just arrived in Toronto (and it's not clear how long after World War II that was, but likely around 1949) and the next thing you know they're all floating in water from Hurricane Hazel. I found this suspended timeline difficult to accept. Kerri made reference to enough real life events yet the lives of Frankie and the other characters seemed to proceed on a different timeline.
One storyline I found interesting was that of Baby Yuri. He reminded me a little of the European fairy tales of the snow child, except he appears as a water baby.
Somewhere along the line I learned a bit about Buckminster Fuller and now I'm curious to learn more.
I don't think this book is for everyone. The less you know about Toronto history the more you're likely to get out of it; or if you can suspend your sense of reality that will work too.

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. There were many overlapping themes, beginning with a young Japanese boy living with his family in a floating house on the west coast. Following internment to the interior during the war, and making the best of the situation there through his skill in wheeling and dealing, he makes his way to Toronto, where he comes into contact with a great architect who is building innovative skyscrapers in the new Toronto. His hero and mentor is Buckminster Fuller, whose dreams of floating cities using geodesic domes inspire Frankie.
His shrewd business sense and burning ambition lead to the successful completion of many waterfront highrise apartment buildings, but with little concern for people who may have been expropriated in the process. A series of family tragedies lead him to think he has been cursed. The struggles through his personal doubts with the help of a new love coupled with the birth of a son lead him to reimagine how he can use his skills for the betterment of society. His redemption occurs in partnership with the dreams of Bucky, creating affordable floating housing in the harbour. Interestingly, this was an actual proposal in Toronto which was never realized.

[K.A. Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the historical detail in this; the Nisei experience on Canada's west coast is fascinating, and I've only read a few perspectives on it. Authentic-feeling story of a Canadian-born son of Japanese parents from the 1930s-1980s. Starts with childhood experiences living on a floating house on the BC coast and follows through the internment and mountain camps of WWII, setting out to Toronto in the postwar period to build a life, dreaming and working toward success, and dealing with the fallout of letting ambition lead to selfishness. There's a strong fantastic/spiritual/magical realist element throughout, based on legends, dreams and altered perceptions. Very firmly in the literary fiction tradition, with some themes that don't entirely link up. I read a lot of genre fiction and YA, so I wasn't really up for the dark period in the last third, but I liked the earlier bits and the resolution. On the whole, less dark and depraved than a lot of adult literary fiction; it manages to convey a sense of hope, optimism and potential throughout. Very cool Canadian perspective, and it feels authentic enough that I was sad there aren't floating cities in Toronto's harbour yet.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads First-reads Giveaway. Thank you! I enjoyed this book, but it was strange...at first a story about the lives of Japanese Canadians during WWII and their forced internment, which was well-written and historically interesting. And readers are shown the racial discrimmination that existed toward Asians, particularly the Japanese, at that time. But the book gradually became a different book, once Frankie moved to Toronto, and magical realism and metaphysics took over. Then the characters and the storyline became very eccentric. I still enjoyed the book, but it felt a little like I'd slipped into an alternate dimension by the end of the book. So many oddball characters, so much tragedy, so many weird events and twists in the story. Entertaining, but what a strange journey this novel is!!

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical fiction tells the life story of Frankie Hanesaka, who wants to make his mark in Canada and prove himself after growing up in a poor family of Japanese immigrants. The books talks about racism in Canada, urbanization of Toronto and follows Frankie's relationships and transition to businessman Frank Hanes. While aspects in the story are based on historical events, the writer says the book is more about imaging "a story that might have been." The timeline of the book is across Frankie's whole life so told in chunks and I found it was sometimes confusing to follow and important milestones were skipped over to leave the reader wondering how it turned out. Fascinating read overall, touching on many past and current issues facing Canada.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the publishers for this ARC copy. I really enjoyed this book. I was interested to learn about the experience of Japanese Canadians during WW2. The author's style is engaging, providing big moments without being forceful. The only parts I didn't enjoy were the brief sections that went all metaphysical. I felt jarred by them and felt they were forced. However they did not affect my overall enjoyment of the story. If there was another book with Frankie and his family I would read it. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a Canadian story that takes one from the BC coast to the shores of Lake Ontario.

[Deborah-Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was assigned reading in my book club for Asian history month. I admit that I had never really heard of the "floating city" concept nor was I too aware of the challenges the Japanese faced in Canada. I found the character development to be pretty good and there were lots of moments which were filled with love. That said, I just could not find myself getting into this book at all. I found it difficult to read (although it was relatively simple reading, but I got bored and had to put it down lots of times). I am grateful for the topic at least. I think it's an important one for Canadians to be aware of and discuss.

[Tashfin Awal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways and have chosen to give my honest opinion about it.
This book definitely made me feel good, with a character I could look up to and respect and setting changes that were all too familiar and added to the feeling of relatability. The plot took enough turns at the beginning, however I feel like it kind of slowed down by the end. But still, the character development and sad historical relevance of the book makes this definitely an important read, and a satisfying one too!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, especially the way it has such a lovely magical (or you could call it spiritual) element to it. Lovely writing, that pulls you in. Plus, it's a topic I'm interested in - ever since reading "Obasan", I've been curious about the experience of Japanese Canadians during World War 2. As a Canadian myself, this is of special interest to me, and I've often felt that the topic hasn't been given the attention it merits, so it was good to see it addressed here. Well-written, engaging, and both the plot and character development are excellent.

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic alternative history to, and an incredibly accurate portrayal of an Immigrant or 1st generation story from the advent of World War 2 to near present day.

It moves with speed and at times it is a jarring narrative style to ask the reader to "catch-up" with the author without clear breaks or delineation of ideas and thoughts. It leads to exciting components to the read, and puzzling narrative decisions at others.

Overall, I had such a wonderful time reading this book that I would recommend this book wholly and am glad that I had the opportunity to have read it.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the last read of my beer and book club for the summer, and I feel torn on it. On one hand it's a fantastic Toronto-specific story about a family trying to find their place. On the other side of it, this book is a super duper slow burn that for me, took a bit to get going. I loved that this book is based off of architectural plans that never happened and what it could have been, and all the characters grew on me -- though as I said, it just took a bit and perhaps I wasn't the most patient!

[Özge · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was invested in the characters in the beginning. As the story progressed, the main character remained as his childself almost, he faded away for me.
I found myself being surprised at what was happening not because it was intriguing but because I had no recollection of what has led to this point. Even a clearer picture of what he was feeling would suffice.
Perhaps it's a testament to how some people have difficulty sharing their emotions or their life. Although it's written in a third person language, we are very much in Frank's head all the time.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating story of Frankie from his early years in British Columbia with his Japanese parents to making his way across Canada to build a future for himself and fulfill his dreams and ambitions. I enjoyed the details of Frankie's early life, time in the Japanese internment camps and his witnessing of the growth of Toronto. The back cover describes it as a fairytale-like story and I felt this throughout the book.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a thread of a sort of magical realism wound through this tale of family, big dreams, and strange architecture. It makes for some lovely imagery.

I rather enjoyed parts of this book, early on the building of a floating island flower garden was lovely, but I found much of the plot in the second half of the book difficult to follow.

(I received a free ARC of this book through a giveaway on goodreads)

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely novel. Starting with the life of Frankie as a young boy, to his family's time in a Japanese prison camp, to overcoming their poverty. This is fiction, but not historical fiction. It does tie into a fictionalized Buckminster Fuller. (Any book that can bring alive geodesic domes is a hit for me!) Behind this backdrop are ideas which make a reader reflect: family, poverty, helping others, and, what ifs. I'm a fan of her previous books, but, I think this one is my favourite.

[Mallee Stanley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although Frankie Hanesaka is born in B.C. his family are removed from their Port Alberni home. They live in a shack that floats on water until war breaks out when, like all the Japanese in the province, they are removed and sent to the interior. Once the war ends, his family sends Frankie to Toronto first where he dreams of making it big and hopes to support his entire family. But will be prosper? And if he does, will his dreams for the future make him happy?

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads and Kerri Sakamoto for an advance read copy of "Floating City". Great read. I would give this book a 4.5 if it was possible. I really loved it. Exceptional writing. I recommend this book for sure. If you think the story is based on fact then look it up and learn more. I learned a lot and enjoyed the writing and the story.

[Allosh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story has nothing that let me want to read more and discover what is going to happen! It was smooth, deadly smooth which is something unexpected, at least for me, when it comes to reading about Japan and/ or Japanese since stories from that part of the world are always interesting, unique and not similar to anything else. However, this novel, unfortunately, was the exception!

[Harry Junior · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immaculate prose shaping an at times nebulous narrative, deeply rooted in Japanese immigrants and their expropriated lives in Canada during the war. Strong themes of losing and finding one's way, of honouring our histories, and even revising them as a means of honouring. At times, I couldn't place all the metaphor, but the ending was beautifully rendered, and well-earned. A fascinating read.