Face of a Stranger: A Novel

by Yoji Yamaguchi

Set in a California town in the early part of the century, Face of a Stranger tells the story of Kikue and Shino, two Japanese picture brides who came to America in arranged marriages only to discover upon their arrival that they had been duped into lives of prostitution. Both women are jarred when they encounter Takashi Arai, a young migrant worker and indolent rake, certain that they recognize him as the bogus groom in the photograph used to deceive them. Even as they scheme to buy their freedom from their pimp, they begin plotting revenge against Arai with the help of Hana, a beautiful girl who might be insane, the hapless farmer Kogoro Doi and the unwitting Inadas, two zealous Christian converts. A sly, farcical tale of dissembling, revenge and mistaken identity, Face of a Stranger marks the remarkable debut of a writer of uncommon brilliance.

Genres: Fiction, Japan, Asian American

208 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1995

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Face of a Stranger” is a quirky novel filled with odd characters set in early 1900s California, specifically in China Alley. This area, once home to Chinese residents, is now populated by Japanese emigrants.

The story revolves around Takashi Arai, an untrustworthy man whose photo was used in a matchmaking scheme to lure Japanese brides to the U.S., only for them to end up as prostitutes. One of these women, Kikue, believes she recognizes Arai and holds him responsible for her fate. She plots her revenge against him.

Arai finds himself entangled in a twisted and comical series of events involving fellow prostitute Shino, pimp Kato and his crew, and some religious do-gooders aiming to cleanse the community of what they see as heathens.

Overall, “Face of a Stranger” is an entertaining yet informative story that offers a unique glimpse into the lives of its characters.

[Bugs · Rating 1 out of 5]

No because I made an account here just to rag on how god awful this book is, it is absolutely wrought with pedophilic undertones that make my stomach churn. No, Mr.Yamaguchi, I do not want to read about the details of a child's body, please stop using words like "desirable" when describing a literal child, it's disgusting . No, I do not want to read about women being raped and then having us as an audience be spared no time to pity the woman because whoopsie she's gonna go steal and lie and cheat and antagonize others on the next page, like are we allowed to feel sorry for the female protagonists or are we not allowed to? It doesn't feel like we are allowed to, given that the females are constantly being called whores, and we are given no social commentary as to why maybe, just maybe, the every main character calling a girl a whore at some point might be... deep... and bad... God and the main character is just an unlikable scumbag with no drive. What are we supposed to cheer him on to do? He doesn't have any goals, really. We have to watch him antagonize and play mental games against a sixteen year old boy who took his job. The dialogue is stilted, and the writing is needlessly crass, crude, and lewd. Call me a prude, but I did not sign up to hear about a man's genitalia in detail. On top of all of this, it isn't even historically accurate. Picture brides weren't tricked by these international crime rings into prostitution. If they were forced into prostitution, they were being sold by their abusive husbands. This book offers nothing.

[Nakell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading enjoyment was a 4. Light read and interesting although slightly predictable plot. Feel good book, great when you want to pick up reading again.

[Jamie is · Rating 3 out of 5]

found this in my workplace's library; looks really familiar, i think one of my friends a couple of years ago read it and donated it to the library. if it's the girl i am thinking of, wish she would have donated all the cds i lent her which she never returned! at any rate, the book looks like it is written in simple prose, tries to start off with a bit of a bang (the protagonist's search for a prostitute), and seems like it could be a good introduction to the plight of japanese migrant workers in the early 19th century for someone who knows very little about the subject. a book about injustice that seems to be written in a breezy enough style that i won't lose sleep or be preoccupied with morbid, bitter thoughts.

[Selkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not generally one to read fiction, I found this a good read. It is the tale set in the Victorian era of women that were brought to America from the Far East under the false pretense of marrying Japanese-Americans, only to find that they were actually sent to America to serve in brothels.
Later, one of the women comes face-to-face with the man that she believed she was brought over to marry. The man's picture had been shown to the prospective brides to induce them to come to America without his knowledge

[Histteach24 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it would be the story of Japanese picture brides assimilating to America. But there was a twist-these ladies end up being sold into prostitution. Still a good book with many thought provoking morals and character flaws explored throughout. Also a great look at how poorly Asians were treated in America. A quick read.

[Jlrowcliffe · Rating 1 out of 5]

A fascinating premise for the book, but the writing was horrible - so bad, in fact, that I looked to see if it was just a poor translation. Can't recommend it.

[Ortegast · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read and worthwhile. Interesting comic interpretation of life and resistance of Japanese picture brides. Didn't think it was great, however.