The Good Daughter: A memoir of losing my father and finding home

by Kumi Taguchi

A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Biography

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 30, 2025

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the structure, which made it easy to read in a couple sittings. I wish it was a little more detailed and that she wrote more about her life in Hong Kong etc.

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this one at random and really enjoyed myself. I found a rather soft, emotional story between these pages and enjoyed the journey.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure what this book was trying to say really as the flow was all over the place.

[Daniella]

I think this really hit its stride in the second half, with some interesting insights into belonging, identity and family. I especially liked her reckoning with her being so defined by her Japanese appearance by others, when she herself felt so disconnected from both her father and Japanese culture; always finding herself not quite enough for either side.

The jumpy timelines at the beginning made it hard for me to put together a common thread to the story, and I wonder if the author's note at the beginning explaining the structure was always meant to be included or something raised closer to publication. I can see how it reflected the state of confusion she often felt, though, and how the structure became more traditional as she came to better understand her father and formed a stronger sense of self.

I found this really shone when she is reflecting on her father's death, and the deep shame she felt both because of what she saw as his eccentricities, but also at her inability to now ever really reconcile their relationship with someone she deeply cared about and had a lot in common with. The strength of sections like these made me wonder whether it would have had a stronger impact as a collection of essays rather than a memoir.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good Daughter by Kumi Taguchi is a memoir about uncovering the hidden stories behind a distant father and the complex love that lingers after loss. It’s a beautifully reflective read for anyone who’s ever tried to understand their parents, their heritage, or the quiet ways love is shown.

This book is a beautiful reminder that our parents are people with their own untold histories and wounds, and that by learning their stories, we can also begin to understand ourselves more deeply.

However, there were times that it feels like this book was a little more scattered with shifts between her father’s story, her own career reflections, and broader cultural themes that don’t always tie neatly together. It’s one of those books where the emotion and insight stand out more than the structure itself.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seemed to have a ‘windmills of your mind’ format. The chapters and even paragraphs jumped about in content and time frame in a way I just could not follow. Each time something happened I would like to know more about the subject changed. This characteristic is certainly not one I have observed on the author’s expert hosting of ‘Insight’.

[Miya Oishi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rate this 3 stars solely for the earlier parts of the books I feel I really resonated with. Perhaps in an effort to keep some aspects of her life private, pivotal moments of her life were left unsaid. It doesn’t seem to have a clear thesis, whilst she struggled with her father it almost seems that she chose to be an absent daughter. I don’t feel that she came to any great resolution regarding her Japanese heritage which I assume was the main premise of the book. I also struggled to understand why she was absent during her dad’s illness and death then spent later years in Japan, reflecting on her father and missing him.

[Alice Jones1234567 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kumi Taguchi’s memoir “The Good Daughter” charts her relationship with her Japanese father, and Japan, following a lifetime coming to terms with her “half” status - half Japanese-half Australian, while she is living in Australia and Hong Kong.

The book is accessibly written and contemplative as Kumi looks at the role of obligation in family ties, her experiences of racism in Australia and how we define “home.”

As in her journalistic career, she uses the book to tell human stories, so this book is for anyone who’s ever felt caught between worlds or confused about their identity.

[Laurie Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Kumi has a lot to say, but I find it hard to keep track what the point of this is, it does not feel very cohesive and often like she is just speaking in platitudes.
Some interesting points, but hard to find.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Kumi’s story. Although other reviewers have found it jumped around, I found it very cohesive as the small chapters, although they occurred at different times, all followed a theme or a feeling.

[Winnie]

I ADORED this memoir and really enjoyed the flow of it - I did not mind the vignette style chapters at all, it made it super easy to read. It was as if we were by the author’s side as she revisited cherished memories in her mind, one by one.

[Vannessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this immensely. Taguchi (Kumi) is a very perceptive, sensitive and gentle writer.

[Giovanna Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drawn to the book as I had 2 friends, both 'half' Japanese in the 90's and wondered how they may have felt.
Beautifully written, meditative almost. A reflection on life, and not just looking inwards, but outwards as to how small incidents can affect us.
Taguchi manages to keep her life private whilst divulging very personal things - her relationship with her father, how he died.
Reading other reviews, ah, people do judge don't they? 'Why didn't she......' Yeah, well she didn't. And who are you to judge? There's generational trauma.
Younger readers may go, what the? And this is not a book about how she is on Insight (hello, that's a persona!).
She wasn't quite sure where to end the book I think, that was a little weak, editing.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really moving memoir of displacement and loss – now I'm not a halfie, but I think anyone who lives in a foreign country or born in a country with foreign origins will sympathise (I really liked the anecdote in Japan about not being halfie, but "double"). I enjoyed the flow of the writing, but I think the final chapter felt the most out of place – it left me scratching my head a bit.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Kelly Callaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read. Komi tells the reader about the difficulties of fitting in when you are of mixed race.p, her busy career and finding her Japanese heritage.

[Rob Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of short stories loosely bound together, almost poem-like at times. I think this is a much more enjoyable listen rather than read. Kumi is a fantastic narrator - warm, clear and intelligent.

[Nicki]

I’m really not sure why I picked this one up. I am not familiar with this author.
It jumps around a lot, though I don’t mind how it’s written. Just not catching my attention.

[Ann Koenig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book too disjointed as it was more like a series of short notes.

[Talia Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit all over the place but an interesting journey through one woman’s struggle with racial identity and a complex father-daughter relationship

[Gwof Golden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kumi has a nice voice and gentle storytelling nature, but wandered a little and I wasn't sure what to take from it. a bit of "so what?" vibe

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is all out of order, jumping from one time and place to another time and place. Then there is all missing time and places in between . The stories and observations were enjoyable enough, but I got sick of her insecurities and her petty obsessions. (Somebody at work got more shifts than her, her dad didn’t take her shopping and other people’s dads did etc) meanwhile so many unexplained happenings or unfinished explanations - for example, she has a kid, but no explanation of how or why. (Did she get married? did she have a boyfriend she lived with for years, are they still together a result of a short but ill fated affair? ) her dad died between Xmas and new year and wasn’t found til much later. Had she or her sister called him over Xmas, establishing at least, when he last was known to be alive?
I listened on audio and she’s a good narrator. All in all, I only know of her from insight (a show that pretends to present both sides but is still careful to present propaganda or official gov or mainstream narratives.) so it was nice to get a bit more background info on her.