American Fuji

by Sara Backer

Japan itself is the comic hero of this sweet and funny, sad and inspiring novel.

Gaby Stanton, an American professor living in Japan, has lost her job teaching English at Shizuyama University. (No one will tell her exactly why.) Alex Thorn, an American psychologist, is mourning his son, a Shizuyama exchange student who was killed in an accident. (No one will tell him exactly how.) Alex has come to this utterly foreign place to find the truth, and now Gaby is serving as his translator and guide. The key to mastering Japanese, she keeps telling him, is understanding what's not being said. And in this "deft and delightful" (Karen Joy Fowler) novel, the unsaid truths about everything from work and love to illness and death cast a deafening silence-and tower in the background like Mount Fuji itself.

Genres: Fiction, Japan, Asia, Asian Literature, Book Club, Mystery, Cultural

404 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 2001

About the author

I spent three years in Japan (1990-1993), as the first American and first woman to serve as visiting professor of English at Shizuoka University. This experience informed my first novel, American Fuji, which was a book club pick of the Honolulu Advertiser and a nominee for the Kiriyama Prize.

Recently, I earned an MFA at Vermont College of Fine Arts in poetry. My chapbook, Bicycle Lotus, won the 2015 Turtle Island Poetry Award. A second chapbook, Scavenger Hunt, came out in 2018. My first full book of poetry, Such Luck, is my newest book.

I teach freshman comp and a few other stray courses at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, lead a reading group at a men's prison, and tramp around the woods in New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Dorie - Cats&Books :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read with a unique viewpoint. An American psychologist goes to Japan to try to find out why and how his University son was killed.

He meets an American woman -- past university professor now selling fantasy funerals! Together they unravel a plot which includes the Japanese "mob". Great view of Japanese eccentricities and again great imagery. Wonderful character development.

A great novel that is both mystery and historical fiction.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I learned after reading this book is that, you do not simply judge books from a thrift store. Well because I obviously bought this for a very cheap amount and I didn't imagine I'm actually going to like this since I only want to give it a try, but it really turned out I enjoyed everything about this book. The story plot was a bit unusual and this is not a traditional romance genre where two people simply make out and swear their vows at the altar in the end. This one is about meeting fate, your destiny or your soulmate perhaps in a very unexpected place,through a very unexpected way. I liked it how the author made Gaby and Alex fell in love with each other as they both take their journey in finding answers to a question Alex long want to be enlightened with, hence, his son's death. Plus the way how Japan was presented made this book even more wonderful. An easy read to conclude and I'm glad I'm finally done reading this because this has been with me from my stay at the library,boring classes at school and my public rides, I just didn't get to finish this that fast.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a lot of books about Japan. On the surface, this appears to be a broad-sweeping "I love anything set in Japan." It's true, I'll give almost anything related to Japan a try. But during the actual reading experience, I tend to be snobby and finicky. Is that contradictory? Is it ambivalent? So is Japan, and so is American Fuji. There was a lot I liked about it, yet I felt it has some serious flaws.

The first and most glaring flaw in my opinion is that Gaby Stanton is a thinly veiled self-insertion. She once held a prestigious teaching position (something the author lists in her bio blurb), she walks around as a total expert with perfectly fluent Japanese, and her flaw is...that she loves Japan too much? Her growth is...that she comes to love Japan? I'm not saying you can never use your own experiences as fodder for fiction (Lars Martinson and David Mitchell both spring to mind as exemplars), but for a character to be real they need to draw from more than just your own experiences. They need to have fictional experiences of their own that have shaped them, whether or not those experiences show up in the "clip" of their life that is the novel. Alex was a much more likable character, Bill Murray from Lost in Translation but on a detective quest.
The other characters, aside from perhaps Cool Professor and Rie, are more or less cliches of various stereotypes around Japanese and gaijin cultures.

The premise was very promising, and the book was engaging throughout to read. However, the plot failed to measure up, mostly because it was very confused on what kind of story it was: a mystery/conspiracy reveal, a romance, a memoir? It tried to be all of it and while I agree that genres were made to be crossed-over, in practice it's much harder to pull off. Some parts were really cheesy and hokey, especially deus ex Cadillac and the its-the-climax-we-must-kiss kiss.

But, lest you think I hated it, there were elements that I really appreciated as well. It was refreshing to see an edgier, less rosy take on Japan, a move away from the "exotic Orient" angle that often shows up in other memoirs. Living here in America, it’s easy to romanticize my life in Japan and gloss over the inscrutable or frustrating parts. Memories are always happier than actual experiences, so this was a good reminder of how it actually felt at times: incomprehensible, hard, overwhelming, constantly surprising. (For more on that actual experience, all its ups and downs, I highly recommend Lars Martinson's Tonoharu.)

And it would be criminal negligence to fail to acknowledge Becker's masterful handling of the Japanese language, sometimes capturing the heavy accents like “I insist-o” and sometimes using italics. I felt she particular excelled at capturing the inferences in fluent Japanese, the gaps between what is said and what is meant. That alone might be worth the reading.

But the overall tone felt, to me, too heavy on the negative. It’s not that what she was describing was untrue, just that there is more to it. Perhaps if she had taken this high level of knowledge and applied it to a different, cohesive plot and better formed characters, I would have been smitten instead of shrugging.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read this book for a book club, but I'm not sure if I could think of a better book club book.

The general plot is fun, engaging, and a little bit different. Alex Thorn is a pop-psychologist visiting Japan to try to find out about his son's death. Gaby Stanton is a university English professor living in Japan. Of course it's inevitable that the gaijin meet up, and they do.

Beyond the plot though, the book is rife with commentary. Nationalized health care, gender equality, and cultural sensitivity are all covered. Fortunately the, book is not too heavy handed in its treatment of these issues. For instance, the subject of Japan's health care system comes up often. One of the characters claims that it's the primary reason for living there. However, by the end of the book we realize that it's not true. While the character reveals a preference for the nationalized system, it doesn't stop the Japanese doctors from saying America is the place to go for complex medical treatments.

All in all it was a fun, quick read with multiple layers. It's not brilliant, but it's okay. I'll also admit that the difference maker between three and four stars was the perfect capture of life as an expat in Japan. The three questions are so familiar I almost miss them as a part of introductions. And I think I laughed out loud at every "this is a pen," dialogue.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

My five-star book for the year!

I've never been to Japan, but have read so many books about it- fiction, travel narrative and non-fiction - that I feel I have been. Backer succeeds in portraying a culture through example, rather than outright exposition. The characters were very well done, protagonists, villain, and supporting, and Backer finesses the potential romance angle perfectly.
Minor quibbles might be that the plot seemed hurried a bit toward the end, and (I suppose) one might say that Gaby is a bit self-conscious (whiny?) about her medical condition.
Highly recommended!

[Lorna Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is set in Japan in the '90s. We arrived in 1998 and stayed into 2001. The result is our own book, 31 Months in Japan: The Building of a Theme Park, published in 2005.

This book was like a walk down memory lane. All the frustrations, curiosities, and those inexplicably Japanese quirks struck familiar chords.

Sara Becker clearly understands the expat experience and conveys it in an interesting manner. Her characters and their situations allow the reader to get a real feeling for the many frustrations of dealing with the (to us) counter-intuitive manner of the Japanese.

An engaging read.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

10/01/07
TITLE/AUTHOR: American Fuji by Sara Backer
RATING: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Fiction/2001/404 pgs
TIME/PLACE: Present/Japan
CHARACTERS: Gaby Stanton/American professor living in Japan; Alex Thorn/American psychologist
FIRST LINES: Toilets and cars. That's what Mr. Eguchi had trained Gabriela Stanton to notice whenever she made house calls.

COMMENTS: Bookcrossing ring/ray. Gaby Stanton is let go from her teaching position and finds work selling fantasy funerals w/ a company called Gone With The Wind. She is treated as an outsider being American in Japan and moreso since she is a lowly woman. She helps Alex Thorn look into the accidental motorcylce death of his son who was studying in Japan. I hope that the treatment of Americans in Japan as inferior was over exaggerated, it made me lose respect for Gaby in wanting to stay in Japan.

[Mona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though American Fuji felt like a light read, that does not mean it was empty or frivolous. The author handled themes of culture differences, sexual discrimination, death, health, love, and betrayal so adeptly that I didn't even realize how heavily they played into the story line.

Two outcasts in Japanese culture are brought together in their quests to solve their individual mysteries, and discover that their lives become intertwined by both fate and choice. Yet their coming together doesn't feel too contrived (well, maybe a little.)

The plot to uncover the mystery behind Gaby getting fired from her teaching job, and the death of Alex's son (a student at the university where Gaby taught) provides the momentum of the story. But along the way, there is comedy, romance (but not sappy), and a revealing look at Japanese culture that makes the book about more than just a plot.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel of Japan. It's about an American psychologist, Alex Thorn, who is in Japan to find out what happened to his son, Cody, an exchange student at Shizuyama University, who was killed in an accident. Cody's body was shipped back to the States with no explanation as to what happened to him or who had paid any medical bills for him. All Alex had to go on was a bill from "Gone With the Wind" funeral services for shipment of the body. And when the body was received, it had had its heart surgically removed. So what had happened to Cody and why? Alex's quest leads him to Gaby Stanton, a professor who was fired from Shizuyama and is now working for "Gone With the Wind" selling extravagant fantasy funerals to older Japanese. Gaby insists that the funeral company did not ship the body back to the States and she has no knowledge of what happened. So Gaby ends up helping Alex get to the bottom of the mystery. This leads to finding that Cody may have met up with members of the Japanese mafia, the yakuza, which then leads to questions about the people Gaby is working for. And how does this all relate to her getting fired from the university and a somewhat questionable professor there? Gaby tells Alex to expect the unexpected and to try to understand what is not being said. As Alex is drawn to Gaby, she is reluctant to get into a relationship because of a medical condition which she feels keeps her as an outsider especially in the States.

I thought this novel really gave the reader a sense for life in Japan showing how the Japanese feel about Americans or gaijin and the many differences between the two cultures. The book also discusses the Japanese medical system which appears to be a universal system where all are treated without insurance. This seemed very relevant to the debates going on in Congress about Medicare for all or a universal health care system in the U.S. The novel also contained many interesting characters that were well developed and added to the storyline. One of the most interesting was Mr. Eguchi, Gaby's boss at "Gone With the Wind", who could only communicate in English using Beatles lyrics. I have never spent time in Japan other than being stationed in Okinawa during the 70s which was very Americanized at the time. I will probably never get to go there so this book was a good substitute for a Japanese experience.

[Ariana Deralte · Rating 2 out of 5]

The further I got into this book, the more I began to wonder just what Japan the author had lived in. I became convinced she'd lived in Japan during the 70s or 80s (or possibly, deep in the countryside), but my theory was disproven by her bio saying she lived there in the 90s, so I can only conclude she was exaggerating for comedy or something. (Though as someone who really enjoyed living in Japan, I found this book rather depressing). All those crazy little things do sometimes happen in Japan, but they don't happen all at once over such a short period of time. For example, I can count on one hand the number of times I was asked if I ate natto during the year and a half I lived in Japan. And for every waiter/waitress who ignored you even when you spoke Japanese, there were ones who joked with you or who memorized your favourite order. And it's pretty rare to meet a true asshole of a foreigner like Lester in Japan these days. For a book that scolded about over generalizations, I thought the book came out hypocritical.

I enjoyed Gaby's realization in the end that Japan is a good place for people who don't fit in since that rang true to me. As an English speaker, you tend to attract other weirdos too (Western and Japanese), so perhaps what surprised me was that only Eguchi was as colourful as I expected him to be (loved the Beatle song lyrics though). I never quite liked Thorn, but his motivations were largely understandable. Plot wise, I was shocked at how long the book went on when the answer of what happened to his son was rather obvious as soon as you knew he was missing a heart. Subplot wise, I really enjoyed the honest look at Gaby and her chronic illness.

Overall, the jarring difference between this book's exaggerations and actual life in Japan made it impossible for me to enjoy the book, or find much humour in it, but the characterizations were very good and there were some very true observations about life in Japan mixed in there.

[Chana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit. The author spent 3 years as the first woman, first American visiting professor of English at Shizuoka University in Japan. So she has a very solid basis for writing a book about an American woman English professor living in Japan. She is quite snarky about Japan, which I found amusing, but the reader can also tell that she has a love for Japan as well.
This book isn't autobiographical, it is fiction. It involves this American woman in Japan who has been inexplicably fired from her professor position at Shizuoka University and is now working for a funeral company, a company that sells elaborate showy funerals to rich people. Her boss and the people that she works with are an oddball group of Japanese and this adds texture and more amusement to the book. So that is where we start. Then an American author who has never been to Japan before comes to promote his book, and to find out the details of what happened to his son, an exchange student to Japan who died in an unexplained accident. So you have a bit of a mystery, a good comic basis, a budding romance, an illness, a grieving father, a villain, and a country to love and hate. It works well for most of the book; as a reader I could see that I was being led around by the author into situations manufactured to make the book work, but that didn't take away from the pleasure of the book. I stopped liking the book as much toward the end and it is hard to tell you why exactly except that some of it got sillier than I had tolerance for, some of the rant against the American medical system started to bother me, and the promising romance sort of sputtered, at least to my way of thinking.
Overall it is worthwhile reading, especially for all the details about living in Japan.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex is a psychologist-author who has come to Japan to promote his new book and to find out the circumstances of his son's death a year ago. Gaby is a former college English professor in Japan, now working as a salesperson for fancy funerals. She longs to find out the reason she was fired by the university. Their wishes are stymied, some by cultural difference, some by deliberate evasions, but the two persist. Gaby's being bilingual and more aware of the cultural differences becomes important to them both. Their paths intertwine and cross others, including a customer and fellow employees of Gaby's, other foreigners living there, and a number of people in the rather nebulous Japanese mafia. Of particular interest is author Backer's presenting the conflicts of American and Japanese culture with more than a smattering of Japanese language. Gaby and Alex are nicely complex people with histories influencing their decisions, for one, a medical issue discussed as a disability that has lifestyle and residence implications. Both individual and cultural introvert/extrovert issues come into play sometimes, too. In the characters' quests for information, there is a tinge of mystery. However, this is pretty much a novel of two interesting people in an interesting and different place (including the time, about twenty years ago). What makes this a five instead of a four star rating is the cultural part, well done, seeming accurate and creating depth. One of those reads that is both a learning experience and enjoyable.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gaby Stanton is an expatriate living in Japan. For reasons she does not know, nor does she understand, she recently lost her job teaching English to students at the local University and has recently started working for a Fantasy Funeral home. A series of events has Gaby crossing paths with Alex Thorn. An American father who has come to Japan to find out what caused the death of his exchange student son. The two of them join forces and make their way through the Japanese culture to solve both of their mysteries. Will they find the answers they seek?

Sarah Backer has written a good book that takes an honest look at what it is like to be an American in a foreign land. The culture, the customs, the housing, the familial hierarchy is all so different from what American's are used to. The phrase "culture shock" has never been more appropriate. American Fuji will give you a little bit of exposure to what an Expat in Japan goes through, without the jet lag. It is well written, with engaging characters and a wonderful story. It is a story full of travel, mystery, and a little bit of romance. American Fuji is the perfect way to explore Japan without leaving the comfort of your couch! A good read that you are sure to enjoy!


http://charlotteswebofbooks.blogspot....

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

American Fujiis a delightful novel that's part Japanese cultural guide, part fictionalized autobiography, part mystery, and part commentary on the state of American health care. American expat Gaby Stanton, inflicted with a 'shameful' chronic condition, stays in Japan for the health insurance coverage, working as a salesperson in a fantasy funeral company after having inexplicably lost her professorship at Shizuoka University. A forged invoice from her new company--"Gone with the Wind"--brings Alex Thorn into her life. Psychologist Alex Thorn comes to Japan on a book tour, but mainly to uncover the circumstances of his exchange student son Cody's death one year ago. With Gaby playing guide, both Alex and the reader get some perspective on the sometimes comical, quirky differences between American and Japanese culture. An entertaining cast of Japanese and gaijin characters populate their suspenseful efforts to get to the truth about Cody's death. Were the yakuza (Japanese mafia) involved? Ultimately, it's also a heartfelt novel about acceptance, and a fitting tribute to the time Sara Backer spent in Japan as a visiting English professor at Shizuoka University.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Gaby Stanton, an American who was teaching at a Japanese university. Gaby unexpectedly loses her job and is forced to take a job selling fantasy funerals. She's in dark times. She doesn't understand why she lost her job, she's sick and can't receive her needed operation because she's single, and she's lonely - tired of always being the outcast.

Through a series of coincidences she meets Alex, an author whose son died a year ago. He's in Japan to understand what happened to his son. Gaby and Alex form a bond as they help each other navigate hurdles and find the answers to the questions they seek.

It's an entertaining story that includes Japanese gangsters, crooked monks, loud Austrailians, and selfish Englishmen. It's a light, quick read despite the 370+ pages. I finished it in a weekend while I was home recovering from strep throat.

I enjoyed the window into Japanese custom, language, and culture.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The view of Japan and Japanese people provided by this novel is really, really outdated. (There are almost no clues as to when the story takes place, but it felt like it was the early 80s. The book was published in the early 2000s, though.) Like a lot of American novels about Japan, this one makes liberal use of stereotypes and Japanese people don't come out looking too good. On the other hand, stereotypes of foreigners living in Japan also abound, and those characters don't always come out looking so hot, either.
There's a bit of a mystery to be solved in this novel -- an American man must uncover the details of his son's death in Japan -- and I suppose that's what kept me reading. The writing didn't, and the outdated and sometimes unbelievable version of Japan didn't either. But: Backer clearly understands the nuances of Japanese obligations and the concept of losing face. These were deftly handled, if some other aspects of the plot were not.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an unusual story with unusual characters. The story takes place in Japan. It centers around an American woman suffering from chronic disease who lives and works in Japan for the free health care and an American male who comes to Japan to find the answers surrounding his son's death.

Part way through I thought "Oh no! A typical mystery involving the mob. Boring!" But, it wasn't so! This book has so many surprises. The plot points the reader in one direction only to shatter the conclusions drawn from it.

The author takes pains to present the Japanese society in an informative, but somewhat humorous way. Often when it seems she is poking fun at the Japanese, she is really pointing out the faults of the foreigners who are quick to judge.

In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story took me to unexpected places. It's unpredictable and very touching.

[Beth]

I don't usually read contemporary realistic fiction, but this once takes place in Japan and is described as "quirky" on the back cover, and it was a Christmas gift, so I started it.

It is indeed quirky, and has low-key and sometimes lowbrow humor, along with a fairly intriguing mystery and a lot of exposition of the weirder aspects of Japanese culture. The last is done for mostly for laughs at first but is usually relevant to the plot as well as fascinating in its own right.

Characters are colorful and likeable, except when they are not intended to be, and sometimes surprising (Rie in particular!)

An enjoyable if not exceptional read for people interested in Japanese culture or simply a quirky and involving read that's not too heavy but still has meaning and appreciation for the value of kindness in the world.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have many embarrassing weaknesses, but most pertinent to this review, is my J-book weakness.

As I love everything about Japan, I have an insatiable hunger for any and every book that is set there, and I'll be guaranteed to read any old rubbish, just to satisfy it.

Happily for me, this book, American Fuji, isn't rubbish, nor does it follow the usual template of the "coming of age, rite of passage, oh shit, I'm a stranger in a strange land" deal. It's actually a bit of a mystery novel, and a bit of romance (in an albeit rather unromantic fashion).

I started this book last Friday at 9:00 am, and didn't shower till I finished it at 4:00 pm that day. I don't know whether that reflects more about my life & hygiene habits than the book, but there it is.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well worth reading. This book takes you outside of the tourist view of Japan. It isn't always comfortable to read but you cannot put it down. The two main characters are finely draw and you care very much about each of them and what you hope happens for them.

This is a book where I wouldn't say it ends happily-ever-after but then real life rarely does and since the book was written with a large dose of reality I don't think happily-ever-after would have been a very satisfying ending. We all know books that start out edgy but right at the end everything is tied up with a neat bow and it is so disappointing. This book does not disappoint.

[Erin Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good friend gave this to me several years ago - she never read it but she liked the cover. It gathered some dust - and became my oldest “want to read” on Goodreads. Finally I decided to give it a try. In short: I LOVED it! Sort of a Hallmark murder mystery/love story/organ donation tale. I highly recommend this sweet and creative story!!!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm an American woman who taught English in Japan for 2 years in the 1990s, and this book really resonated with me. Sarah Backer hit the nail on the head over and over again in her portrayal of what it's like to be a Westerner living in Japan. She does this in a way that's often funny and sometimes quite moving. I was immediately sucked in in the first few pages because for me it was a walk down memory lane, the feeling of "Yes! That's exactly what it was like!" and quite a few chuckles. But then as the story expanded, I realized that this book was not only enjoyable for these memories, but it also had a story and ideas that captured my interest and propelled me forward. I didn't want to put this book down. And she does an excellent job with the characters. They felt authentic and I found myself caring about what happened to them. Some of the minor characters reminded me of people I knew in Japan. I would recommend this book whole-heartedly to anyone who has an interest in Japan and what it's like for a Westerner living there, straddling the line between two cultures. But I especially recommend it to anyone who has lived there, because you may just recognize yourself in these pages, and that could be a real treat.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

American Fuji is a blend of American style in Japanese culture. Gabby Stanton is an American professor teaching English at Shizuyama University. She was relieved of her teaching duties and does not know why. Her new job is in sales with a Japanese fantasy funeral company - "Gone With the Wind". Alex Thorn is an American psychologist visiting Japan on a book tour. His ulterior motive is to investigate the death of his son, an exchange student at Shizuyama University. Alex's search and Gabby's story collide. Japanese subtleties are exposed along with unsaid truths about work, love, illness, and death. Sara Backer has created a brilliant cross culture novel that includes mystery, comedy, and adventure.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a book club. It’s a decent book for that type of thing. The writing is competent. I can’t say I understand what it’s like living as an American in Japan, but it was an entertaining light read. A major plot point is the particular Japanese iteration of misogyny, which varies from the American flavor. It reinforces my opinion that Japanese culture is stifling for women in a lot of ways. But I say this as a child of a Japanese woman who hasn’t lived in Japan for 35 years. Lots of nice details, especially of Japan in the 1990s, which I vaguely recall from childhood visits. The plot was ok, kind of telegraphed in some sections but loose ends neatly tied up at the end. Not bad, a fun read especially for stressful times.

[Rameshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expect the unexpected

[LilBib’Phile · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. An American travels to Japan to investigate the death of his only son Cody. He meets an American woman and discovers friendship and love.

[Pamela Huxtable · Rating 4 out of 5]

American Fuji by Sara Backer starts off as a fairlly typical,American in Japan, Lost in Translation sort of story with the stereotypical characters that go along with this type of story. There's Lester, the ugly (in manner) foreigner, Alex Thorne, the uncomfortable American abroad, and Gaby Stanton, the American who is more comfortable in Japan. The Japanese characters appear to be stereotypes as well, with Eguchi, the yakuza boss, Marubatsu, the professor convinced of his Japanese superiority, the young woman student Junko, and the young secretary Rie.

The story unfolds at a leisurely pace, and the characters become acquainted. Thorne travels to Japan to investigate the death of his son, who died accidentally while studying in Japan. While following up on a lead at the funeral company, he meets Gaby Stanton, who was recently fired from her position as a university professor and is now working for the fantasy funeral business. Gaby is instructed to help Alex by her boss Eguchi.

Then, subtly, American Fuji deepens about halfway through the novel, and Backer's theme of what it means to be an outsider is revealed. In this novel, everyone is an outsider in some way. Eguchi, the yakuza boss, is more than just a cheap gangster, as he works to help Gaby find her way, assisting Alex. His bright intelligence shines through even in the terrific comedy of the Beatles lyrics he employs for his English conversation.

As Gaby helps Alex discover the details of his son's death, Alex begins to reinhabit his own life, which previously was just something to endure.And Gaby discovers that living as a permanent, but accepted outsider in Japan is better than living as an outsider in the US without acceptance. Minor characters also deepen and reveal complexity. Rie, the giggly secretary, turns out to have a nose for detective work and yakuza connections. Junko shows more emotion and caring than expected, and her tenderness toward both Cody and Endo are beautiful.

Backer skillfully writes about the extraordinary difficulty of communication between Japanese and Westerners. As an expatriate in Japan, I found her descriptions of conversations and her elucidation of the "unsaid" to be amazingly accurate and authentic. Gaby's role as a translator of the unsaid is invaluable to understanding Backer's novel.

I enjoyed American Fuji very much. While it started out as a stereotypical story, it deepened into a novel filled with truths about outsiders, life in Japan, and human connection that made me nostalgic for my time in Japan

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot going on in this novel: a fantasy funeral business, a mysterious death, a chronic illness, a self-help book on marriage, the Japanese mafia, a corrupt Buddhist priest, skeezy foreigners hitting on young Japanese women, and so much more. It's travel-lit, mystery, drama, and romance all wrapped into one. Does it sound like a first novel from a writer who's attempting too much? Because that's how it feels -- like an overly-complicated, forced effort. It's interesting enough to keep me reading, but it all just felt like too much. The mood changes drastically through out the novel -- sometimes quite dark and serious, at other times farcical.

Gaby (which I think is supposed to be pronounced "Gay-bee") has lived in Japan for five years and is fluent in Japanese...fluent enough to participate in some really deep conversations, which for the convenience of the reader are translated into italicized English. She's been mysteriously fired from her job as a college professor and is currently a salesperson for a fantasy funeral company. It's odd, but everything in Japan is a little odd to foreigners, or so we're told and shown repeatedly. (I'm again struck by the similarities between Japan and South Korea in this respect.) My favorite character in the novel is the owner of the funeral company, who only speaks English in the form of Beatles' song lyrics.

Alex, the other main character, has come to the Japan ostensibly to promote his self-help book Why Love Fails, but is really more interested in getting answers regarding the death of his exchange-student son. While I was interested the answers to their questions, I didn't really connect with Alex or Gaby.

Too many of the connections between characters and plot elements were too convenient. Overall, if I had to pick one word to describe this book, it would be "too." I'm hovering between 2 and 3 stars, but I'm being generous because it did keep my interest.

If you're interested in a fictional account of an American ex-pat in Japan, I would recommend
If You Follow Me instead.

[Irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished American Fuji by Sara Backer.
This is a meandering novel with uncertain detours. If it were not for the writing style, that I can only describe as insipid, all the flavor and texture of over boiled canned spinach, I might have enjoyed the odd layering and threads with their false promises. Alex is a middle-aged divorced American whose only child died a year earlier in a motorcycle accident while studying in Japan. Alex has come to Japan because he can get no answers about the details of his boy’s death, the lack of any medical bills and the missing heart in the corpse. Gaby is a 45 year-old divorced American who has moved to Japan to teach English. Fired from her job because of gender bias, she is working for a luxury funeral company selling American movie-themed funeral packages. These two lives come together because the boy was a student at the university that formerly employed Gaby, who now works for the company whose name is on the shipping invoice for the body. On one level, this is an investigation of Cody’s death, but this unfolded so languorously that I was uncertain that anything sinister would be found. On another level, this is about a father seeking closure. But Alex internal life is never sufficiently developed for the reader to engage with the grief. Oddly, as much time is given to Gaby’s struggle with ulcerative colitis. We race with her to the toilet and observe her cleaning up after explosive diarrhea, accompany her to doctors and medical procedures and listen to her repetitive, self-pitying thoughts about how her illness isolates her. This added nothing to the trajectory of the story nor was Gaby sufficiently developed for her internal life to seem relevant. I found myself wondering if the author had IBS because this felt almost personal. Either this book took on too many themes to do any justice or the writing skills of the author were insufficient to handle the magnitude of the ideas. Whatever, this book generally fell flat for me.