Picking Bones from Ash

by Marie Mutsuki Mockett

Ghosts lurk in the bamboo forest outside the tiny northern Japanese town where Satomi lives with her elusive mother, Atsuko. A preternaturally gifted pianist, Satomi wrestles with inner demons. Her fall from grace is echoed in the life of her daughter, Rumi, who unleashes a ghost she must chase from foggy San Francisco to a Buddhist temple atop Japan's icy Mount Doom. In sharp, lush prose, Picking Bones from Ash - by Marie Mutsuki Mockett - examines the power and limitations of female talent in our globalized world.

Genres: Fiction, Japan, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Asian Literature, Book Club, Novels

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2009

About the author

Marie Mutsuki Mockett, a writer of fiction and nonfiction, was born to an American father and Japanese mother. American Harvest: God, Country and Farming in the Heartland (Graywolf) won the 2021 Northern Californian Book Award for General Nonfiction and follows Mockett’s journey through seven heartland states in the company of evangelical Christian harvesters, while examining the role of GMOs, God, agriculture, and race in society. Her memoir, “Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye,” examines grief against the backdrop of the 2011 Great East Earthquake in Japan and was a finalist for the 2016 PEN Open Book Award, Indies Choice Best Book for Nonfiction and the Northern California Book Award for Creative Nonfiction. A novel, The Tree Doctor is forthcoming from Graywolf Press in 2023, and a collection of essays, How to Be a Californian, will follow. She lives in northern California with her family.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm... Something kept me reading this book, but it wasn't because it was good. I guess it was my infatuation with Japan. This book was just all over the place. It was so disjointed. It started out like an Amy Tan novel, but not quite as interesting, telling the story of a young girl growing up in Japan with her single and unusual mother who ran a small bar. This part wasn't bad and lasted for about a third of the book. So you basically spend 100 pages getting yourself invested in these characters and this mother and daughter relationship and Satomi's fierce desire to be a professional pianist. Then that entire story-line is completely dropped. You pretty much never hear about the piano playing again. Now we're onto a completely different topic, almost a completely different book, with a grown-up (yet no more mature) Satomi and the alternating voice of Rumi. Satomi never develops into a sympathetic character, which I was sure was going to happen, but never did. When Satomi speaks, it's all about how everything relates to her. The physical description of Rumi completely matches that of the author's picture on the book jacket. Also, to add to my irritation, there is a lengthy "Acknowledgments" at the end of the book where the author thanks everyone and gushes on about the characters having breathing room and richness and complexity, etc. It makes me want to say, listen, you did not just write War and Peace here. You wrote 300 pages of mediocre prose with a storyline that never seemed to have any certain direction. This author does have potential but this book was far from the "immensely satisfying debut" Ms. Livesey claims it to be on the back cover.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marie Mutsuki Mockett’s debut is an arresting story of three generations of Japanese women trying to come to terms with who they are. Now that’s a sentence that can be used to describe a boatload of books and doesn’t do this one justice. Mockett has a remarkable ability to infuse her story with subtle nuances so that a piano recital is infused with desperate tension, the discovery of a hidden artifact is limned with the supernatural, and a journey into the north of the Japan takes on the qualities of a fantastic quest. For a character-driven story, the plot takes unexpected turns that will leave the reader guessing all the way to the end. Picking Bones from Ash is a marvelous book.

The author will be performing at Vermin on the Mount in L.A.’s Chinatown on November 8, 2009.

www.vermin.blogs.com

[Johanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, this book should have been longer to unpack all the things and events that Mockett just rushes through. The first thing they teach you in creative writing is "show, don't tell". Apparently Mockett has never heard this, which makes me wonder what business she has writing a first novel at all. She telegraphs almost all the important events in the book for the reader, without letting the audience figure it out for themselves. It's like the story serves only the purpose of a few well-thought-out scenes, and even some of these are not so beautifully written or well-thought-out, but it's obvious Mockett did not have a good editor to check her impulses. If she wanted to write a short story, or a collection, she should have, because it doesn't seem she has the attention span to write a full-length novel.

Beyond the technical unevenness of this novel, the actual plot is laughably unbelievable and pretty contrived. Characters don't act like themselves and their dialogue is mostly made up of fortune-cookie sayings, as if everyone walks around spouting "important wisdom" every five minutes. There is no theme that I could discern from this mishmash, and there are some real holes (Rumi magically starts understanding Japanese somewhere in the last couple of chapters because she is no longer having words translated to her--maybe her "talent" is learning languages at a ridiculously quick rate!) . I love magical realism but the elements she tries to use are so poorly inserted, and so abruptly mentioned with a lame setup at the beginning, that it's beyond belief and insulting to one's intelligence

The positive: there are a couple of arresting scenes that show Mockett's promise--possibly as a short story writer, maybe, with some more work, as a novelist. The scene where she enters the "demon festival"....getting lost in the mountain area with the pools where there are frozen action figures all around....but a couple of beautiful scenes do not a novel make. This might have made a better movie, even.

I think, in the end, this book didn't know what it wanted to be, and it's getting good reviews because books about Japan sate people's Orientalist natures. But there are better books out there that talk about Japan and finding your own identity. And the people comparing Mockett to Murakami are not doing Mockett any favors not Murakami. Mockett is not the new Murakami. How can she be, when she doesn't even understand the basic tenets of creative writing?

[Tonya Plank · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book -- stayed up all night reading it! It takes place from the 1950s through early 1990s, between Japan, Paris and San Francisco, but mostly Japan, and tells the interlocking stories of two women, Satomi and Rumi.

Satomi, growing up in a small Japanese town in the 50s, is pushed hard to become a concert pianist by her single mother, who believes (correctly, it turns out -- at least in mid-20th Century Japan, and America) that "there is only one way a woman can be truly safe in this world. And that is to be fiercely, inarguably, and masterfully talented."

Satomi IS a talented pianist and those talents take her to Tokyo, then Paris and beyond. But she's never truly at home -- either in Europe or with the piano, and her mother's death and her consequent financial problems end her studies and she returns to small-town Japan, where, on top of being motherless, fatherless, careerless, and probably worst -- husbandless, she now feels like a foreigner.

The story then shifts to late 80s San Francisco, where Rumi, Satomi's daughter, is living with her American father, who has led her to believe her mother is dead. Rumi's father is an art dealer specializing in Asian artifacts, and, it turns out Rumi has a talent -- far greater than her father's -- for determining the date, authenticity and value of those artifacts. She is able to see into these objects, to hear the stories their makers tell her. Mockett beautifully describes this uncanny ability, and Rumi obviously inherits this talent to hear from Satomi.

Something is lacking in Rumi's life -- she has few friends and her father, jealous of her abilities, takes advantage of them. When one of the artifacts releases a ghost that begins to haunt her, Rumi, thinking the ghost may be that of her mother, is led back to Japan, to try to find out what happened. This is when I couldn't put the book down.

Apart from a deeply compelling characters, a suspenseful story, and richly detailed scenery, what I loved about this book was how much I learned about Japanese culture -- particularly in contrast to European and American culture (for example, Satomi's piano playing is considered too emotional in Tokyo, but lacking in passion by her Parisian teachers), about Buddhism -- the various fascinating protective gods and daemons, Japanese and Chinese artifacts and the history they represent, and the Japanese landscape. I read first for the plot, and now I have to go back and re-read for all the rich detail. And if it's a real place, I want badly to visit Muryojuji temple!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picking Bones From Ash is a stunning debut novel, about three generations of women living in Japan and the United States from just after WWII through the present day. Satomi, is a young girl growing up in the 1950's in a small Japanese village with her beautiful," single mother who owns a local pub. No one seems to know who the little girl's father is. The other women of the village are jealous of the mother's beauty and cruel to both mother and daughter, banning the two from the public bath.


Satomi's mother tells her daughter that she is a moon princess. She teaches her about fine objects and the importance of talent.

"My mother always told me that there is only one way a woman can be truly safe in this world. And that is to be fiercely, inarguably and masterfully talented."


Fortunately for Satomi, she does have natural talent. She is a talented piano player who gains some well deserved respect among from the village people. When Satomi grows up, she goes to Paris, France to study music. Her interactions with men seem to leave her unsure about who she can really trust. Later she has a daughter (part American) of her own.

While the focus of the first half of the book is on Satomi and her mother, the second half shifts to the US (San Francisco). In San Francisco, the focus is on Rumi, the daughter of Satomi, who lives with her father.

Part historical family saga, part coming of age story, part mystery/ghost story, Picking Bones From Ash was wonderful. We see the consequences of family secrets, what does and does not get revealed about us to our children, how those decisions affect us later on in life. In some ways this story reminded me of Amy Tan's stories: The Joy Luck Club, The Bonesetter's Daughter, two novels which I loved. An amazing story, Marie Mockett's debut novel had all of the elements I love in a great story. The story had great character development, beautiful writing style, and I loved the way the story which depicted the emotional strength of women. This book would make a great book club discussion selection, in my opinion. This novel is highly recommended.

[Taina · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 tähteä. Kolmen sukupolven naiset kamppailevat menneisyyden haamujen kanssa Japanissa ja Yhdysvalloissa. Alku oli vakuuttava, sen jälkeen tarinaan ilmaantui outoja aukkoja ja sekavuutta. Kuitenkin viihdyttävää matkalukemista Japanin reissulla :)

[switterbug (Betsey) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theme of mother-daughter bonds and the search for identity is explored in this novel. In the mountains of rural Japan, in 1954, Satomi lives with her mother, Akiko, who runs a pub, or *izakaya.* Satomi has sufficient talent to enter piano competitions and subsequently goes to college on a music scholarship; however, she struggles in her search for an authentic life. Her independence is nearly thwarted at various times by her cruel stepsisters and her penury. Additionally, a man she started a platonic but deep relationship with abruptly leaves to join a Buddhist monastery. She goes to Paris to study Western classical music and meets an enigmatic American man, Timothy. When Timothy mysteriously disappears, she has to make some bold decisions about her future.

The story then moves forward to the 1980's, San Francisco, and we are introduced to Satomi's daughter, Rumi. Now motherless--Satomi left her and her father when she was a baby--Rumi and her American father collect, sell and trade rare Asian artifacts. Rumi possesses a mystical talent: these artifacts "speak" to her in vibratory ways. Rumi believes that this talent is inexplicably bound to the hidden facts of her mother--and her mother's disappearance. This leads her to Japan, on a physical and spiritual journey to search and find the answers to her identity.

In non-linear narrative, the story weaves both Satomi and Rumi's lives together. The ethereal quality of the prose is often dreamlike and sensuous, and the author educates the reader well about the culture of rural Japan--the food; the religions; and material and spiritual aspects of Japanese life.

As the tale unfolds, however, the story loses its stride. The rich and promising beginning wobbles and wanes, and the story weakens in its intensity and focus. The secondary characters are generally thin, dotting the landscape of the novel in order to support the story of Rumi and Satomi, but otherwise not very interesting. Therefore, when characters from the 50's appear in the latter part of the story, they don't reverberate. By the end of the book, I felt that I was reading a tract on cultural anthropology. The information that the story imbibes is often fascinating, but the tale flattens . I have witnessed this before with first-time novelists, where the tone is inconsistent and the prose becomes too expository. Mockett is learned in her subject and gives us a portrait of Japanese culture, but there isn't enough *story* in this adventure. Or, rather, the story loses amplitude. The strength of the novel at the beginning carried me through, but I was disappointed with the withering denouement.

The sensuality and the poetic largess of this author is palpable. I suspect that she will acquire a deft novelistic command and finesse that will coalesce in her next novel.

[Jonathan Schildbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Mockett's "Where the Dead Pause and the Japanese Say Goodbye" a few years back, and this novel very much feels like a companion piece to that book. That is, all novelists borrow from their own lives and experiences to create their fictional worlds, and those connections are clear when you read both books. In both works, Mocket deals with themes of religion, tradition, death, ethnicity, culture, and belonging/not belonging/figuring out one's place in the world. Here, Mockett tells of three generations of women--all smart, skilled, and talented, but with gaps in their knowledge and understanding of their heritage, largely brought on by secrets their parents keep from them/family situations the mothers create and then abruptly change. I had no idea what to expect from this book, and will say that it is hard to explain what this book is about without delving too deeply into plot points that really don't represent the main thrust of the book. To be sure, there are mysteries to be solved--involving parentage, stolen objects, and the presence of ghosts, among other things--but those mysteries are somewhat secondary to the characters just struggling to understand life in general, and how they fit into the various worlds they come to occupy. There are great details and a sense of immersion in a wide range of settings and artistic pursuits, from cuisine in rural Japan, to studying piano in Paris, to international art dealing, to the temple culture that was at the core of "Where the Dead Pause." Overall, "Picking Bones from Ash" reminded me much more of Japanese novels than American novels in terms of the pacing and focus, as well as the dynamics between the characters--which is high praise given the content of the work.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an advanced copy from amazon
Satomi is a female character that is difficult to like. Self absorbed and stubborn she suffered her mother's demands with grace. Things in the story are not what they seem to be. Are the antiques real or fake? Are they legal or stolen? The tale is like the masks that the Japanese people wear, some wear real and freightening masks for festivals and some just facial expressions that hide thoughts and emotions. Satomi and Rumi each put forth great effort to please their one single parent. Both struggle with their identities, seeking to know who their parents are and who they themselves wish to be. Each has to escape from the parent to learn their true identity. Each struggles in her relationship with men; each does not know who to trust and maybe she should trust none of them. The second half of the book seems greatly removed from the first.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

How much information should be passed from mother to daughter? What is the purpose of withholding key information? Does the bond between mothers and daughters get strengthened or weakened when one or both are blessed with astounding talents? By setting this beautiful story in Japan and, briefly, in San Francisco, Marie Mutsuki Mockett ponders the cultural differences in answering these questions she raises. However, it is the Japanese settings that prove most fascinating to the western reader.

Employing two voices, Mockett writes in a variety of styles, throwing in a soupcon of mystical realism which adds to the mysteries. What is most memorable is the description of temples, landscapes, Japanese festivals, all rendered with almost a painterly sensibility, rich and sensuous.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as you're getting into the story of Satomi, a young woman growing up in the 1950s whose mother encourages her classical music training in order to help her escape the poverty of her upbringing outside the major cities of Japan, Marie's novel fast forwards twenty years into the future, as Rumi, Satomi's daughter, starts prodding at everything she's been told about her mother's death. (And how, you'll be asking yourself, did Satomi end up with THIS man instead of THAT one?)

Marie brings these two stories together effectively, and not without a few surprises, even once you think you know where the convergence is headed.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A generational saga divided into five parts, Picking Bones from Ash follows the lives of Satomi and her estranged daughter Rumi, detailing their upbringings, (briefly unexplained) separation, and (reluctant and poorly planned) reunification.

The most fascinating element of this piece was the juxtaposition of traditional Japanese culture and modern Western sensibilities. These conflicting values and practices shaped the characters' experiences and warred throughout the story. It was represented in Satomi's music and travel, in Rumi's fine art studies and prophetic gifts. This may have been inspired by Mockett's own upbringing, as she is the daughter of a Japanese mother and American father. The first third of the book actually heavily reminded me of the manga/anime Your Lie in April, although everything piano-related was abruptly left behind, turning the story into something empty and incomplete. Related themes of isolation and loneliness pervaded the lives of Satomi's mother, Satomi herself, and Rumi. They all struggled to belong to their societies and environments and never truly fit in.

What I did not care for in this book was how choppy, scattered, and unfinished the narrative felt. There were so many more avenues that could have been explored and issues that could have been addressed; the ending was forced and rushed. Many of the characters were also unlikeable - Francois' behaviour with both Satomi and Rumi was abusive, but was problematically depicted as loving. Both him and Timothy made me uncomfortable and were absolutely abhorrent people using Satomi for their own gains, and no one in the story seemed to receive the support and love they needed. The ending and relationship between Rumi and Satomi was also awful. I wanted to scream. Plus Japanese culture seemed to be much more heavily criticised than American culture; perhaps it was an unjust misinterpretation, but I am tired of the idea that America is a haven for the misfits of the world. In practice outcasts abound internationally, citizens of the US included; every culture has its advantages and disadvantages depending on your expectations and mindset.

If you want a novel steeped in the cultures and myth of Japan then this may be appealing, buutttt you may quickly develop compassion fatigue from all the surrounding ridiculousness.

[Giulia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

This was a very difficult book to rate. Overall, I see a lot of wasted potential. As a disclaimer I have to say that I always have problems with US literature, American culture and settings are among my least favourite and I find its literature irritating most of the time, too straightforward, presumptuous (with a few exceptions of course). Although there's a lot of Japan in this book I could sense the American influence and I didn't enjoyed the book as I wished.

So, this is a novel about identity but it doesn't go deep enough on it, definitely very superficial with Rumi, not as much with Satomi but the time skips steal the opportunity to do more.
I didn't like any of the characters, but it's not necessarily a bad thing per se if the characters are interesting. Satomi is interesting, I enjoyed her chapters (probably linked to the more in-depth analysis the author has done on her). On the contrary, I couldn't wait to finish Rumi's chapters.
As other people have said, the first half is better than the second half (not a coincidence that Rumi is introduced here). To be a multigenerational novel, I feel the whole book is too rushed and a lot is missing.
The dialogues are another problem. Honestly, who speaks like this? Way too unrealistic, I was cringing most of the time.

So 2.5, I've been reading with expectation for something that never came.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A haunting and evocative novel about family, mothers and daughters, and secrets. We learn the story first of Satomi, a daughter of a single mother in post-war Japan, then of her half-American daughter Rumi, and finally of their joined story as Rumi searches for the mother she thought was dead. Japanese Buddhism and Shintoism is interwoven through out the story, lending a mythical feel to the novel.

There are a few minor things I thought could have improved it (some parts felt rushed, and a couple loose ends weren't tied up), but on the whole I found it to be very well-written and compelling. The writing is lush, intelligent, and readable. I thought the plot was well done and ended well without being overly sad or sappy. I appreciate how we see two different points of view and learn that neither is perhaps a 100% reliable narrator. I also, somewhat surprisingly, enjoyed the supernatural elements -- it was not hard to suspend my disbelief and they fit right in to the story without feeling overdone or out of place. Overall, I recommend this interesting and unique novel.

[amal_is_reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book was a bit of a roller-coaster. I started quite slow, trying to get into the writing style and getting to know the characters. Then I thought it got interesting, however towards the middle it was getting slow again.

I did enjoy it and towards the end, I think there was something profound I should feel about this book but I can't really put my finger on it. It was interesting enough to keep me reading until the end but I won't say that this book is one of the best I've read.

However, reading about the Japanese culture is really eye-opening since I'm not familiar with the culture.

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This starts off so promising over the first maybe 30+ pages, but at some point there's a precipitous drop in the basic quality of the writing.

Even though I've read a ton of books I can't remember a single one that goes off a cliff as dramatically as this does. It's almost like it was designed by the writer to hook the reader based on a sample, and then she just word-saladed the rest

But then why is it so long? I even skipped ahead to a few points to see if it was simply a rough patch, but nope. I really did love the beginning though - elequent and playful, a rare combo to find these days.

[Heather Emerick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of the story was great, but I felt that the second half was missing something, which made the plot feel a bit rushed. However, this was a hard book to put down and I enjoyed it overall.

[Janet Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book...learned a lot about Japanese culture and family life....the anime aspect was a bit different, but still a great read. Have also read other books by this author, I like her writing style.

[Tangi Hodulik · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange book, but I found I enjoyed it.

[Joni Sensel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deftly woven multi-generation story.

[Allegra Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just a beautiful beautiful book. A memoir, a quest, a meditation, an exploration of Japan, a work of memory, grief, and resilience. I would follow Mockett anywhere.

[Moira · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I felt that a book was telling itself to me. Like I was being read to, never mind the fact that I'm the one holding the book, moving my eyes across the page. It's a spooky feeling, and not an inappropriate one for this fleet and haunted novel.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing that I noticed as I read was the striking similarity in tone between this novel and the work of Amy Tan. It is a great compliment to the writer that Tan’s approval of the story appears on the book’s cover. It is deserving of such praise- “A book of intelligence and heart.” It is a book of great promise, and it delivers on so many levels. There are a few areas, however, where the story strays a bit too far from where it seems to be going.

The dual narratives of Satomi and her daughter Rumi tell the story of the roads that each of them take to find themselves reunited with their history in Northern Japan. It begins with Satomi, and her early life with her mother. She is groomed to be a concert pianist and has the potential to become one of the best in the world. To further that potential, her mother marries a man with two daughters who is willing to pay for Satomi’s piano lessons and to send her to the best schools. Her mother pushes her to be the best, while she stays home and becomes the mother that the other girls need her to be.

Their master plan is derailed when Satomi is in Paris, where she is studying music. Her mother dies, and she is left all alone in the world, cast in the role of the ungrateful daughter. Her inheritance is kept from her to pay the family debts, and she finds herself without a home. Her only connections are to two gaijin, an American that she thinks she loves and an Englishman who says he loves her. While one serves his sentence in a Japanese prison, she follows the other, Francois, to San Francisco and becomes his partner in an antiques shop. Eventually, she gives birth to his daughter. She realizes that she is not happy, that she will never be happy where she is, and she makes her escape.

The central focus of the novel is Rumi’s quest to be reunited with the mother that she thought had died so long ago. She goes to Japan trying to find a woman that, for all intents and purposes, does not exist. The story of their reunion is somewhat stilted, but fairly realistic in terms of the emotions surrounding the event. What is not all that realistic is person that Satomi has become in the time since she has returned to Japan. That Satomi is a charactericture of the artist that she once was, that she wanted to be so desperately. The change she undergoes is a few too many steps in the different direction that she sought to take with her life – at least on the surface. That part could have easily been toned down and the integrity of the story been maintained.

Another element of the story that does not seem to fit with the rest of story is the ability Rumi has to hear the voices of the objects that she and her father keep in their store. She claims to actually hear their voices. They, conveniently, tell her their origin, age, and whether or not they have been altered. She also sees a ghost that leads her to the discovery of a very significant object, one that helps her to discover that her mother is still alive. These are the only two supernatural/magical/fantastical elements to the story, and they stick out like sore thumbs. They do not fit the mood of the rest of the novel. Again, these elements could have been removed and the events surrounding them reworked without damaging the integrity of the narrative. This story is more than strong enough on its own merits; gimmicks were not necessary.

The story ends with the beginnings of a real family, for both Satomi and Rumi. It is interesting, given recent events, that a small earthquake marks the beginning of their new lives. I assume it will be the same for all of Japan in the days and weeks ahead.

Picture two equally matched sumo wrestlers leaning against each other in a ring deep below the earth’s surface, and you have an idea of the forces that have shaped Japan. The silent and insistent pushing of the earth’s Pacific and Asian plates forced the earth’s crust up through the ocean floor where it pooled, hardened, and then rose ever upward in a geological elevator until it punctured the waters of the Pacific like a breaching whale. The resulting structure, the island of Japan, isn’t completely steady, and it is a frequent victim of earthquakes as the two wrestlers deep beneath the land’s surface struggle to gain advantage.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those rare books for me that I really liked even though I didn’t particularly care for any of the characters. While I could understand some of the motivation behind Atsuko, Satomi’s mother, she’s a rather cold mother and some of the choice she makes really bothered me. She marries in order to provide Satomi with the schooling she needs to be a concert pianist and then proceeds to push Satomi away from her. Satomi is young girl just trying to please her mother and to get her mother’s approval. And this is the section of the book where I like her most. At times she’s selfish and competitive but I still saw the girl who was trying to find her place. Then, unfortunately she makes some very poor choices and ends up with some not so good guys and things go down hill fast. By the end of the first section she’s living in America with a man she doesn’t love and a little baby to care for.

The second section of the book picks up with Satomi’s daughter Rumi. Living in San Fransisco with her father Francois and paying for her mother’s poor choices. This is where I started to not enjoy the characters. The men in the book are ineffectual at best and extremely creepy and dubious at worst. I didn’t like either Francois (Rumi’s father) and I really didn’t like Snowden, a family friend who sends Rumi on her journey to find out more about her past.

The third and final section take place back in Japan, where Rumi flees to follow a ghost (an actual ghost, but don’t worry it works in the story) to find out more about her past and the mysteries surrounding her mother. There are bits of this section where it just gets odd and I had a hard time with all the characters and how they acted. But, at least it was an interesting weird, if you know what I mean?

Here’s what I liked about this books. It’s steeped with a culture I know very little about but find very interesting. It’s full of magical realism (a term I’m just getting to know but turns out I like this kind of book-where I used to think I didn’t). Both Satomi and Rumi see ghosts. Rumi even follows a ghost from San Fransisco to Japan to find out what it’s trying to tell her. Rumi can hear objects speak to hear, like musical instruments, they tell her about their lives and history.

The story is also filled with insight into the Japanese culture and attitudes. Mockett fills the story with facts about both the Buddhist and Shinto religions. So, while I didn’t really care some of the characters (and I really disliked the most the men) I did enjoy this book and look forward to seeing what Mutsuki Mockett writes next.

Another thing The Book Girl. at For the Love of Books, asked in my Wondrous Words Wednesday post if having to look up words detracts from the reading experience. And I’d have to say, for at least the last few, the answer would be no. I’ve had words, and more than a few, in this story, the Maisie Dobbs series, and another book I’ll be reviewing-When We Were Strangers I didn’t know. I’m usually able to glean what the words means in its context, so I’ll mark the page with a post-it (yes, I’m just that geeky and keep post-its with my book) then look it up later to see if I was right and find out the exact meaning. Every now and then I’ll have to stop to look up the word and that doesn’t really seem to bother me either. I know it’s easier to do with e-books because they offer a look-up feature. I guess this is another plus of e-readers, though I’m still not feeling the love for them. So, I guess the quick answer is, I haven’t found it to be a problem and I’m really enjoying actually learning new words.

I received this book from Greywolf Press.

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picking Bones from Ash, by Marie Mutsuki Mockett, is a beautiful and almost-haunting novel that explores the struggles mothers and daughters face when trying to understand each other across cultures and generations. I was instantly moved by Mockett's choice of words. Each one feels like it was hand-picked for the novel after careful consideration. There is a lightness and a beauty to the descriptive prose in this novel that consumed me. I felt my own emotions being altered based on what was happening to the primary women in the story.

The story opens with Satomi, a young girl who lives in a tiny Japanese town with her mother, an elusive and playful woman who is mysterious as she is beautiful. Akiko (Satomi's mother who reminds me of a calmer Ingrid, from White Oleander) encourages her to harvest her talent as a pianist, because the "only way a woman can be truly safe in this world...is to be fiercely, inarguably, and masterfully talented." (pg. 3) After becoming a social pariah, Akiko sacrifices herself into marriage in order to provide her daughter with the expensive education she needs to succeed.

The story revolves around three generations of women in the family, Akiko, Satomi and Rumi, Satomi's American daughter who is deeply affected by the choices Satomi makes in her life (because, really, all of our lives are defined by the choices of our parents). The five parts of the book are narrated by Satomi or Rumi, depending on the moment in time the story is telling. I think it was a wonderful choice by Mockett, giving us the story through the eyes of the two women who are struggling with the secrets of their mothers. It is Akiko's secrets that are of ultimate importance to the end of the story, so to hear her voice would not have been as effective.

The descriptions in Japan are some of the most beautiful I have read. Mockett does an excellent job blending the very Japanese and American backgrounds of the women, and includes a lot of ancient lore in brilliant retelling. I especially adored the use of magical realism, when Rumi (an American, trained by her father in object authentication) starts listening to ancient objects to determine their authenticity. It was reminiscent of her mother's natural musical talent.

All in all, I was enamored with this book from the very beginning. The struggle between mother and daughter, between past and present, between Eastern and Western cultures. And while Satomi's desire to start her life anew is understandable given the circumstances she is put in, we cannot escape our family, our history. Sometimes we must unlock the secrets of our mothers, in order to understand ourselves.

Picking Bones from Ash is Mockett's first novel, published by Graywolf Press on October 1, 2009. It was shortlisted for the 2010 Saroyan Prize, named as a Finalist for the 2010 Paterson Fiction Prize, and long-listed for the Asian American Literary Awards. You can find more information about the novel at http://www.pickingbonesfromash.com/, and you can join me in stalking the author at http://www.mariemockett.blogspot.com/ or on twitter @MarieMockett.


***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by Graywolf Press in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own***

[Michelle]

Picking Bones from Ash is one of those subtle stories that has more depth than a reader initially realizes. Not just a ghost story, this is ultimately a story about family - what brings one together and what tears one apart. For those unfamiliar with Japan and their culture, Ms. Mockett introduces the reader to the intricacies of Japanese families, the beauty of its geography, and the grandeur of its religious sites while bridging the gap between East and West with a story that resonates no matter who is reading it.

Told in three distinct sections, the strongest of these belongs to Satomi as a young girl. As a girl who is desperately seeking love and acceptance by her mother, whose main goal is to see her daughter succeed, the reader's heart goes out to this conflicted narrator as she struggles to determine whether her fate lies with piano or elsewhere.

My mother always told me that there is only one way a woman can be truly safe in this world. And that is to be fiercely, inarguably, and masterfully talented. (pg. 3)

Love through talent - this drive on the part of Atsuko can resonate with readers who have been pushed down career paths or into after-school activities that they may not want in an effort to live up to their parents' expectations. Satomi's plight takes on greater resonance when she experiences life in the West and the pull of another way of life.

Rumi's story, as she unravels bits of her past, is not quite as compelling. Her relationship with her father is not as angst-filled or torturous, and Rumi is not as spirited or as willing to defy tradition and her family as her mother was. This makes for a less intriguing narrator. The Gothic feel of this section is a bit jarring as well, as it is out of place from the rest of the novel.

The two sections come together quite nicely during the denouement, as the reader understands the symbolism behind Satomi's and Rumi's stories. As they come together and meet face-to-face, the reader gets a clearer picture of the complexities of the Japanese culture and how the two main religions have created this unique landscape. More importantly, the reader gets the chance to delve into the ideas behind parenthood and the sacrifices that being a parent may or may not entail. Atsuko is quite a different mother than Satomi, but is either one right or wrong? Ultimately, it is up to the reader to decide.

Picking Bones from Ash was a great introduction to the nuances and beliefs behind the Japanese culture. Satomi is a strong character, and her problems finding her path in her world resonates well with the reader. The rest of the cast is not quite as strong, and the story itself loses steam as Ms. Mockett deviates from Satomi's quest. Thankfully, the stunning descriptions and flawless prose balance these minor concerns, and the overall story is one that is poignant in its simplicity but lingers like a fine wine upon one's palate. For a reader who is looking for a way to broaden his or her horizons and become acquainted with another culture without straying too far from the familiar, Picking Bones from Ash is a great novel to accomplish this.

[Clif Hostetler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel uses a story about three generations of women to explore Japanese culture and its differences from Western culture. Using the three perspectives of the grandmother (born and lived in Japan), the mother (born in Japan but exposed to Western culture), and the daughter (born and raised in the USA) the book explores the differences in culture viewed from the inside looking out and from the outside looking in. The story is filled with unanswered questions--the mother never learns who her father is, and the daughter is told that her mother is dead but can’t get clear answers to where she is buried. It is the daughter’s premonitions that lead her to travel to Japan to seek answers. Will her questions be answered? You’ll need to read the book to find out.

I disagreed with many of the editorial reviews of the book that say that the best part of the book is the first part. I thought the early part of the story was a fairly flat coming-of-age narrative. It wasn’t until the first person narrative by the daughter later in the book that I felt like the story was getting interesting. I wanted to know what had happened to the mother. The questions kept getting piled up until near the end we learn some of the answers. The daughter never learned to speak the Japanese language so her trip to Japan came close to being that of a typical American tourist.

I thought it was a good book. It’s an informal way to learn about Japanese culture, their burial customs in particular. Toward the end of the book the differences between Shinto and Buddhist practices are described. Along the way there are many informal differences in cultural attitudes that are mentioned such as how one should use the hands to point when explaining directions. This book also describes the world of buying, selling, and (in some cases) stealing oriental antiques. Parts of the story take place in Japan, Paris and San Francisco, so it has a bit of an international flavor.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm amazed that more people have not heard of this or read it. I thought it was wonderful. The plot begins with Satomi, a young girl in Japan whose single mother makes sure she nurtures her artistic talent. Eventually, the mother marries, and Satomi feels pushed aside in her mother's affection by her step-sisters. We follow many twists and turns as Satomi tries to find her way as a young adult.

The story then jumps in space and time, and we discover Rumi, Satomi's daughter, being raised in California by her father. Satomi is nowhere in evidence. Rumi's life is very different from what Satomi's had been, but we see her too searching for something elusive that is missing from her life.

The parallels and contrasts among these two young women's lives form the basis of the interwoven story-line. The relationships among parent and child, especially among mothers and daughters, are pivotal throughout the entire book. The culture of Japan and its special reverence for ancestors plays a critical role as well.

I found myself much more sympathetic to Satomi as a girl than as an adult. But even when I didn't like her much, I found her fascinating. Rumi and the other characters, especially Saromi's mother and the various men in their lives, are complex and intriguing as well.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the book is mainly about the three generations of women (Akoki, Satomi, and Rumi) and how they affect each other, the story is also about family in general. The story shows how women are affected by their mothers and their mother's decisions and also how the rest of our family has an influence on women.

The book is divided into five sections which alternate between different points in time for the characters of Satomi and Rumi.

The characters in this story are quite realistic, well written, and have various types of personalities. There are about thirty characters in total, but ten of those have major roles in the story.

The story has moments of shock and mystery, as well as familiar scenarios that we deal with in our lives (ex. loss, love, etc).

The story contains many aspects of Japanese culture, such as food, ceremonies, traditions, etc.

The story goes at a good pace and I never lost interest in the story.

[Do Mai · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning, beautiful, haunting debut, Marie Mutsuki Mockett's Picking Bones from Ash has earned itself a place among the novels of Amy Tan and Lisa See. Mockett's writing is lyrical and expressive, but also unashamedly and clearly not a completely Western style, which might make this a difficult read for many, but also a perfect book for many East and Southeast women - perhaps South and West, too. The story, too, reflects Eastern styles of storytelling and thought, as it should, being a book written by Mockett and written about a Japanese family. One of the most compelling aspects of Picking Bones from Ash, however, must be in the mysticism, the way that Mockett presents the spiritual culture as valid and true. To have this part of Japanese culture - and of many other Asian cultures - validated, to have what otherwise is often deemed as absurd and ridiculous when it is a core part of the people's lives - has left a resounding impression that is unshakable.