A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780143128250)

In the tradition of Memoirs of a Geisha and The Piano Teacher, a heart-wrenching debut novel of family, forgiveness, and the exquisite pain of love

When Amaterasu Takahashi opens the door of her Philadelphia home to a badly scarred man claiming to be her grandson, she doesn't believe him. Her grandson and her daughter, Yuko, perished nearly forty years ago during the bombing of Nagasaki. But the man carries with him a collection of sealed private letters that open a Pandora's Box of family secrets Ama had sworn to leave behind when she fled Japan. She is forced to confront her memories of the years before the war: of the daughter she tried too hard to protect and the love affair that would drive them apart, and even further back, to the long, sake-pouring nights at a hostess bar where Ama first learned that a soft heart was a dangerous thing. Will Ama allow herself to believe in a miracle?

Author: Jackie Copleton
ISBN-10: 0143128256
ISBN-13: 9780143128250
Publisher: Penguin Books
Language: English
Published: 12/01/2015
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.30w x 0.70d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2015
Publishers Weekly 10/12/2015
Library Journal 12/01/2015 pg. 89
BookPage 12/01/2015