After the Bloom

Starred review from April 1, 2017
From a young age, Lily Takemitsu has experienced blackouts in her memory tied to traumatic experiences. Shielding her from sexual abuse early on, they became more frequent during the time she spent at an internment camp for Japanese Americans during WWII. Later in life, these blackouts have become deletions of entire years of her life, including her time at the camp. Then, one day, Lily vanishes. Lily's daughter, Rita, has never known much of her mother's past. When pressed for information, Lily would become dreamy and confused, a never-ending annoyance to Rita's quest for answers about her own family history. Once Lily disappears, Rita must put together the pieces of her mother's past in the hope that it will lead her to Lily. Split between Lily's and Rita's alternating points of view, Shimotakahara's (The Reading List, 2012) first novel is a compelling work of historical fiction that scrutinizes how the experience and conditions of internment had a shattering cultural effect on Japanese Americans. Shimotakahara's writing is personal and entrancing, unflinchingly shining a light on this difficult part of history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)