The Ghosts of Okuma

The author, Mitch Wieland, is the Writer in Residence for the State of Idaho. True to that honor, he has delivered a multi-level, yet readable story in this book. The Roth family has been torn apart by the unexplained suicide of the mother and the disappearance of the elder sister. To boot, the father is semi-catatonic, refusing to leave the house and wallowing in grief. Somehow, the sixteen-year-old son, Wyatt, gets his father on a plane to search for his missing sister somewhere in Japan. While in Japan, Wyatt is taken up by a neighbor girl, Yoshimi, who assists him in his search, while also leading him to unlikely spots like hostess bars and punk music pop-ups. Thankfully, he is also aided by his Mother’s oldest friend, who is a TV star in Japan. She is the center of the search since she alone seems self-possessed and capable. Yoshimi’s family is also torn apart by the blast in Fukushima of a nuclear power plant, which has rendered her hometown unhabitable. The refugees, like Yoshimi, live in a neverland of loss and government betrayal. This book has surprising and relevant subtexts. It is an amazing book.