“Pride is largely a male thing, Ojosama. You may never fully understand it.” “But Obaasama talks about it all the time too and she’s not a man.” Akiko snorted. Her hand flew to cover her mouth and she looked down, clearly restraining further laughter. “Your esteemed grandmother is . . . not like most women, little madam.” (p.97)
“It is good for a woman to learn silence,” her mother always said. “If a woman knows nothing else, she should know how to be silent.” (p. 3). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
The story of Noriko “Nori” Kamiza, a part Japanese and part African American girl, started when she was eight years old in 1948. Her mother abandoned her at the estate of her grandparents, Lady Yuko and Lord Kohei Kamiza, in Kyoto. Lady Yuko, Obaasama to Nori, accepted her into the royal household but is clearly ashamed of her and abused her in various ways. First, she confined her to an attic for years. During this time, she instructed her maid, Akiko, to give Nori chemical baths in hopes that her skin could be lightened. The grandmother saw Nori infrequently, and when she did, she paddled her for no apparent reason. The grandfather ignored her as though he could wish away her existence.
It wasn’t until Nori’s half brother, Akira, came to live with Lady Yuko that Nori’s life changed slightly. Akira was a legitimate heir to the Kamiza fortune, and he was treated with kindness and nurtured to rule someday. He appealed to his grandmother to allow Nori to leave the attic for limited times and even get outside in the garden for fresh air. At first, Nori was just a nuisance to Akira, but in time he grew genuinely fond of her and protected his cherished sibling in many ways. Akira was an accomplished violinist and musician, and he began to teach Nori to play the violin and appreciate classical music. The music that they both learned to love becomes an important literary device in the novel. Music is involved when new characters were introduced and when the plot progressed. Music led Nori to significant life-changing relationships, and the musical selections she learned from her brother carry meaningful symbols throughout her life.
Each time it seems that her grandparents were gaining some appreciation for Nori’s humanity, the reader is reminded how much Lady Yuko despises her “bastard” granddaughter and preferred to see her dead. When Nori was eleven, they sold her to a brothel owned by the Kamizas to be groomed for eventual sale. Although this a disturbing element in the plot, Kiyomi, who runs the brothel, seemed to take a positive interest in protecting Nori and Nori actually made a friend there.
Without providing spoilers, Nori reunited with her brother, and two of his friends eventually played significant roles in her life that contributed to her gaining strength and independence. A great tragedy occurs just as things are looking better for Nori’s fate. Her resilience is challenged many times throughout the story, yet she remains kind, curious, reflective, and stalwart. She eventually learns more about her natural mother’s story and continues throughout her life to find solace by climbing trees. The tree pictured on the book’s cover has layers of symbolism for this story—her family tree is an obvious element. With carefully crafted language, the tree also represented Nori’s ability to escape, survive, and develop.
