Book Review: The Floating Girl

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Floating Girl     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Sujata Massey
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Ethnic
Series: Rei Shimura # 4
Harper, May 2000, $24.00, 304 pp.

Japanese-American Rei Shimura leaves her San Francisco home where her family lives to immigrate to Japan. She hopes to find work as a museum curator. Though she speaks the language fluently and has family in the country, Rei learns that it is almost impossible for foreigners to attain a decent job. Determined to remain in her the country of her ancestors, Rei opens up an antique business. She scouts flea markets and estate sales for merchandise to sell to foreigners interested in Japanese antiquities. Rei supplements her income by writing articles for the Gaijin Times, an English language magazine targeting the foreign population residing in Japan.

When the editor leaves the magazine, the owner decides to change the format so that the Gaijin Times would look like the popular manga art form seen in comic books and animation. Rei is persuaded to write an article about the daujimshi, amateur works of popular comic book icons such as Mars Girl. However, her straightforward human-interest story takes a homicidal twist, one that Rei is determined to solve. She dearly wants as an exclusive for her magazine.

THE FLOATING GIRL is a special novel that immerses the audience into Japanese culture. It is fascinating to see all the subtle ways a foreigner is discriminated against by citizens who treat the immigrants as pesky guests who have outstayed their welcome. The heroine’s determination to live in Japan despite the xenophobic sentiment is laudable. The entertaining mystery has many red herrings and unexpected turns, but the heart of Sujata Massey’s compelling story resides in the characters who make living in Tokyo that an exciting but realistic adventure.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner