With Seattle as the backdrop, specifically Chinatown and Nihonmachi (Japantown) and the finding of the belongings of a number of Japanese families in the basement of The Panama Hotel in 1986 as the catalyst Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet tells the story of Henry and Keiko.
Jumping back and forth from 1986 and 1942-45 the story unfolds and you get to know Henry and understand how he ended up the man he has become.
Henry was born in Seattle to Chinese parents. His father is very traditional and longs for home. His parents speak almost know English but refuse to allow Henry to speak Cantonese to them so communication is almost impossible. On top of the language barrier is Henry's father's ultra-traditional views and hatred of everything and everyone Japanese for what Japan is doing to his beloved China.
Keiko was born in Seattle to parents also born in the US but her grandparents came here from Japan. Her family lives in Nihonmachi. She doesn't speak Japanese and has never been out of the country. She is American first and foremost. But it doesn't stop people from hating them because they are of Japanese descent and her family gets rounded up and sent to an internment camp.
Before the internment Henry and Keiko meet at school where they are both on scholarship and both the only non-white students. They bond over steam trays of slop working in the school cafeteria.
Henry is such a brave and strong boy and Keiko is such a sweet and open girl. Their story spans decades and is moving and beautiful.
(finished May 29, 2013)
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