When a retired schoolteacher discovers bundles of old letters little did she know that two writers would be able to piece together a love affair that spanned years and countries. A treasure trove of more than 800 letters chronicles the love affair between an English officer, Arthur Hart-Synnot, and the Japanese woman who loved and waited for him, Masa Suzuki.
In 1904 Britain and Japan have formed an alliance and the young military officer, Arthur Hart-Synnnot boards a ship to Japan. He arrives in Tokyo in hopes of advancing his military career and with his aptitude for languages he devotes his time to studying Japanese. Meanwhile, Masa, the 26 year-old daughter of a barber, has a failed marriage and any hopes of finding another husband are nil. She goes to work at the Army Officer's Club and there meets Arthur.
They quickly form a friendship even if their conversations were limited due to the language difficulty but Arthur was most definitely interested in Masa, or "Dolly" as he started to call her. And, Masa was also taken in by him. It was still a bit of a shock when he offered her a job keeping house for him only after a few weeks of meeting. Masa understood that for many foreigners the role of housekeeper often led to more intimate relations but she also was practical and knew that she could earn more money and have more comforts so she persuades her family to give their consent in allowing the relationship.
Arthur and Masa visit many places throughout Japan, which are beautifully described in the book, but they always seemed to live on the fringe. Their relationship was not readily accepted by either the British officers nor by other Japanese families. However Arthur's time in Tokyo is not limitless. He'll have to go on assignments that take him away from Masa but they maintain a correspondence that serves as a promise from both that they will reunite. The two lovers do reunite at times but Arthur's military career is first and foremost and he joins in the battlefields during WWI.
This is a sweeping story that takes you to a time and place both far away. I enjoyed every bit of it even if I wasn't so convinced of Arthur's love for Masa. I have no doubt he did care for her but there are several revelations that make me think he was also selfish and unrealistic about his life with Masa.
Added 09/07