Top reads of 2015 – numbers 15 and 16

Two books by the same author which I read and loved in 2015…

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

It is the 1980s and our protagonist, Henry, finds himself reminiscing as he sights an old parasol being unearthed from the Panama Hotel in Seattle…

Going back 40 years, we find out more about Henry’s childhood, with his strict, prejudiced Chinese father and passive mother. He is forced to speak English to his parents to Americanise himself – yet his parents only speak Cantonese, so this further alienates him from them. He gets bullied at his American school, but when he meets Japanese Keiko, everything changes…

I really loved this book. It was a sad story but I liked the character of Henry and finding out about his past.

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford

This novel also centres around a young boy in Seattle – a boy called William who is living in an orphanage when he spots an actress he becomes convinced is his mother.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and found it very easy to read with a compelling storyline. It is extremely sad in places and I felt so sorry for William and, later, for the actress Willow, who both find themselves in situations out of their control.

Read my full review of Willow Frost here…

 

Advertisement