Love and Infamy

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Highly regarded sportswriter ( Everybody's All American ) and author of an affecting chronicle of his daughter's death ( Alex ), Deford debuts as a novelist with an engrossing story of political and personal intrigue that takes place in Japan before and during WW II, and that contrasts the irreconcilable gulf between cultures with the unbreakable bonds of love and friendship. In 1940, Japanese-born, Yale-educated Cotton Drake returns to his birthplace as a rookie Episcopal missionary. There he is briefly reunited with his lifelong friend, Harvard alumnus Kiyoshi Okuno, on leave from his job in Hawaii to marry Miyuki, sister of a mutual childhood friend, Takeo Serikawa, who as leader of a failed mutiny has committed seppuku . Soon afterward, Kiyoshi is sent back to Honolulu as a spy to facilitate Admiral Yamamoto's attack on the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor. Cotton, suspecting treachery and in turmoil over his own feelings for Miyuki, is inexorably drawn into the intrigue as both he and Kiyoshi become morally compromised by acts they perform in the name of patriotism. Right up to the surprising and suspenseful climax, the book rings with historical authenticity and vivid descriptions of exotic landscapes and Shinto ritual. There are sharp portraits of historical characters: Admiral Yamamoto, for instance, never sounds more believable than when he's using baseball as a metaphor for Japanese-American relations. The real coup is that, despite an oft-used setting, Deford has created fresh characters and a consistently captivating story of romance, politics and the clash of two cultures. 35,000 first printing; author tour. (Dec.)

Library Journal

An American raised by his missionary parents in prewar Japan, Cotton Drake has a profound love for the country and its people. As a young man he decides not to marry the woman he loves and instead follows the path of his father as a missionary in Japan. Kiyoshi, his best friend since childhood, is at first stunned by this decision. Kiyoshi himself is facing some difficult choices as he leaves the world of business to go to Hawaii and spy on the American military there. As plans for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor become evident to them both, Kiyoshi is the first to realize that he must make a heartbreaking decision: to help or stop his friend from warning the United States. Like all well-written historical fiction, Deford's book holds the reader in great anticipation and uncertainty about a specific moment in history. By a veteran sports columnist who is also the author of Alex ( LJ 6/15/86), this novel is essential for all fiction collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 8/93.-- Margaret Hanes, Sterling Hgts. P . L . , Mich.

School Library Journal

YA-Cotton Drake, son of missionaries in Japan, and Kiyoshi Serikawa meet in the fourth grade and become best friends, inseparable until they choose different U.S. colleges. Each has grown to love the other's homeland, but they return to Japan to enter business together in 1936. Politics and intrigue slowly alter the relationship between the two men, as events move inexorably toward the attack on Pearl Harbor. Deford presents an important view of the start of World War II, with Emperor Hirohito and Admiral Yamamoto lending credibility to the plot. The main characters and their motivations are believable, yet the central focus of the novel is on the Japanese as a people. Their perceptions of duty, honor, family, sex, work, and religion are woven into the story; differences between Japanese and American thoughts and ways are portrayed with understanding and respect. Despite very minor stylistic flaws, the book is a welcome contrast to Michael Crichton's Rising Sun (Knopf, 1992) and could serve as a prequel. YAs will like the fast pace, strong love interest, and highly readable historical treatment.-Judy Sokoll, Fairfax County Public Library, VA