East is East by T C Boyle (9/81)

Category: The Complete Works of: T C Boyle

I wanted to devote a whole category to the work of one author and I chose T C Boyle because I’d enjoyed two of his books and that co-incidentally left another 9 novels currently available (although I believe another is due out soon).

East is East is about Hiro, a 20 year old Japanese cook who jumps off a ship bound for the USA, but rather than landing on the mainland, he ends up on Tupelo Island, off Georgia. Due to a series of misunderstandings with the islands locals, Hiro finds himself a wanted man.

Like “The Tortilla Curtain” by the same author, this is a book about culture clashes and suspicion of foreigners. The book does make a serious point about this distrust, but it avoids being preaching to the reader by surrounding that message with colourful characters, unusual situations and some incredibly witty observations.

I doubt that reading this book will change anyone’s life, but I enjoyed reading it and hope I enjoy the rest of his books as much.

And with that, I have now read one book from each category!