The Nile on eBay Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara
A New York Times Best Mystery Novel of 2021Set in 1944 Chicago, Edgar Award-winner Naomi Hirahara's eye-opening and poignant new mystery,the story of a young woman searching for the truth about her revered older sister's death, brings to focus the struggles of one Japanese American family released from mass incarceration at Manzanar during World War II.Chicago, 1944- Twenty-year-old Aki Ito and her parents have just been released from Manzanar, where they have been detained by the US government since the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, together with thousands of other Japanese Americans. The life in California the Itos were forced to leave behind is gone; instead, they are being resettled two thousand miles away in Chicago, where Aki's older sister, Rose, was sent months earlier and moved to the new Japanese American neighborhood near Clark and Division streets. But on the eve of the Ito family's reunion, Rose is killed by a subway train.Aki, who worshipped her sister, is stunned. Officials are ruling Rose's death a suicide. Aki cannot believe her perfect, polished, and optimistic sister would end her life. Her instinct tells her there is much more to the story, and she knows she is the only person who could ever learn the truth.Inspired by historical events, Clark and Division infuses an atmospheric and heartbreakingly real crime with rich period details and delicately wrought personal stories Naomi Hirahara has gleaned from thirty years of research and archival work in Japanese American history.
FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Author Biography
Naomi Hirahara is the Edgar Award-winning author of the Mas Arai mystery series, including Summer of the Big Bachi, which was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and one of Chicago Tribune's Ten Best Mysteries and Thrillers; Gasa Gasa Girl; Snakeskin Shamisen; and Hiroshima Boy. She is also the author of the LA-based Ellie Rush mysteries. A former editor of The Rafu Shimpo newspaper, she has co-written non-fiction books like Life after Manzanar and the award-winningTerminal Island- Lost Communities of Los Angeles Harbor. The Stanford University alumna was born and raised in Altadena, CA; she now resides in the adjacent town of Pasadena, CA.
Review
Praise for Clark and DivisionWinner of the Mary Higgins Clark AwardWinner of The Lefty Award for Best Historical NovelNominated for the Agatha Award for Best Historical NovelAn Anthony Award Nominee for Best NovelReader's Digest 60 Best Books Written for Women by Female AuthorsA New York Times Best Mystery Novel of 2021A Parade Magazine 101 Best Mystery Books of All TimeA New York Times Book Review Editor's ChoiceA Washington Post Best Mystery and Thriller of 2021A South Florida Sun-Sentinel Best Mystery Novel of 2021A Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Best Book of 2021Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2021Amazon Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2021A CrimeReads Best Crime Novel of 2021New York Public Library Best Books of 2021A BookPage Best Mystery & Thriller of 2021An ABA Indie Next Pick2021 ABA Indie Next List Genre Gift GuideAn Amazon Best of the Month for Mystery/ThrillerAn Apple Best Books of the MonthBustle's Most Anticipated Books"Searing . . . This is as much a crime novel as it is a family and societal tragedy, filtering one of the cruelest examples of American prejudice through the prism of one young woman determined to assert her independence, whatever the cost."—Sarah Weinman, The New York Times Book Review"Just as only James Ellroy could have written the Los Angeles Quartet and only Walter Mosley could have crafted Black Angelenos' experiences into the Easy Rawlins mysteries, crime novelist and research maven Naomi Hirahara was destined to write Clark and Division . . . The vibrant characters, the history and the aura of determined optimism that permeate the novel make it feel like the beginning of a saga not unlike Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs mysteries."—Paula Woods, Los Angeles Times"Hirahara has drawn a devastating picture of a family in crisis and a nation's monumental blunder."—The Washington Post"Engrossing . . . The best historical fiction shows how events affected the people who lived that era. Hirahara's Clark and Division ranks high."—Oline Cogdil, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel"A novel Naomi Hirahara was destined to write . . . Hirahara gives us a rich and vibrant portrayal of Nisei life in multicultural Chicago: the nightclubs, the hoodlums, the young people looking for connection, looking for their place in a world that up until previously had not merely excluded them but incarcerated them."—Désirée Zamorano, Los Angeles Review of Books"A heart-pounding read for thriller aficionados, true-crime buffs and anyone who wants to learn more about the bitter history of Japanese Americans in the 20th century."—Reader's Digest"This WWII-set story of a woman trying to uncover the truth about her sister's death against the backdrop of the brutal internment of Japanese-Americans is simply Hirahara's most deeply felt and satisfying book to date."—Parade Magazine"Aki is an engaging and complex character . . . An impressive historical novel, but it's also sadly timely, as we see the old baseless bigotry awakened again among the fearful and the violent."—Tampa Bay Times"This absorbing historical fiction, by the Edgar-winning author of the excellent Mas Arai series, vividly brings to life the experience of being Japanese American during World War II — a shameful chapter of casual racism, fear and distrust that continues to echo today."—The Seattle Times"The crime-solving is absorbing, but the novel works more compellingly as an informed portrayal of life in crisis among a group of American citizens who learned the hard way that, in certain circumstances, democracy doesn't apply to them."—Toronto Star"Absorbing . . . The sisters' dramatic and gripping story enriches the reader's understanding of a problematic time, and highlights the vulnerabilities of socially marginalized young women, yet the novel is never didactic or preachy. In seeking justice for Rose, undaunted by unexpected obstacles, and learning from her own missteps along the way, Aki blossoms into a beautiful, resourceful, and brave young woman."—Mystery Scene Magazine"Aki's grit, determination, and optimism recall Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs or Charles Todd's Bess Crawford and make Clark and Division one of the more enlightening World War II–era mysteries in recent memory."—Alta Journal"In a complex, layered text, Hirahara incorporates historical details behind internment with a nail-biting plot . . . Hirahara doesn't shy away from her roots, looking at internment through a never-seen-before lens and showing readers what it means to be American." —Affinity Magazine"Gripping . . . This immersive true-crime historical mystery novel takes place in Chicago in 1944, at the height of the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans."—Ms. Magazine"Meticulous . . . A wonderful portrait of Japanese American resilience and struggle."—International Examiner"Clark and Division is a moving, eye-opening depiction of life after Manzanar. Naomi Hirahara has infused her mystery with a deep humanity, unearthing a piece of buried American history."—George Takei"Crime fiction is at its best when telling a compelling story while also analyzing the shadowy foundations of human nature. Very few writers do that better than Hirahara."—S.A. Cosby, The Washington Post"A beautifully written novel. A telling and touching story that echoes across the decades. Naomi Hirahara uses the past to inspire us to be relentless in doing the right thing, right now."—Michael Connelly, bestselling author of the Harry Bosch series"Naomi Hirahara's Clark and Division opened my heart and mind to specifics of the experience of Japanese Americans during the Second World War. Rich in period detail, it is page-turning historical fiction, a tender family story, and a mystery that plays on two levels: What happened to Rose Ito? and At what cost are Japanese Americans finally seen as full Americans? It's a story that moved me deeply."—Attica Locke, New York Times bestselling author of Heaven, My Home"Part historical fiction, part thriller, all a deeply moving family story, set in 1944 Chicago against the backdrop of the shameful treatment of Japanese Americans by the US government. Hirahara's gifted writing is a master class in how to bring a historical epoch to life."—Sara Paretsky, bestselling author of the Chicago detective VI Warshawski series"Beautifully written and deeply moving . . . Hirahara's novel is an accomplished and important story about a time in American history that I felt privileged bearing witness to."—Carole E. Barrowman, Minneapolis Star-Tribune"Clark and Division does what crime novels do best: It uses a wonderfully wrought, ticking time-bomb of a story to illuminate a larger social issue, in this case the incarceration and resettlement of tens of thousands of Japanese Americans during World War II. A jewel of a novel. Buy it, read it, enjoy it."—Michael Harvey, author of The Chicago Way"Clark and Division is a heart-stopping crime novel woven inextricably into another, much larger atrocity: the treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. The story of Aki Ito and her family, newly released from Manzanar, transports us to an often ignored moment in our own history, while holding a mirror to the present day. In this immersive and resonant tale, Naomi Hirahara has given us the very best of what we hope for from historical crime fiction: a novel that is both intensely researched and deeply felt. It is the story of a crime—many crimes—but it is also the story of a young woman's courage and triumphant spirit. Aki Ito is the kind of heroine that belongs not just to the past, but to every generation. We see ourselves in her tenacity, her sense of justice, and her love for her family."—Amy Stewart, New York Times bestselling author of the Kopp sisters novels"One part mystery. One part historical fiction. In Naomi Hirahara's expert hands that 1+1 equation somehow equals 10, leaving you with a story that is enthralling, enlightening, and edifying."—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet"Like no other work before, Clark and Division captures the day-to-day uncertainty of the post concentration camp Nisei world, where poverty, racism, and squalid living conditions co-exist with freedom, excitement, and dreams for a better future in wartime Chicago. Only Naomi Hirahara can mix a portrayal of a people in transition that feels authentic down to the smallest detail with an engrossing mystery filled with unexpected twists. Whether you are already a fan or are about to become one, this is not to be missed!"—Brian Niiya, editor of the Densho Encyclopedia and Encyclopedia of Japanese American History"Clark and Division is as much about communal trauma as it is about the anguish of the Ito family, who are at the story's center. The grief of the Japanese community in Chicago infuses the atmosphere of this novel, offering a compelling, nuanced tale of loss."—BookPage, Starred Review"The treatment of American citizens of Japanese descent during World War II comes to life in this mystery by Hirahara . . . Hirahara does a masterly job of incorporating extensive historical research into an emotionally compelling story. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy high-quality historical fiction with well-drawn characters and an engrossing plot."—Library Journal, Starred Review"A rich blend of historical fiction and mystery . . . filled with memorable detail."—Air Mail"Clark and Division fills a void in our community history. The pre-war and post-war experiences that shape an individual's character are often missing in our collective history. Hirahara's non-fiction writing and research provides a solid framework for connecting these links. Hirahara masterfully weaves the story."—Nichi Bei"Based on years of meticulous historical research, this resonant, bracing mystery from the author of the Edgar-winning Mas Arai series explores rising anti-Asian sentiment in the 1940s."—Everything Zoomer"The author brings this terrible period in history to life with rich and unsettling historical detail. It's a terrific thriller you won't be able to put down."—The Waterloo Record"Rich in detail about the lives of relocated Japanese—the jobs they find, the places they live, the streets they walk, the people they encounter—and the city of Chicago and its neighborhoods in the 1940s."—Historical Novel Society"This gripping mystery weaves evocative details about post-internment life into a moving family story."—425 Magazine"A thought-provoking novel featuring a Japanese American family transitioning from World War II imprisonment to resettlement in 1940s Chicago."—Shelf Awareness"Part historical fiction, part thriller, Clark and Division is the moving and fast paced story about one sister seeking justice for another sister, against the backdrop of World War II. You haven't read anything like this before . . . Atmospheric and heartbreakingly real."—Satellite Sisters"Deeply moving."—Idaho Statesman"An enlightening novel that immerses you in a time and place, as well as keeping you turning the pages to find out what happened to Rose."—The Auburn Citizen"Through the prism of one young woman's experiences, readers relive one of our country's cruelest examples of prejudice as they are simultaneously drawn into a devastating family drama."—Shepherd Express"Elegant prose matches the meticulous research. This well-crafted tale of injustice isn't just for mystery fans." —Publishers Weekly"Deeply researched . . . Hirahara peppers the mystery with a detail-rich portrait of Chicago during the war and of newly arrived Japanese Americans trying to negotiate a largely hostile new world."—Booklist"An effective whodunit that's also a sensitive coming-of-age story." —Kirkus Reviews"A perfectly-crafted and intensely atmospheric historical murder mystery set in the displaced Japanese-American community resettled to Chicago after being released from WWII internment camps."—CrimeReads"Thrilling."—Tattler Malaysia"[Clark and Division] is a fine mystery with an appealing amateur sleuth, but it's as a work of historical fiction that it really shines. It is highly recommended to fans of historical fiction, especially World War II titles featuring exceptional women, readers of mysteries where most violence occurs off-stage, and readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories."—MAD Reads (Madison Public Library)"If you've never read about the lives of Japanese Americans during World War II, you should read Naomi Hirahara's Clark and Division . . . Mystery, character study, history . . . A story that you won't want to put down until you've read the very last page."—Kittling BooksPraise for Naomi Hirahara"Hirahara's well-plotted, wholesome whodunit offers a unique look at L.A.'s Japanese-American community, with enough twists and local flavor to keep you guessing till the end."—Entertainment Weekly "A brilliant, unique addition to mystery fiction, [Mas Arai] has straddled time, place, and culture, with roots in one of the most terrible acts of violence war has ever inflicted upon humanity. And Mas has prevailed while growing older in a country that does not always value the wisdom of its elders, or those who work with their hands . . . Kudos to Naomi Hirahara."Jacqueline Winspear, author of the New York Times–bestselling Maisie Dobbs mysteries"Like a Zen poet, Hirahara creates a quiet surface with a powerful storm beneath."William Kent Krueger, New York Times–bestselling author of the Cork O'Connor mysteries"In an age in which too many books are merely echoes of previous books, Naomi Hirahara has the distinction of writing a mystery series that is unlike any other . . . Mas Arai is one of the freshest, most realistic and fascinating characters in the mystery genre."—David J. Montgomery, Chicago Sun-Times"A shrewd sense of character and a formidable narrative engine."—Dick Adler, Chicago Tribune"Poetic, affective and artful." —Tom Nolan, Orange County Metro Magazine"The offbeat characters are engaging, the humor gentle, the cultural insights many, and the writing briskly skilled."—Patricia McFall, San Gabriel Valley Newspapers "Seamless and shyly powerful . . . Peppered with pungent cultural details, crisp prose and credible, fresh descriptions . . . [A] perfectly balanced gem."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
Review Quote
Praise for Clark and Division A New York Times Book Review Editor''s Choice An ABA IndieNext Pick for August 2021 Bustle''s Most Anticipated Books of August An Apple Best Books of August An Amazon Best of the Month for Mystery/Thriller "Searing . . . This is as much a crime novel as it is a family and societal tragedy, filtering one of the cruelest examples of American prejudice through the prism of one young woman determined to assert her independence, whatever the cost." --Sarah Weinman, The New York Times Book Review "Just as only James Ellroy could have written the Los Angeles Quartet and only Walter Mosley could have crafted Black Angelenos'' experiences into the Easy Rawlins mysteries, crime novelist and research maven Naomi Hirahara was destined to write Clark and Division . . . The vibrant characters, the history and the aura of determined optimism that permeate the novel make it feel like the beginning of a saga not unlike Jacqueline Winspear''s Maisie Dobbs mysteries." --Paula Woods, Los Angeles Times "Hirahara has drawn a devastating picture of a family in crisis and a nation''s monumental blunder." -- The Washington Post "Engrossing . . . The best historical fiction shows how events affected the people who lived that era. Hirahara''s Clark and Division ranks high." --Oline Cogdil, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel "A novel Naomi Hirahara was destined to write . . . Hirahara gives us a rich and vibrant portrayal of Nisei life in multicultural Chicago: the nightclubs, the hoodlums, the young people looking for connection, looking for their place in a world that up until previously had not merely excluded them but incarcerated them." --D
Excerpt from Book
Chapter 1 Rose was always there, even while I was being born. It was a breech birth; the midwife, soaked in her own sweat as well as some of my mother''s, had been struggling for hours and didn''t notice my three-year-old sister inching her way to the stained bed. According to the midwife, Mom was screaming unrepeatable things in Japanese when Rose, the first one to see an actual body part of mine, yanked my slimy foot good and hard. "Ito- san !" The midwife''s voice cut through the chaos, and my father came in to get Rose out of the room. Rose ran; Pop couldn''t catch her at first and when he finally did, he couldn''t control her. In a matter of minutes, Rose, undeterred by the blood on my squirming body, returned to embrace me into her fan club. Until the end of her days and even beyond, my gaze would remain on her. Our first encounter became Ito family lore, how I came into the world in our town of Tropico, a name that hardly anyone in Los Angeles knows today. For a while, I couldn''t remember a time when I was apart from Rose. We slept curled up like pill bugs on the same thin mattress; it was pachanko , flat as a pancake, but we didn''t mind. Our spines were limber back then. We could have slept on a blanket over our dirt yard, which we did sometimes during those hot Southern California Indian summers, our puppy, Rusty, at our bare feet. Tropico was where my father and other Japanese men first came to till the rich alluvial soil for strawberry plants. They were the Issei, the first generation, the pioneers who were the progenitors of us, the Nisei. Pop had been fairly successful, until the housing subdivisions came. The other Issei farmers fled south to Gardena or north to San Fernando Valley, but Pop stayed and got a job at one of the produce markets clustered in downtown Los Angeles, only a few miles away. Tonai''s sold every kind of vegetable and fruit imaginable--Pascal celery from Venice; iceberg lettuce from Santa Maria and Guadalupe; Larson strawberries from Gardena; and Hale''s Best cantaloupes from Imperial Valley. My mother had emigrated from Kagoshima in 1919, when she was in her late teens, to marry my father. The two families had known each other way back when, and while my mother wasn''t officially a picture bride, she was mighty close. My father, who had received Mom''s photograph from his own mother, liked her face--her strong and broad jaw, which suggested she might be able to survive the frontier of California. His hunch was right; in so many ways, she was even tougher than my father. When I was five, Pop was promoted to market manager and we moved to a larger house, still in Tropico. The house was close to the Red Car electric streetcar station so Pop didn''t need to drive into work, but he usually traveled in his Model A anyway; he wasn''t the type to wait around for a train. Rose and I still shared a room but we had our own beds, although during certain nights when the Santa Ana winds blew through our loose window frames I would end up crawling in beside her. "Aki!" she''d cry out as my cold toes brushed against her calves. She''d turn and fall back asleep while I trembled in her bed, fearful of the moving shadows of the sycamore trees, demented witches in the moonlight. Maybe because my life started with her touch, I needed to be close to her to feel that I was alive. I was her constant student, even though I could never be like her. My face was often red and swollen, as I was plagued by hay fever from the long stalks of ragweed that crept into every crack of concrete near the Los Angeles River. Rose''s complexion, on the other hand, was flawless, with only a dot of a mole on the high point of her right cheekbone. Whenever I was near enough to look at her face, I''d feel grounded, centered and unmovable, less affected by any change in our circumstances. While Rose was surrounded by admirers, she kept her distance just enough to be viewed as mysterious and desirable. This was something we learned from our parents. Although we were thought well of by other Japanese Americans, we were not indiscriminate joiner types, at least before the war. In school, our classmates were mostly white and upper-middle- class kids who attended cotillions or Daughters of the American Revolution events, activities that were off-limits to us. There were about a dozen Nisei offspring of florists and nursery operators--smart, obedient boys and immaculately dressed girls, who Rose remarked "tried too hard." Rose''s style was effortless, and when she wasn''t home, I''d shed my plaid dress and secretly try on her signature outfit--a white blouse, long knit khaki skirt and a thin lemon-yellow sweater, a color that most Nisei girls would avoid wearing. I''d study myself in the full-length mirror on the door of the wardrobe, frown at how the skirt bulged at my belly; it was also much too long, falling down to my ankles but covering my thick calves. And that shade of yellow made my own skin look sallow and sickly, further confirming that Rose''s clothes were not for me. When I wasn''t in school, I spent time in Tropico going on long walks with Rusty. In those early years, we wandered past the tangles of deerweed, which resembled prostrate women, underneath willow trees where blinding-white egrets rested their elegant limbs, and heard the high-pitched song of the Western toads, which reminded me of the buzz of hot electrical wires. This was before the Los Angeles River flooded, causing the city to fill the riverbed with concrete. Afterward, we still heard the toads, but they weren''t as loud. I wished that my teen years could have been spent outdoors alone with my dog, but my growing up involved being around other people my age. As I didn''t have that many opportunities to socialize with the hakujin girls outside of school, when I was invited to do so, it was a momentous occasion. One day in eighth grade, Vivi Pelletier, who sat next to me, handed me an invitation to her pool party. It was handwritten on off-white stationery with scalloped edges. The Pelletiers, who had moved to Los Angeles from Europe, were rumored to be connected to the movie studios. They lived in the Los Feliz Hills and were one of the first families in the area to get their own pool. I held on to that invitation so tightly that it was moist when I showed it to Mom, who wondered if I should go. It would be a high-tone hakujin affair, and who knows how I could end up shaming the family. I was known to make faux pas, like running around with a stain on my shorts because my menstruation pad had shifted during an undokai, a sports event in Elysian Park for our Japanese-language school. And then there was the matter of my swimsuit. I had an old striped cotton swimsuit whose fabric sagged around my oshiri , making me look like I was wearing diapers. That suit was good enough for Japanese potlucks at White Point, not far from the fish canneries on Terminal Island, where close to two thousand Issei and Nisei lived. It would not do, though, for Vivi Pelletier''s pool party. "Just let her go," Rose told my mother. "I''ll take her to get a new suit." We went to the dry goods store in Little Tokyo on First Street. Their selection was limited, but I found a navy blue one-piece that covered my ample buttocks. I brought the folded suit in a bag with my present, a bath powder puff set, which I thought was appropriate for a girl originally from France. I had never attended a party for a hakujin girl and carefully watched all the guests so that I didn''t make any serious mistakes. Quite a few mothers were also in attendance but I was relieved I had come alone. Being the only Japanese, Mom would have felt awfully out of place, and Rose would have been bored out of her mind. We had finished eating egg salad sandwiches with the bread crusts cut off when Vivi''s mother pulled me aside into a room she referred to as the salon. I feared that I had done something wrong again. "I am so sorry, but can you come some other day to go swimming with Vivi?" Did Vivi''s mother think that I had come unprepared? "I have my swimsuit in my bag." "No, no dear. That is not the problem." Mrs. Pelletier had wide-set eyes and a high forehead, which made her look like one of the forest animals in Disney''s Snow White. I finally figured it out. It was like Brookside Park in Pasadena; the mothers didn''t want me to go into the pool with their daughters. I fled out the front door without saying goodbye to Vivi. I was a long downhill walk, and my body shook as I stomped on the asphalt. When I let myself into our back door, Rose turned from the dress pattern she and Mom were cutting at the kitchen table. "Why are you home so early?" I couldn''t help but to burst into tears, and relayed what had happened. "I told you not to go," Mom murmured in Japanese. When she felt slighted by her Issei friends, fellow immigrants from Japan, her anger would manifest itself like a hot streak, but when it came to hakujin men and women, my mother became deflated, half believing what they thought about us. Rose was not having it at all. "I
Details ISBN1641293691 Author Naomi Hirahara Language English Year 2022 ISBN-10 1641293691 ISBN-13 9781641293693 Format Paperback Publication Date 2022-06-28 DEWEY 813.6 Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2022-06-28 NZ Release Date 2022-06-28 US Release Date 2022-06-28 UK Release Date 2022-06-28 Illustrator Gladys Jose Birth 1927 Death 1855 Affiliation Clark University Position journalist Qualifications M.D. Audience General Pages 336 Publisher Soho Press Imprint Soho Press We've got this
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