Y is for Yoshikawa

I got back on track for my next to last novel in the journey. Surprisingly, there were several Y authors from which to choose. When I first started reading this one, I wasn't sure I'd made the right choice, but as I read, I really fell for "One hundred and one ways" by Mako Yoshikawa.

Kiki Takehashi is a modern American woman who is of Japanese descent. She worries that the men she falls for are only falling for her because of what she calls an "Asian-woman fetish." She is dating Eric but can't get over Phillip, who died while mountain climbing. In fact, Phillip still haunts her as a small, naked figure in her apartment. This triangle is but one part of the novel. Kiki's relationship with the grandmother she's never met is a wonderful part of the story. Kiki is the namesake of her grandmother, Yukiko, who had been a geisha as a young woman. Throughout the novel, Kiki thinks about the questions she will ask her grandmother, questions that she has never asked her mother. Kiki's relationship with her mother is another strong issue in the novel. In fact, the triangle of Kiki, her mother and grandmother is as strong a storyline as is the triangle of Kiki, Eric and Phillip.

As for the relationship with Eric, maybe it was just me, but I had a hard time getting behind it. I'm not sure if I was just feeling Kiki's suspicions about Eric's motives or if he was just written so that the reader wouldn't like him very much. At the same time, I wasn't crazy about Phillip or his little ghost. As I got to know Kiki, I wanted more and better for her. It's a good read when you can feel real emotion for a character.

"One hundred and one ways" is a love story and a coming of age story and a story of mothers and daughters and a story of cultures. It is beautifully written, at times haunting, at other times jubilant. I think every young woman can see something of herself in Kiki. She is not the perfect heroine. She is not the perfect girlfriend or daughter. Like many of us at times, she doesn't know what she wants to do or with whom she wants to spend her life.

I recommend "One hundred and one ways" to women who have wondered if they are on the right track. I recommend it to those who have loved and lost and wonder if they are ready to love again. I recommend it to every woman who has had a sometimes tough relationship with her mother. I really enjoyed the writing of Mako Yoshikawa and recommend her highly.

X is for Lutz. What?

Yes, you read correctly, X is for Lutz. I ran into a bit of a predicament when it came to choosing a novel to represent the letter X. In our library system, there is not a single fiction product by an author whose last name begins with X. I considered reading the "Autobiography of Malcolm X," but it broke two of my rules for this project: I'd already read it and it is not fiction. So, I just broke one rule instead. The author of my X book does not have X anywhere in his name. The title of the book however says it all. For my X book, I chose, "The Ex" by John Lutz.

During this alphabetic journey, I've read some very thought provoking novels. This was not one of them. "The Ex" is pure psycho-thriller, though not a great psycho-thriller. It did move quickly and it did put a bit of a scare in me from time to time.

David Jones had moved to NYC to start over after an ugly divorce. He had a great job, a gorgeous wife and a wonderful young son. All is well until one day he hears her voice. His ex-wife Deidre has "accidentally" run into him in the city. What he doesn't know is that Deidre had recently escaped a mental hospital when a tornado tore it apart. She had killed a few people on her way to see David and was not finished with her murder spree. Deirdre has decided she wants David back and nothing and no one will stand in her way.

Lutz wrote the novel on which the creepy movie "Single White Female" was based. If you've seen that one, you know his style in writing creepy women. Well, Deirdre is uber-creepy. Like I said, it's not deep and it's not even that great of a thriller, but it does make the hair stand up on your neck from time to time. Most of Deirdre's biggest acts you see coming well in advance. In fact, everyone can see what Deirdre is up to, except David. He falls right back into her arms all the while trying to hide the relationship from his wife.

If you are looking for a quick, predictable read, pick this one up. The book cover said there had been a movie produced based on the book, but I never saw it. I'm guessing it was about as good as the novel.