Big in Japan

In February we were in for a delightful and different story. We chose “Big in Japan” by Jennifer Griffith, a lovely author who we were able to speak with over the phone during our meeting.

This tale begins with an overweight young man, Buck, living in Texas who visits Japan on a business trip with his parents. While there, he is swept up into the world of Sumo Wrestling, a completely unfamiliar sport to him, and to most of us readers. The story follows Buck as he endures the grueling training, abuses from fellow wrestlers, and culture shock. Buck’s attitude and strong convictions help him through tough times and face long odds to overcome his challenges. There’s a sweet romantic story to go along with the fascinating Sumo tale, and a lot of really fun and interesting cultural details included.

Some of the treats and decor.

Several of our book club members had lived in or visited Japan and we were able to have a myriad of interesting foods to try during our meeting, some directly imported from Japan. Our readers universally loved this book and we talked a lot about the motivations of various characters and discussed many topics that are touched on in this story. We were extremely lucky, in that we had the chance to touch base directly with the author from her home in Arizona.

It was fascinating (and really fun) to hear her answer some of our questions, even speak Japanese with our host who had also lived in Japan. It was a treat for all of our members to be able to learn a little more about Japan, about the author, how she came up with the story, and express to her how much we enjoyed the book. Thanks Jennifer for being so accommodating and taking the time to speak with us, and for creating such a universally enjoyed book!

Tea and soup with Tofu.

Yay! Pocky!