The Go-Between
A Japanese Canadian girl exercises her newfound courage in Jennifer Maruno’s historical novel The Go-Between, about an island summer in domestic service.
Sumi and her family live in Vancouver’s Little Yokohama during the 1920s. At twelve years old, she wants to become a reporter and is already known for her bold curiosity. She’s also kind: to allow her sister to attend sewing school, Sumi takes her place working in a doctor’s remote home, where she lives in a yurt, alone. In this new setting, she faces the prejudices of villagers who are outwardly cruel and make insidious assumptions about her. Sumi also contends with the doctor’s stern housekeeper and repetitive chores like tending to the furnace.
Sumi is a spirited heroine and a plucky observer who’s fueled by her sense of duty. She makes the best of her situation, as when she encourages the doctor’s frail Scottish wife to venture outdoors and when she befriends the Stewarts’ cat, Silver. She meets a Japanese farming family, and their friendship helps her to make it through as well. For the sake of harmony, she also refrains from telling her family about the harsh elements of her situation, using cultural touchstones to remind her of home when she’s melancholy. As she faces challenges including a storm, a thief, and a nonviolent brush with union organizing, Sumi grows ever more capable and resilient.
Infused with cultural details, as of bento boxes and flower arranging, The Go-Between is an illuminating, based-in-truth historical novel in which a girl learns to stand up for herself against anti-Japanese sentiments.
Reviewed by
Karen Rigby
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