Itame explores a woman’s loss of identity and purpose with humour and honesty, subtly exposing the cracks that occur in the societal roles we so often fall into with little thought – until a fault line appears and we choose to break away. Now more than ever, today’s mothers are met with a constant onslaught of online perfection and ideals even before most of us have managed to get dressed and eat breakfast. This whole book felt a bit like I was being given an insider’s glimpse into a culture so foreign to my own via her story, and Itami does a wonderful job blending these types of details into her story in an accessible and seamless way for Western readers. Emily Itami has written an incredible debut novel that works so well because although we may not always condone the choices that Mitzuki makes, we can understand why she does.

With Fault Lines, Karl Pillemer courageously rappels into the deep social crevice created by these devastating rifts. Mizuki, the desperately unhappy Tokyo housewife at the center of Fault Lines by Emily Itami (out Sept. This was a quick read/listen, and I recommend it especially if you are or have been in this stage of life.Told from her POV, Mizuki has been married to salaryman, Tatsuya, for sixteen years and they and their two children, 10-year-old daughter Eri, and 4-year-old son Aki live in a very nice Tokyo apartment. I am still pondering over the title, ‘Fault Lines’, is it a reference to the numerous earthquakes that rock Japan almost daily, or is it referring to her marriage and the lines that have begun to appear? For some it may seem that Mizuki’s behavior is somehow being justified or romanticized, but I really appreciated that her portrayal and that of her marriage, felt honest.

All of the inner yearnings and tribulations of Mizuki are laid bare, offering one of the fullest, most thorough depictions of a character I have ever read. When a family argument sends her lovely, fragile daughter, Glynn, running from her Atlanta home to her Aunt Laura in Hollywood, Merritt is compelled to follow. The thing is, right from the start, we are absolutely aware that Mitzuki is unhappy with her life, but rationally she knows she shouldn’t be. Admittedly, I don’t know the meaning of the term, but it evokes in me an image of a book that is light, airy and bright, appealing to women who need a beach read. He traces the deepening fault lines in a world overly dependent on the indebted American consumer to power global economic growth and stave off global downturns.Mizuki alternates between reminiscing about her past marital joys and thanking her lucky stars each time she has a quiet night with no forced romance between her and husband, waiting for the moment when the minutiae of parenthood becomes second nature. How long can she pretend that this will never go further than friendship, and that she isn't playing a very dangerous game spending time with him. A couple working as chauffeurs have been accused of stealing millions from the founder of Tin House Books. Ebooks fulfilled through Glose cannot be printed, downloaded as PDF, or read in other digital readers (like Kindle or Nook). If you’re interested in mothers’ perspectives, Japanese culture, or just discovering a new literary talent, it’s well worth the short time investment to read this story.

She feels trapped by the world that everyone else tells her she should embrace, and simply being someone’s wife and someone’s mother is not enough. Narrated by four children from different generations of the same family, Fault Lines is a tale of a present haunted by the past. Used books have different signs of use and might not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. Realizing she has always been a fixer and a rescuer to those around her, Merritt tests her wings when she meets the renegade caretaker of a property in Northern California's Santa Cruz Mountains.In California, Merritt, her sister, and her daughter begin an adventure that has consequences that not only precipitates Merritt’s coming of age but her daughter’s as well, and in many ways, the sister/aunt’s realization.