Fire Flowers

January 1, 2015
First-time novelist Byrne explores the aftermath of the Allied bombings of Japan during World War II, both atomic and incendiary, as experienced by a varied cast of characters.Japan has surrendered, and its starving population is struggling to survive, physically and psychologically. Satsuko Takara and her teenage brother, Hiroshi, separated during the firebombings, scrabble for food and shelter in the rubble of Tokyo, each using the means afforded by his or her gender. Satsuko reluctantly becomes a prostitute, servicing the occupying American soldiers, while Hiroshi leads a gang of orphans who beg, finagle and steal to keep skin and bones together. Satsuko's fiance, Osamu, who she presumes died during his military service, tries to drown the brutality and shame of the war in cheap liquor while seeking some feeble redemption in literary creation. And Hal Lynch, an American soldier who helped plan the bombings by photographing Japan from the air, wrestles with guilt as he comes to understand the scope of the devastation he helped cause. He attempts to make amends by documenting the destruction of Hiroshima and the radiation sickness his American superiors want to deny. Written in a series of short chapters alternating among the voices of the four main characters, the novel offers a kaleidoscope of postwar Japanese life. Unfortunately, that format also makes the story choppy and character development limited; the lack of a distinctive voice for each narrator makes it difficult for the reader to follow the unfolding action and engage with the characters. The hopeful ending feels like an afterthought. Byrne's writing is clear and occasionally charming as he revisits this moment with a critical eye, even if his story never achieves a powerful narrative momentum.

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February 1, 2015
Satsuko was separated from her younger brother during a bombing raid on Tokyo toward the end of WWII. Her former lover Osamu returns from fighting and attempts to write, drowning himself in drink instead. An American reconnaissance photographer joins a military newspaper and looks into reports that the damage caused at Hiroshima wasn't limited to the bomb's initial blast. Their four stories in a postwar Tokyo filled with devastation and despair slowly intertwine in this somber debut. With his filmmaker's eye, Byrne highlights telling details to emphasize the totality of Japan's loss, from the painted-up streetwalkers calling to American GIs to scruffy children scrounging in barren fields for food. The novel succeeds in connecting the destruction to the internal psychological damage carried by the city's residents, giving the stories depth and resonance. Here, the political is personal, with regular people paying the price for world leaders' ambitions. With determination in the face of overwhelming obstacles, the characters battle for both survival and dignity as they are swept along by the currents of history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)