This is America, we told ourselves, there's no need to worry. “We were wrong.” * * * Julie Otsuka’s novel “Wives from Japan” is a masterpiece that blends beauty and power. It is a novel that tells with great precision and emotion the story of Japanese immigrants in America, where families were built with women brought from Japan through the exchange of pictures. Over the course of its eight engaging chapters, the novel follows the lives of these Japanese women, from their arrival by ship to an unknown land, to their first days as brides, then their hard work in the fields and in the homes of white women. It also narrates their struggles in learning a new language and culture, and their experiences in raising their children, who quickly become ashamed of their poor language and strange customs. The novel also addresses the subject of the clash of civilizations and widespread racism in America, and the story of the Japanese community that was labeled traitors during the war, ostracized, and isolated, thus revealing a hidden page in the history of the United States of America. Perhaps this distinctive narrative style, which weaves stories of collective experiences through the stories of individuals, is the most prominent reason for the excellence of this wonderful novel and its winning of three literary awards. Prestigious. * * * "This book is a little gem - The Guardian * * * "A stunning work of fiction" - Elle