Sunrise on Kusatsu Harbor

by Dan Maloney

In a tale of historical fiction, author Dan Davis Maloney captures a compelling tale of love, revenge, prejudice, and triumph in ?Sunrise on Kusatsu Harbor.? Told through the eyes of a narrator, Mieko This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157921858X
• ISBN13: 9781579218584
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Winepress Publishing
• Length: 141 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

An inspiring story of lovers torn apart by the bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki

Dan Maloney's debut novel is one of the best I've read in a long while. It tells the story of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from an entirely new perspective--from the inside looking out. Two lovers are torn apart on the day of the bombings, only finding each other years later. What happens to Tori and Mieko will tear at your heart strings. Why does Tori not reveal herself to Mieko when she finally finds him? Why does he seek revenge on Americans? And how are his eyes finally opened to forgiveness? To find the answers you'll have to RFY (read for yourself). I'm not about to put any spoilers in this review. This is a story of true love that lasts a lifetime, of destruction, revenge, and, finally, of redemption. Dan Maloney proves himself a talented writer as he brings his characters to life right before your eyes. He's great at dialogue, description, and pacing too. I couldn't put this book down; the plot held me spellbound. I fell in love with Tori and was rooting for her all the way. I wanted to slap Mieko up the side of his face a few times, but, all in all, he was a good man. Great job, Dan Maloney! I look forward to more novels from you and will follow your career with interest.

a book that stays with you long after you put it down

A deeply moving novel about resentment turning to poison, and how that misplaced emotion can nearly destroy one, if you permit it. With so many things happening in this world to innocent people, this book carries a timely message - an important message of how letting go of these perceived wrongs can save your from your own self-destruction. It opens with the story of lovers, Tori and Mieko, in Japan in the days before the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It opens on a Sunrise at Kasatsu Harbor, a small peaceful village that has no idea doom lurks on the horizon. Mieko has been ordered to report for duty to work on discovering biological weapons for warfare against Japan's enemies. Tori is left behind, hundreds of miles away from Mieko, where he is working to find the means to give Japan the power to end this war. Tori is caught on the edge of the Hiroshima blast, destroying their peaceful little hamlet. With nothing and no one left, Tori sets out to find her lover. Mieko learns of the bombing and rushes back to her, but they both miss each other in their journeys. Poor Tori discovers she must retrace her steps to find Mieko, which puts her right on the edge of the second bomb drop at Nagasaki. She is horribly burned, and ends up being hospitalized. These events send their lives even farther apart; even when they come together, Mieko doesn't recognize his love because of the scarring from the blast. So full of rage with the destruction, Mieko vows revenge against America. This part of the book is told in first person narrative, but not from the POV of the leads. Then the writer, oddly, steps outside of rules of typical writing, and has the "guide" become part of the story, as the story shifts focus from Tori and Mieko, and more to the "guide" and his strong hatred of Japan, because he lost his father in the war. At this point, you see the devastating repercussions of long held resentment turn to poison, and how forgiveness and looking beyond ones own perceived hurts is ultimately the salvation from our own destruction. The story returns to watching another sunrise on the harbor, another day of hope, asking the underlying question of how will you spend it, in the positive light of forgiveness or giving yourself over the bitter resentment that could ultimately destroy you? The style of writing is riveting, grabs the reader and never lets them down. It's deeply moving, thought provoking, and oh so timely. One of those small books that will sneak up on the world by word of mouth. Well worth the time to read.

Well worth reading

The story of how I came to read this book this morning makes me laugh because it fits in perfectly with the message of the story, as if Tori and God conspired and reached down from heaven, smiling, and put the pieces together. I stepped on a tiny sliver of glass which I couldn't seem to get out at first, so I decided to sit on my front porch, facing East, and soak my foot in a bowl of water to soften my skin and hopefully remove the glass. I couldn't just sit there doing nothing, so I continued reading "Sunrise on Kusatsu Harbor" by Dan Maloney. I had read the earliest chapters and thought it was ok, but wasn't completely drawn in at first. I worried it might become a preachy story. I was worried it might become overly predictable. I was worried it might be a mushy romance. I was initially distracted by all the Japanese names which I had a difficult time following. My mind was thinking too much instead of dwelling deeply in the words. The glass forced me to stop. I am laughing still. Tori/Tsuki, you are a master! It was as I continued reading that the magic of the story drew me in, deeper and deeper. As the skin on my foot softened, my heart softened - and I was able to understand more and more of this tale of forgiveness, love and following divine guidance... not only hearing divine guidance, but taking action and stepping into the next moment even if whatever you are called to do appears to be "impossible." The story opens with our narrator introducing us to the story. I wondered how these two stories could ever connect - and I thought, at first, that it was true, like many "fable" novels...I wondered which part was truth and which part was fiction. The author reminds us this is "historical fiction" and yet there is so much truth in the pages - I believe it. Tori and Mieko are young friends who realize they share a deep love. When Mieko is drafted into the army and they are separated, they have no inkling that their journey back together will bridge years, continents, oceans, hatred, and the healing of scars that was - in the moment they separated - incomprehensible. I appreciated the brevity of words Maloney uses in his telling of the story. This could be a massive retelling, many hundreds or thousands of pages to slog through. Instead, Maloney keeps all the important aspects of the tale and lets the rest fall away. There were parts of the story that made me wonder, "Is this going to somehow be interrelated to that?" thinking that would be an obvious answer, but this story is never obvious. It is paradoxical and truthful. It is powerfully poetic and sparse. It follows decades in the lives of interconnected people, from World War II Japan to the 80's and I am guessing the end is sometime in the 90's. It is perfect that I was "forced" into reading it because I got glass in my foot! I am so grateful I did - I can only hope others will read it without the need to be injured first.

All history textbooks should be this engaging

Many of us reflect on war in an impersonal manner, as something that's happening far away to someone else, and therefore doesn't really affect us. The effect of the conflict on innocent civilians isn't often given much thought. However, when a story is masterfully told from the propective of realistic and likeable characters, it evokes amazing feelings of sympathy and compassion. This is a story that makes you think about living life to the fullest. Tori is such a strong and admirable heroine, who fought for her fate and didn't get beaten down by adversity. Her love conquered Mieko's intent on revenge, effectively illustrating how we must forgive and let go of past hurts in order to move forward and find inner peace. Don't be fooled by the thinness of this book - it packs a powerful punch in its 140 pages. The author has a wonderful style of writing which pulls the reader into the story, and one cannot help being moved and forever affected by Tori and Mieko's plight.

I love this short novel

I did not know anything about how the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki affected Japanese people, but this novel gave me a good idea about how they felt. Sunrise On Kusatsu Harbor is a novel with a message. That message is that a person has the right to feel sad and angry when a tragedy strikes. However, they have a choice about how they choose to respond to a tragedy. They can either dwell in anger and resentment, or they can make the most of a bad situation forgive the wrong doers, and help those in need. Maloney is pretty graphic in his descriptions of the survivors of the bombings. I could visualize a lot of burned faces and bodies as I read this novel. I think he is very accurate about the prejudices that Japanese people experienced in the work place after the war. I didn't need to read all the racial slurs like Jap and Nip, but I know that Maloney was just trying to be honest. Maloney's book is a reminder that what really makes a person beautiful is what they show on the inside and not the outside. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a sweet love story.