Paper Wishes
I fell in love with the concept of this novel, the synopsis was sweet and enduring and the cover with its offsetting tones and its contrasting colors lured me in. As I read, I found that the novel touches lightly on the subject matter; the text didn’t pound out the harsh reality of the events that were being playing out nor were there the emotional uproars that typically accompany this subject matter. Knowing this, I realize that this would be a great novel for young readers and readers who want to bring their own knowledge into the story. The story centers on Manami who is Japanese American during WWII. Many families like Manami’s were shuffled around during this time period into camps in the U.S., where they had to constantly rebuild their lives. This novel opened my eyes to the situation that these individuals faced on a daily basis all because of fear and the unknown. Bringing only what they could carry, these families really knew what was important to them. The turning point for Manami is when she is forced to abandon her dog along on their journey to their new base. She’s done, she’s lost her hope and she’s lost her song. Manami can no longer speak; life is just too much right now. She just wants normalcy. Living with hundreds of families in a prison-like setting, seeing her family change and every day adjusting to life where someone else is in control is a hard life to live. The hundreds of wishes that she has placed on paper and released into the air to locate Yujiin, are not finding their way to her lost dog. These messages have worked in the past for other wishes but now something is wrong. Where is normalcy? As the months pass, the war affects her home life and her life at school and she is silent yet her actions and her thoughts tell the story. The silence of her voice tells a powerful message yet I wondered how the novel would have been had she talked. She had a way of projecting herself and perhaps her voice might have made a difference. It’s unsettling to think that no one took the time to talk to Manami, to tell her how the world was shifting. I realize she was young but she needed to know.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Children’s Publishing Group for providing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
