Fault Lines by Emily Itami

Fault Lines is a beautiful, poetically written, heartbreaking story about a Japanese woman who seems to have it all, but is slowly dying inside. She mourns the loss of her past, her freedom and the death of her father which she feels responsible for. As her world begins to break apart, like the fault lines which cause earthquakes, she must make a decision which she will have to live with for the rest of her life.

Mizuki is a housewife, who works part-time as translator for Americans who are living in Japan. She has a hard working husband who is never home and two children who believe she is their servant. Her life consists of cooking, cleaning, picking up and dropping off at schools, and tending to everyone’s needs except her own. This is a far cry from the young girl who spent a year in New York City in a student study abroad program, who had the world ahead of her and wanted to become a famous singer.

Just as her life begins to spin slowly out of control with a husband who spends no time with her and the demands of two children who can’t seem to do anything for themselves, she meets a man named Kiyoshi who owns many restaurants. They begin an affair. In him she finds the attention and conversation which is lacking in her relationship with her husband and the praise and appreciation she never feels when tending her children. She begins to see a life she thought she could never have.

Kiyoshi seems to be her true soul-mate. But with most affairs of the heart, there comes a time when a decision must be made. Feelings need to be reevaluated. Who is most important? Her love for Kiyoshi, or the choices she has already made in her life with her husband and her children? And then suddenly Mizuki is jolted back into the reality of her life with her family.

Along the way she gains perspective into her life, both past and present. Sometimes decisions must be based not just on ourselves, but on the needs of those we love. But love never dies and those we are devoted to never truly leave our hearts or our souls.

Thank you #Goodreads #CustomHouse #EmilyItami #FaultLines for the advanced copy.