TREE OF HEAVEN

Set against the violence of Japan's invasion of China in the 1930s, a love story tells of a Chinese woman who becomes the servant of a Japanese officer after he rescues her, and the strange intimacy that develops between them.

YA?A hauntingly beautiful love story of two people trapped by the circumstances of war during Japan's invasion and occupation of China in the 1930s. Binstock draws a sensitive portrait of a Japanese scholar, Kuroda, who has enlisted in the army because his father, a former officer, shames him into doing so. Much to Kuroda's dismay, he finds himself actually enjoying the fighting. However, when his subordinates prove to be inhumane in their treatment of Chinese women, he re-evaluates what it means to be at war. He prevents the rape of Li, a Chinese doctor's daughter; it is this rescue that begins the short-lived but emotional bonding of two enemies that challenges readers' senses. The author is skillful in structuring the narrative from both Kuroda's and Li's points of view. His delving into matters of the human psyche, particularly as it pertains to stereotypes, reminds readers how easy it is to justify the subjugation of people based on difference. Although the characters' introspection may be tedious to some YAs, those interested in Chinese or Japanese cultures might have the sensibility and patience to reap the rewards of this marvelous tale.?Michele L. Simms-Burton, George Washington University, DC
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This beautifully written debut novel by the author of the story collection The Light of Home explores the universal parameters of trust and fear, coercion and choice, guilt and forgiveness. It's a moving tale of fateful love between a sensitive Japanese army officer and the homeless, ragged Chinese woman whom he rescues during Japan's 1938 invasion of China. Kuroda, the Japanese captain, a botanist by profession, views Japan's occupation of China as a senseless crime and is disgusted with his countrymen who rape, loot, burn, murder and maim at will. When four of his men drunkenly assault Li, a Chinese vagabond who has been cast out by her husband for being infertile, Kuroda saves her from rape and makes her his servant and captive. After the two become lovers, Kuroda, who has a wife and daughter back in Japan, is branded an immoral eccentric in the eyes of his troops, while Li is scorned by the Chinese townfolk as a traitor and prostitute. Through an exquisitely limpid style and what appears to be considerable research, Binstock's stunning account of a doomed affair, told through the lovers' alternating voices, is wholly convincing both in its historical details and in its meticulous exploration of love, obsession and loss.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The year is 1938, the place Anhwei Province in east central China. Japan is at war with China, plundering the land and systematically raping the women. In the midst of this mayhem, a Japanese captain intervenes on behalf of a young Chinese woman about to be raped by his men. Discovering that she speaks Japanese when she thanks him for saving her, he makes her his captive and servant, in which capacity she cares for his quarters and cooks his meals. The captain, a scholar and intellectual with a kind streak and a sense of morality, is ill suited for war. The woman is also educated and intelligent. Both are outcasts of a sort, and both share an abhorrence of war. The two become lovers, much to the dismay of the captain's troops. In alternating chapters, each describes his or her perspective on the relationship. Binstock's (The Light of Heaven, Macmillan, 1992) text is beautifully written, the issues challenging, and the relationship between the lovers complex. Highly recommended-Kimberly G. Allen, MCI Corporate Information Resources Ctr., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.