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Book Reviews Title A
Gesture Life Fiction-Net
Rating Buy It
From Amazon.co.uk - BUY
NOW! Cover
Story Franklin Hata,
Korean by birth but raised in Japan, is an outsider
in American society, but he embodies the values of
the town he calls his own, he is polite and keeps
himself to himself. The reasons for his solitude
and self-control are laid bare as the mystery of
Hata's wartime past is revealed. We
Say Chang-rae Lee's
novel A Gesture Life is a phenomenal look at a
simple man's life. America is filled with
immigrants from every part of the world and while
one would believe that diversity brings about
understanding, the truth is, Americans like to
place people into neat categories. It takes too
much time to understand someone from another
culture. In his novel, A Gesture Life, Lee explores
the life of a well respected member of an American
community. Doc Hata, as he is known, is a man who
has spent his life fulfilling all of life's little
expectations. In a society filled with the need for
immediate gratification and instant success, Doc
Hata is a mystery to many who know him. With
simplicity and style, Lee takes us on a journey
through the seemingly simplistic life of Doc Hata.
By the end of the novel, the reader may decide that
it isn't such a bad thing after all to have lived
one's life through a series of "gestures and
politeness." Doc Hata is a
Japanese immigrant who is actually Korean. Adopted
by a Japanese family when he is young, Doc Hata
feels a responsibility to make them proud. He does
not want to give his adoptive parents any reason to
regret the fact that they adopted a poor Korean.
This motivation is the foundation of Doc's life.
Throughout the novel Lee does an excellent job
providing the reader with insights into Doc Hata's
life. Doc Hata is a man who is living up to the
expectations of being the ideal citizen because it
is what he believes people expect of a Japanese
American. Ironically enough, Doc Hata is a Korean
playing at being an ideal Japanese and Japanese
American. Doc Hata's
adopted daughter Sunny provides the reader with a
honest if not painful "American" assessment of
Doc's life. While Doc does his best to provide for
Sunny, the cultural gap and the generation gap
prove to be the undoing of their relationship.
Neither character is able to understand the other's
motivation. Tragically the two misunderstand each
other with painful consequences. Sunny views all of
the kind things that Doc Hata does for others as
burdens of obligation the recipients must bear. Doc
Hata believes that his actions have earned him a
position of respect in the community. Lee's candid
examination of this relationship provides the
reader with insight into this immigrant's desire to
be a model citizen. Today, many feel
the need to break free from such constraints as
politeness and social expectation. Be your own
person, be an individual no matter what the cost.
While may would view Doc Hata's life as empty and
quaint, for Doc, it is apparent that his life is
more than satisfactory to him. It is all about
priorities. Even Doc Hata's short romance with the
woman down the street ends gradually with little or
no fanfare. Once again the very reasons that people
are drawn to him ultimately cause the
misunderstandings which destroy the relationship.
Despite initial appearances, Doc Hata's life is
filled with tragedy but he does not dwell on these
tragedies in pitiful heartrending scenes. Some may
think Doc Hata is unfeeling, others may argue that
he is a man who is able to accept tragedy as a part
of life. Overall I found
Lee's novel wonderfully written. It is a novel that
is filled with moments of overwhelming heartbreak,
and simple triumphs. Lee is able to evoke feelings
of mourning for lost opportunities without a
overburdened sense of melodrama that seems to fill
novels today. A Gesture Life is a novel both
satisfying and intriguing. I look forward to Lee's
next novel. Review by: Yumi
Nagasaki-Taylor |
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