Cloud of Sparrows: An Epic Novel of Japan

This book by Takashi Matsuoka was an engaging and educational read. A one-page List of Characters preceeding the text was essential and a two-page map offered context for the setting, which took place primarily on Honshu island in 1861.  Protagonist Lord Genji, Lord of Akaoka and leader of the Okumichi clan seems to be the only one who is interested in welcoming the "Outsiders" and, as the book opens, 3 Christian missionaries have just arrived in Edo Bay from San Francisco. The royal greeting of the Americans is marred by an assassination attempt on Genji that mortally wounds one of the missionaries. One of the surviving missionaries is a woman, Emily, who is fleeing herself to find a place where men don't try to sexually assault her based on her beauty. Here in Japan, she is considered hideous. The other missionary, Matthew, has ulterior motives for coming and  plans to take revenge on another outsider who murdered his wife and two step-daughters.  

Publishers Weekly opens their review by framing the action this way, "Matsuoka's ambitious first novel is an epic saga of clashing personalities and ideologies in the tradition of Shogun, yet it distinguishes itself from its wide-eyed predecessor with a grimmer perspective on Japan's military culture...a land bristling with feudal clans nursing ancient grudges and a central shogunate trying to maintain control in the face of corrosive Western influences." And they conclude, "The novel boasts plenty of Edo-era pomp and pageantry, as well as some nicely convoluted court intrigue and lightly handled romance. But the author's central message appears to be a rebuke of the narrow-mindedness of the isolationist feudal tradition in Japan and its bloody track record: 'It is our duty to ensure that all looting, murdering, and enslaving in Japan is done by us alone. Otherwise, how can we call ourselves Great Lords?'" I would add that one also gets a sense of the sense of loss and dislocation resulting from a totally foreign culture wantonly destroying a centuries-old one. 

The Historical Novel Society offers these glowing words: "Cloud of Sparrows is a stunning work. Matsuoka was born in Japan and raised in Hawaii; he gives us a view of Japan from the inside out, yet his American characters are believable as well. Dialog is natural and suited to each character. The encounters between alien cultures are movingly depicted. Japan’s ancient traditions, influenced heavily by Buddhist and Zen philosophy, are contrasted with the American and Christian traditions of the outsiders. Ideas of beauty, life, death, love, and honor are subtly explored. Much more than a love story, the novel also depicts exciting battles and masterful intrigues in the last days of the proud samurai tradition."

Similarly, the Yale Review of Books offers this: "This is not a run-of-the-mill, East-meets-West story. Matsuoka’s cast is endearing; his plot, fast-paced; and his style, witty. He captures real life in ancient Japan, unshielded from violence, sorrow, retribution—and happiness. We inhabit and feel all the extremes of an untamed world in which samurai calmly commit hara kiri, but weep at the fleeting beauty of a falling cherry blossom. Though we are at first struck by the strangeness of Genji’s tradition-steeped world, Matsuoka completely transforms our perceptions and integrates us into it. The book’s direct look at all that is gruesome and beautiful about this era helps us to understand and empathize with the Great Lord of Akaoka. This novel delights with plot twists, but also imparts a real taste of a fascinating culture. It’s a must-read for anyone even slightly interested in the mysterious world of ancient Japan."

Kirkus, on the other hand, opens with this snarky comment: "Some rootin’-tootin’ shoot-’em-up and slice-’em-up for those who thought the US-Japanese trade deficit was bad." and goes on to say, "The stakes are high: It will be war at the hands of outsiders or war among the samurai clans, and 2,000 years of civilization is on the line. Unfortunately, battle sequences are written more for ambitious cinematographers than for readers, and, really, Matsuoka doesn’t have the weapons to handle the morass he’s created..."