DEBORAH CROMBIE: I adore novels that weave in and out of history, that show me unfamiliar places and engaging characters. Add in a mystery and I am on it!!! Jonelle Patrick's novel THE LAST TEA BOWL THIEF has it all, plus the most gorgeous cover ever. Meet Jonelle!
JONELLE PATRICK: Is it possible for an outsider to write an authentic story set in a foreign culture?
As you can imagine, I get asked this question a lot. I mean—if you had to guess—what do you think someone who looks like Pandemic Barbie is most likely to know more about: the merits of saving all the marshmallows in a bowl of Lucky Charms until last, or Japanese tea bowls? And even if you knew that I came in the special edition Tokyo Pandemic Barbie set (complete with Japanese language school diploma, a set of swordsmith-crafted kitchen knives and a wardrobe of masks that all squish her beaky nose) you’d still be completely within your reader rights to wonder how a foreigner could have enough insight to write a book that’s not only set in Japan, it’s got some Japanese characters.
If you can suspend your skepticism for just a moment, let me suggest something kind of counterintuitive: that illuminating stories about what it’s like to be an insider are often written by those who will always be outsiders.
Reason #1:
Foreigners aren’t fish
If you ask a fish to write about life in the ocean, the fish will leave out a lot. The ocean is the only world the fish knows, and there are fairly essential things about living in the ocean that it doesn’t even notice. But if you’re not a fish, and you need all kinds of expensive and complicated equipment to survive in the ocean for even a short time, you pay attention to the details. Because it’s the details that can kill you.
I was once working with a Japanese actor to translate a traditional comic rakugo story into English. While demonstrating the acting that went with the part we were working on, he “arrived” at the house where a gathering was being held and said, “Ah, I see everyone is already here.” Then he opened the door to go inside.
“Wait,” I interrupted. “Didn’t you get that backwards? Shouldn’t you open the door before you mention that everyone is already there?”
He looked at me, puzzled. “No, didn’t you see how I looked down at all the pairs of shoes people left outside first?”
That’s the kind of thing you forget to explain if you’ve never lived in a country where people don’t take off their shoes before going indoors. If you’ve ever wondered why there aren’t more mysteries by Japanese authors in translation, that’s why. It’s not because there aren’t a boatload of bestselling potboilers, it’s because you can’t translate many of them verbatim. You’d either have to add lots of heavy-handed cultural explanation to make the detective’s leaps of deduction make sense, or baffle foreign readers who have no idea how the sleuth guessed a crowd of people would be on the other side of that door.
Reason #2:
Forbidden fruit is the best fruit
There’s one piece of advice I give friends who want someone to show them around Japan: never hire a Japanese guide. Japanese guides only want to show you what they’re proud of, not the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction stuff that makes for amazing stories to tell back home.
When a Japanese guide shows you Tokyo, you’ll gaze across the moat at the impenetrable ranks of trees surrounding the Imperial Palace, view the imposing beaux-arts Diet Building, and visit the Japan Traditional Crafts Center to buy the finest products produced in every prefecture.
When I take friends around Tokyo, we tiptoe into a taiko-drumming fire ceremony, ogle the hundreds of prayer plaques painted by anime artists at the electronics district shrine, browse all the plastic food shops on Kappabashi Street, and walk through the red-light district at night to marvel at the outrageous designs of the love hotels and watch handsome bar hosts inviting customers into their swanky clubs.
Which would you rather read about?
I’m lucky to have a lot of relatives who are insiders—my mother-in-law is from a large Tokyo family—and Japanese friends who I can wheedle into taking me to see the kind of stuff Japanese authors hesitate to write about and Japanese tour guides like to steer foreigners away from.
But it’s because I’m a foreigner that I know it’s worth seeing.
Reason #3
Those who are all too aware of the box are the best at thinking outside it
If you’re like me, you’re up early and waiting at the curb for the delivery van on the day a Jungle Reds book comes out. Maybe this time I’ll be whisked away to England to help Scotland Yard’s most intrepid husband and wife investigators solve their latest, while juggling the needs of their great kids. Or I might drop in on my favorite female Episcopal priest and see how she’s wrestling with whatever crime needs her attention today. Or maybe I’ll be spending the day with that duke’s daughter who is always flat broke.
One thing I know for sure is that my favorite reads are all about characters who are insiders in some ways, but outsiders in others. Characters who have to figure out how to work within a system where they don’t quite fit the mold. Characters who have to learn from their mistakes and keep on their toes to avoid disastrous missteps. Characters who sometimes have to fake it to make it.
Sort of like living in Japan. The American character in The Last Tea Bowl Thief has to cut back on her rice because no pair of pants in the whole country will fit her, she accidentally insults people when she thinks she’s using honorific Japanese, and is resigned to moving through every day feeling like a sixth grader in a chair made for first graders. But it’s because she doesn’t fit in that she can unlock the mysteries of the tea bowl that’s been changing the lives of everyone who possesses it for three hundred years, and help right a wrong that has stymied Japanese insiders for generations.
For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, altering the lives of all who possess it.
In modern-day Tokyo, Robin Swann’s life has sputtered to a stop. She’s stuck in a dead-end job testing antiquities for an auction house, but her true love is poetry, not pottery. Her stalled dissertation sits on her laptop, unopened in months, and she has no one to confide in but her goldfish.
On the other side of town, Nori Okuda sells rice bowls and tea cups to Tokyo restaurants, as her family has done for generations. But with her grandmother in the hospital, the family business is foundering. Nori knows if her luck doesn’t change soon, she’ll lose what little she has left.
With nothing in common, Nori and Robin suddenly find their futures inextricably linked to an ancient, elusive tea bowl. Glimpses of the past set the stage as they hunt for the lost masterpiece, uncovering long-buried secrets in their wake. As they get closer to the truth—and the tea bowl—the women must choose between seizing their dreams or righting the terrible wrong that has poisoned its legacy for centuries.
Jonelle Patrick is the author of five novels set in Japan. She also writes the monthly newsletter Japanagram and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had. Her newest mystery, The Last Tea Bowl Thief, will be published on October 20, 2020 by Seventh Street Books.
Congratulations on your newest book, Jonelle . . . “The Last Tea Bowl Thief” sounds quite intriguing and I’m looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteDespite the fact that being an outsider must be incredibly difficult at times, I think it gives the writer an advantage because the frame of reference brought to a situation would be so different . . . .
You are so right—and oddly enough, it's the difficult and embarrassing and uncomfortable things that I experience as an outsider that really make me stop and think, "Why the heckin' heck did that happen?" The fun stuff is far more pleasant, but the difficult stuff is far more interesting!
DeleteYour book sounds wonderful, Jonelle! I love stories like that. And I think you're right. It's the friction of the insider/outsider story that can draw a reader into cultural nooks and crannies she never expected to explore. I love the story of the shoes.
ReplyDeleteIt's an eye-opener, isn't it? It's one of the reasons I love all the Jungle Reds' books too—getting a glimpse inside other realities/countries through the eyes of a skillfully-written character is the BEST. And it's a real art to weave that cultural explanation into the story as it's needed, without the reader noticing they're learning so much about a new place!
DeleteWow, Jonelle! Before I even got to your book description, I was hooked. I love your "foreigners aren't fish" take on writing about something as an outsider. In fact, all three of your reasons and explanations of them are fascinating and absolutely convincing. Then, I get to the book description, and I am putty in your hands. I am already a fan of your writing from just this one piece of writing.
ReplyDeleteI also have a connection to someone who writes a column for our local paper about being an outsider living in Japan. The young man teaches school in Japan and is married to a Japanese woman. I met him as a friend of my daughter's when they were in high school. He and I used to talk books, and he gave me a copy of Slaughterhouse Five because I hadn't read it. I read it and we discussed it. He went on to major in English, of course. Anyway, the fourth Sunday of every month Justin writes about something he experiences as an outsider in Japan, and I am always interested in whatever it is. I think I might just buy him a copy of The Last Tea Bowl Thief and send it to him. After all, I do owe him a book.
What a lovely idea, Kathy!
DeleteKathy, your offer to send him my book made my day! What a kind thought. Thank you! And that friend of yours sounds like someone I would love to meet—it turns out that the very best part of writing books turns is meeting readers like you and people like your friend, who I could trade stories with over sixteen coffee refills about subjects we're both passionate about. So glad that our paths crossed here!
DeleteJonelle, how have I missed your books?! A few decades ago I was an outsider in Japan for two years, teaching conversational English to engineers and living in sin off base (in Minami Rinkan on the Okakyu line) with an American in the US Navy. All good preparation for writing amateur sleuths, but I've only put my Japan experiences into three short stories.
ReplyDeleteOf course all those quirky places are the best ones! I was good friends with a (tall, blond, hefty) American woman who was married to a Japanese man and had a three-year old (blond) daughter who didn't speak English. Karen was fluent in the language, while I was only studying it, and she knew all the little back corners and colorful places.
I'm off to order the new book!
Edith, I did a Jan term in college on Japan, so I learned a good bit about the culture and history, but I have never managed to visit. Alas.
DeleteEdith, I would LOVE to read your stories! (Pointers to where I might do that?) And ha, I have a feeling we'd be getting the stinkeye from any cafe we met at face to face, because we'd be so caught up in exchanging hold-my-beer tales of living in Japan (sins and all) that's we'd be monopolizing a table long after they began hinting we should leave. What a pleasure to make your acquaintance, and I do hope we get a chance to get to know each other better!
DeleteAnd Deborah, I had no idea you were a secret Japan maven! It goes without saying, if you ever do decide to come, your personal tour guide is reading and waiting...
DeleteThanks, Jonelle! I'd love to meet you - assume you live in Japan? If I ever get back there...
Delete"Sushi Lessons" and "Yatsuhashi for Lance" are linked on the Short Fiction tab of my web site, and you can read the flash story "Odakyu Line" at the bottom of that page - it was my first published short fiction as an adult (I won a story contest in the Pasadena Star News at age nine)! https://edithmaxwell.com/short-fiction/
Thanks, Edith! Bookmarked for a treat at the end of my workday...
DeleteThis sounds like a wonderful book and I loved the post. Even at a smaller level, you could ask the same question. For example does someone who did not grow up in Key West have the right to write about the Islanders if they understand the issues? It’s a fascinating question thanks for bringing it up
ReplyDeleteAnd it's one you have dealt with so successfully, it's legendary! The thing is, your Key West feels real because you really know it, warts and all—you've spent enough time there that you can go way deeper than the Photoshopped vacation spot that most people experience, and knowing what it's like to be there when it's not all sunshine and clear water (and the people aren't all smiling shopkeepers) is what makes your books come alive.
DeleteJonelle, first can I just say that cover is lovely? I think I might have chosen the book just on the strength of the cover. But will definitely be adding it to my TBR list now!
ReplyDeleteI had never really given it much thought before, but many of my favorite books feature someone who is in some way an outsider. Your post is really thought provoking.
The cover is just stunning, isn't it, Susan? I would definitely have bought this book off the rack in a bookstore or newsstand. Oh, those were the days, weren't they? Book browsing...
DeleteI'm going to send your wonderful cover praise to the cover designer as soon as I take a coffee break! She knows I love what she did, but it will make her day that you thought so too. And yeah, book browsing. That's right up near the top of things I've missed and hope will return SOON.
DeleteCongratulations on your new release! I look forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteI could write about a new place only if I did it from the point of view of a character new to the place, not knowing much outside the guidebook she skimmed on the plane.
Right now, I'm writing about a place I knew at an earlier time in my life. How much "it used to be" stuff do I include? Is the fast food place that replace a small food market jarring or a statement for the present?
Someone asked me a similar question once at a writing workshop, and the questions I asked them back were, "Does mentioning the history of the place have a purpose? Does it perhaps set the stage for something that happens later, that will be better understood if the reader knows its history? Or maybe it creates a sense of past layered onto the present that will be a recurring theme in your story?" Those aren't the only reasons you might want to include the history, of course, but what they have in common is that they arent' just filler, they provide some information that the reader will find useful in understanding or enjoying your tale. I don't know if that's at all useful to you as you decide what toput in and what to leave out, but I love that you're mining your experiences of a time in your life that provided such vivid memories!
DeleteWelcome Jonelle
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this well written and interesting post, I'm certain I'll appreciate The Last Tea Bowl Thief.
Thank you for taking the time to bring a big smile to my morning with those kind words.
DeleteCongrats on the book, Jonelle! And I definitely want to take your tour of Tokyo.
ReplyDeleteThank you! And ahahahahaha if you do come to Japan, take a look at all the places I take my friends (The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had is on my author website), then ping me, and let's talk Liz's Must-Sees...
DeleteJonelle, congratulations on your new book. It sounds fascinating!
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be one of the big questions that people are asking now and not just about ethnicities, but can a woman write from a man's perspective? Can a man write from a woman's perspective? I attended a bookstore Zoom on Wednesday night with James Ziskin and Jeffrey Briggs who both write female protagonists. It was one of the audience questions. Yesterday, the same question came up in a bookstore Zoom with John Grisham and Louise Penny. People are talking about it and I find it to be a strange issue. As a reader, either you believe the story and are drawn to the character or not. I don't think that an author needs permission to write about other cultures or genders or religions or ethnicities. If I object to a book, I stop reading.
Judy, you're right, this is such a big issue these days. I do think a writer has an obligation to do research, but I wholly agree that a writer shouldn't need permission to write write about characters who are not carbon copies of themselves.
DeleteOh, and Jim Ziskin is such a treat, isn't he? One of my favorite people.
DeleteAny protagonist we create requires us to get into someone else’s head, doesn’t it?
DeleteAgree, agree, SO MUCH agree. I sometimes have to defend my Japanese characters from the Western stereotype of Japanese people always being "polite." Which is SO NOT TRUE! People are people, all over the world—especially in private—and we want the same things and share the same failings and commit the same crimes. But we might do it for different reasons—that's where good research includes having deep relationships with people from the character's background, so we've got a model for their reactions and motives. If I'm in doubt, it's a lifesaver to be able to ask a reliable source, "Would a Japanese person do this?" and if not, "What would their reaction be instead?"
DeleteOne of my earliest reading moments is centered on a story of a Native American child who helps with a buffalo hunt. My guess is that it was written by a non-Native American. Decades later I still remember how the story drew me into another way of life through the character and setting. And I still seek out stories that do the same. If it's well-written, it will draw me in. I don't stop to ask the gender, age, religious affiliation, or cultural experience of the author. Jonelle, thanks for bringing another intriguing book to my attntion!
ReplyDeleteFlora, that made me remember how much I loved Johnny Tremain at that age. It brought that period so vividly to life for me, and I don't think the author had actually lived through the American revolution:-)
DeleteYes, uh, if you ever hear me holding forth on Navajo culture, please don't reveal that my deep and authoritative knowledge all comes from devouring everything Tony Hillerman ever wrote...
DeleteBig Tony Hillerman fan here, too!
DeleteI love novels with treasure hunts and history! Sounds so good and want to read!
ReplyDeleteAs for the question, my new series is set in Cambridge, England. The main character is American, like me, and like me her mother is from England and she still has relatives there. Since I couldn't go over again this year like I planned, I've been asking questions of people who live there. Did you know that coffee is seriously competing with tea in England? One thing I learned.
Yes, Liz, coffee is seriously competitive with tea in the UK these days--in fact, that's where I learned to like coffee! This doesn't mean that the British have given up tea, however. They just drink both.
DeleteI have plenty of both in my book! :) PS love your series.
DeleteThanks, Liz! And good luck with your new series!
DeleteLiz, I already like your writing, because you've winkled out that counterintuitive factoid! In Japan, there's something similar: they now eat more bread than rice. There are now bakeries that specialize in rice flour baked goods, which are accidentally a lifesaver for gluten-intolerant visitors, but are actually intended as a patriotic choice to prop up the rice farmers.
DeleteMy favorite writing advice is "write what you know; if you don't know, find out". Research can take us down many a dark alley, finding lots of shiny gems along the way. And some of my favorite tours in other countries were led by transplants to that area who recognized what oddities would delight fellow Americans.
ReplyDeleteJonelle, the whole premise of your book intrigues, but I'm also happy to know of a character named Robin. It's what we named our middle daughter, who was always the only person, male or female, with that name in her school, wherever she went. As a character in a Japanese story, too, it's a great non-Japanese name.
Terry Shames HIGHLY recommended Jonelle and her book to me. I've pre-ordered my copy and can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteJonelle is on west coast time and will be checking in to chat with everyone soon.
I can tell everyone that you aren't going to be disappointed. This is a top-notch book.
DeleteThis is such an interesting question for me, as I've never written my British novels from an American character's viewpoint. I'm sure I notice cultural things that a British writer might take for granted. On the other hand, I find the British much more culturally self-aware, in general, than Americans.
ReplyDeleteDeborah, that reminds me of when I lived in England for two months. True that the British are more culturally self aware than Americans. They still have castles, churches and houses that were built hundreds of years before the American Revolution.
DeleteDiana
Yeah, I remember the first time I was in Edinburgh, and the "New Town" was built in the 1750s! And Deborah, I'm curious—if you were to write a character that's an American in Britain, would you see them from the viewpoint of a British resident (more critical), or from the experience of having been born an American (more understanding)?
DeleteI did give an American character a very small part in a book, but he wasn't a viewpoint character. And I named him Tex, my little joke as it's my cousin's nickname.
DeleteThis book sounds fabulous. I can’t wait to read it
ReplyDeleteThank you! So happy to meet another reader I can entice into my underground Japan lair...
DeleteJonelle, welcome to Jungle Reds! And congratulations on your novel! Since your story sounds so interesting, I am adding this to my reading list.
ReplyDeleteAnd I loved what you said about characters who are insiders in some ways, but outsiders in others.
Can I quote you?
Regarding being an insider and an outsider, that definitely applies to me. When I was a kid, I knew a language that many people struggled to learn. It was a language that came easily to some people. They were able to pick up the language easily. For others, it was a struggle to learn so they made up their version of the language.
Sign Language is a VISUAL language. And I could tell who learned how to read phonetically because of how they fingerspelled the words. For example, a written word in the English language is spelled differently when you pronounce the word. I remember someone fingerspelling "Ant" meaning "Aunt". I remember someone spelled "Blown" meaning the word "Blue"
I was going to ask if the Japanese guides ever show their favorite restaurants? Are you talking about professional tour guides?
When I visited Edinburgh, we had a wonderful Scottish tour guide. We saw Greyfriar Bobby. We went to see an old church where Princess Joanna was buried in a crypt. We saw St. Giles Church on the Royal Mile where the Duke of Montrose had a brass plaque. We also travelled to the Highlands where we saw the site of the Battle of Culloden. Our tour guide was Deaf and I do not think that he worked with the Tourist Office bureau.
Diana
I'm so delighted to meet a reader and traveler who navigates the world in Sign Language! The more I learn, the more interested I become, especially when it comes to cross-cultural communication. I'd love to have a deeper discussion about this! As for your restaurant question, I'm sorry to say that most guides won't take you to their favorite places, but it's not because they're being lazy or mean. When the Michelin Guide contacted the list of restaurants they were considering for the Tokyo version, they were shocked by how many refused entry to their reviewers. The top Tokyo restaurants have such an ongoing relationship with their longtime customers, they didn't want visitors suddenly flocking in and gobbling up all the reservations. And even with a guide who's fluent in Japanese, it's hard for the staff to do a top-notch job of serving customers who don't speak or read the language, and aren't familiar with the ins and outs of eating at a Japanese restaurant. Most tour guides don't want to risk offending a restaurant when a visitor asks them to do something that's Just Not Done (like asking for substitutions) so they stick to places that have agreed to be open to foreigners instead of taking them to the fabulous spots beloved of Japanese foodies. But even at those, the food is still fabulous. Nobody I know has ever gone home disappointed!
DeleteFascinating question and how did I miss your books in the past. Well an omission I'll happily rectify.
ReplyDeleteIn some regards, I think being an outsider does give an advantage to a writer. Because I lived in South Florida for 40 years I understood some customs without giving them a thought. Outsiders who came to visit would question things we took for granted. Why I had a case of water in the garage with a date, why I had large supply of canned foods in a box marked only with a year. Those were hurricane supplies. The June stock-up is something most Floridians participate in as is the November eat or donate tradition.
So interesting, Kait. We have tornado "go bags" here.
DeleteWow, Kait, I love local details like that. I can imagine how puzzled I'd be if I arrived to burgle your garage and saw that I only had a choice of years, not "Grandma's silver" or "Valuable old wine"!
DeleteAlas, the valuable old wine would be unlikely to last the year in my house!
DeleteMaybe if you labeled it "2020" you'd be less tempted to open it anytime soon...
DeleteReading these comments over it makes me wonder when, exactly, did it become an imperative for an author to only write from their own perspective? That seems unrealistic, and frankly, a limiting of imagination.
ReplyDeleteI share your feelings of limitation, although I can actually see some upside in the increased attention being paid to how authentic a piece of fiction is, based on who wrote it. Top notch authors like the Jungle Reds are masters of research and the kind of deep dive that will weather that questioning, so it's not limiting to authors who are truly good at their craft. And it does make writers who grew up in other cultures more attractive to publishing houses—now that readers put increased value on the authenticity brought by, say, a Native American author who writes books set in Native American culture, those writers are no longer ignored by publishers who tended to keep choosing authors who more comfortably resemble the mainstream.
DeleteThis is fantastic, Jonelle! One of my sons studied Japanese for years and both are huge Anime/Manga fans. It's on our bucket list to visit Japan (maybe next fall) and I am definitely going to read your travel blogs and your novels for prep. Thrilled to have "met" you on our blog today!
ReplyDeleteThe feeling is completely mutual! Did your son ever put all those years of kanji drills to use and make the leap to living in Japan? I so hope you make it there next fall! All the stuff you know so well from anime/manga will suddenly be all around you—feeling new and familiar at the same time—and you won't believe how great it is in real life. The best part about writing book & blogs about Japan is that I get to meet readers like you, so please feel free to ping me after you see all the places I take my friends when they come to Tokyo. I'd be delighted help steer you to the very best must-sees!
DeleteHi Jonelle! I think you're right on target with your observations. Maybe you can "see" the picture better if you're not in it. We'd have little to no historical fiction if only authors who had been there were allowed to write it. What a depressing thought. I had a great aunt who was a missionary in China until interned by the Japanese during WW2. When it was over she moved to Japan and worked there and made many friends while learning the language and customs. She enjoyed her time living in Kobe.
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd known your aunt! I bet she had some incredible stories to tell, and it sounds like she was a remarkable woman to have survived the horrors of that war, and stay on to help Japan rebuild. And you are so right about historical fiction!
DeleteI wish I'd known your aunt! I bet she had some incredible stories to tell, and it sounds like she was a remarkable woman to have survived the horrors of that war, and stay on to help Japan rebuild. And you are so right about historical fiction!
ReplyDeleteOh, I am SO LATE! I am enchanted by your blog, thank you, so thought provoking and inspirational. We just started to watch Emily in Paris on TV--and I am not sure how I feel about it. I'd adore to talk to you about it--but it seems to be.. well, an interesting take on point of view. Thank you for this! And congratulations on the book. SO eager to read it.
DeleteArg so sorry to be so late to reply, here on West Coast time! And thank you, you lovely, lovely woman and writer. I've loved your books forever, and hearing such kind words from you is more of a high point than you can know. I'm hoping you're going to turn those Emily in Paris POV musings into a Jungle Reds post, because I will be there with bells on to talk about it with you!
DeleteAnd while we're here, at a little pause in the river of comments, can I just say that I'm blown away by the readership of this blog? The comments here are so extraordinary—I mean, it goes without saying that book lovers are a cut above, but everyone here bring such interesting life experiences to the table, and make such interesting points. I've also discovered here on Jungle Red Writers that that the more famous and beloved a writer is, the greater her generosity of spirit. You all probably read Terry Shames' Walter Craddock mysteries too, right? She also figures into my thoughts this morning as a key player in my Crystal Ball Test. This is the thing I do whenever it feels like all the effort I'm pouring into moving forward isn't getting me any closer to the goalposts. I ask myself, if I'd looked into my crystal ball ten years ago, and seen that Terry Shames had introduced me to seven of my favorite mystery writers and they invited me to post on their blog about my new book, I'd have been speechless with joy at how unbelievable and great that is. (If you're someone who sneakily moves your own goalposts too, I highly recommend a look in YOUR crystal ball!) Anyway, what a pleasure it is to be here with all of you.
ReplyDelete