Chorus of Mushrooms (Nunatak Fiction) [Paperback]

Hiromi Goto (Author)

Book Description

Series: Nunatak Fiction | Publication Date: October 1993

This book heralds the debut of a young Japanese Canadian feminist, Hiromi Goto. Until the publication of 'Chorus of Mushrooms' in 1994, the primary voice heard from Japanese Canadians was that of the people interned during World War II. Hiromi Goto examines the immigration experience of the Japanese Canadian beyond war and into present day Alberta. Celebrating cultural differences as a privilege, this novel explores the shifts and collisions of culture through the lives of three generations of women in a Japanese family living in a small prairie town.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hiromi Goto was born in Chiba<->ken, Japan, and immigrated to Canada with her family in 1969. They lived on the west coast of British Columbia for eight years before moving to Nanton, Alberta, a small town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Hiromi attended the University of Calgary and graduated in 1989 with a BA in Humanities (English/Art).

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: NeWest Press (October 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0920897533
• ISBN-13: 978-0920897539
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #946,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ::::: Chorus of Mushrooms ::::::, November 13, 2001

By 

G.S. "Catwoman" (South Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chorus of Mushrooms (Nunatak Fiction) (Paperback)

The first Novel from the Canadian-Japanese author Hiromi Goto.
The novel tells the story of three generations of Japanese Canadian women lives in Canada, who seeks their special identity: the grandma who refuses to give up from her Japanese roots (and who hides salted squid in her pockets...), her daughter Kaiku who wants to be "real" Canadian and therefore refuses to speak Japanese, and the grandchild, Murial-Morasaki who is in a quest for her Japanese roots and who struggles to find a cultural identity somewhere between the two.
This vivid life (and love) story is integrated with Japanese folk legends.
I found it very warm, exquisite and honest, sometimes amusing and sometimes very mellow and sad. Great first novel and very mature.
The book won the Commonwealth Writer's Prize for Best First Book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a really inspiring novel, May 19, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Wollongong, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chorus of Mushrooms (Nunatak Fiction) (Paperback)

Chorus of Mushrooms really captures the sense of conflict that is felt by those who feel compelled to "fit in" to a new culture, and the effects that this can have on other members of the family. It deals brilliantly with the notion of individual and collective hi/stories, and is one of the best books I've read in a while.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chorus of Themes, February 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Chorus of Mushrooms (Nunatak Fiction) (Paperback)

This story of three generations of Japanese Canadian women in rural Alberta relates the immigrant experience through the conflict between three incredible women--a grandmother who will not speak English, a daughter who will not speak Japanese, and a granddaughter torn between the two extremes and struggling with her identity as a Japanese Canadian. It also deals with the characters' struggle to shape their environments and establish themselves in their not-so-new community. In their adopted country, they make new accomodations not only to the past but to each other.