Customer Reviews

A Letter That Will Come Tomorrow

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Being proud of one's country is fine, but what point does it trump humanity? "A Letter That Will Come Tomorrow" follows Naomi O'Hara, psychiatrist, as she journeys the country and meets a strange and intriguing array of characters ranging from Vietnam vets to the Amish. Facing her own mortality, her journey offers her much philosophy, which the reader will experience as well. "A Letter That Will Come Tomorrow" is highly recommended to readers seeking a book that blends good writing with spirituality.

'Naomi O'Hara' is apparently a nom de plume for a very fine writer who fears her/his words might intrude on the privacy of the author. Perhaps that is a novel way of not labeling the story as 'fiction', as it has far too many truths in it to be considered otherwise. In this brief and very well written story 'O'Hara' has created a Japanese American psychotherapist, a victim of progressive cancer, who is aboard a train bound for New York where she plans to meet her new grandson and to participate in the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 World Trade Center site ('the ground that marks the turning point - when America changed and the days of ceaseless war began').

The year is thus 2021 and the atmosphere on the train and the various stops made between the coasts are colored with a '1984' grim tone of totalitarianism disguised as Patriotism. On the train are a number of characters obviously introduced for the purpose of illustrating how violence and war are not conducive to healthy life on a doomed planet: an African American man who survived the Vietnam war scarred by anguish and remorse, letters from the therapist's mother describing the post war conditions after the US atomic bombing of Japan, a kind Lakota Indian who bears quiet witness to the past transgressions of a country that displaced his people, an Amish family representing surviving 'different groups', a physician with a fractured past that has restructured his response to patients, and a teenage girl turning to alcohol and sociopathic restlessness as a reaction against the complacency of her parents and the changes she is witnessing in a world too controlled to hear dissenters. How the therapist interacts with each of these influences results in her own decision about her life's direction.

'We are all in danger when no one speaks up against an immoral war'. This remark sums the books message - that we are seeing war throughout the planet and often generated by America's own intervention to spread a type of democracy that the author cannot condone as the right path for all people. Not only is this train ride and interesting story, it also contains food for thought we all need to consider. Especially now, especially at this season, and especially as we all hope for peace. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 08

Psychiatrist Naomi O'Hara boards a train headed for New York City. The purpose of the trip is to experience a new hope for the future- the birth of her grandchild. The year is 2021- 20 years since 9/11. Twenty years of wars, terrorism, and extreme restrictions on individual freedoms. The stories told by the people she meets on the train turns the trip into a deeply emotional and spiritual experience.
The literary novel is fiction at its finest. The story is propelled along the tracks of time through metaphorical illustration and engaging conversations. Naomi meets a Viet Nahm veteran, "...large, hollowed-out eyes...blue and clear but somewhat deserted, like lagoons in the southernmost Pacific Islands..."
The book speaks to all races, religions, and spans generations. One hundred years from now the novel will still be timely.
"A Letter That Will Come Tomorrow" challenges readers to consider how "twisted patriotism" erodes our humanity.
The novel is a must-read for anyone loving peace and personal freedoms. Concerned about family safety, the author remains anonymous, writing under a pseudonym.

A Letter That Will Come Tomorrow by Naomi O'Hara isn't the normal type of reading fare I'd pick up. But the near-future "Homeland Security" angle intrigued me. It turned out to be pretty good from a contemplation angle, and she makes some interesting points on how patriotism plays out when taken to the extreme.

The story takes place in 2021. Dr. Naomi O'Hara, a person of Japanese heritage, is taking the train from Washington State to New York in order to visit relatives and see the 9/11 memorial. She's dealing with her mortality, as she has cancer. Part of the reason for going by train is to meet others and hear their stories. Given how many days it takes to make that trip, she has plenty of opportunity. A Vietnam veteran tells her his story of survival and love during the war, all before he suffers a heart attack and has to be removed from the train. A Lakota native American sits with her and shares his view of life and the land he was raised in. One of the more interesting people is a young girl who's a sophomore in college and has her own unique view of life. Winding through the stories and the trip is the view of what America has become in the name of "security" and "patriotism". Homeland Security has unlimited power to stop and detain potential "terrorists". All the media is tilted towards selling the public on why our never-ending wars are important to preserve our freedoms. And of course, not conforming to the norms of society can quickly cost you your freedom.

In terms of action and plot, this book doesn't have much of either. It's more of a character-driven story that dives deeply into the themes of freedom and patriotism. This is done in a variety of ways, from going back to O'Hara's childhood in post-war Japan to watching and hearing the ever-present "Patriot screen" broadcasts that appear in most all populated locations. While we're not to that point in America (yet), it's not hard to make the jump from where we are to the society she paints in her book.

There's an underlying current of mystery around the book. The author's name is a pseudonym used to protect their privacy, but you'll also note that it's the name of the main character in the story. Makes me wonder how much, if any, of the book may be autobiographical. This is also supposed to be the first of a series, and I'll admit I'm curious to see where this might end up going. While it's not the "action/adventure" recreational reading I normally do, it definitely makes you think...

'A Letter That Will Come Tomorrow' begins with Naomi O'Hara, a psychiatrist, stepping on a train heading to New York. The year is 2021. We meet some very interesting people along the way and are introduced to a new way of life. The author has created a world that everyone should visit. The story is well written, characters come alive, and the descriptions are fresh. A must-read for anyone, any race or age.

An interesting first novel. The concept is great - an aging, ailing therapist on a train journey meets a cross-section of humanity, reflects on personal history (both her own and others), and looks toward an uncertain future in a world gone mad with misguided politics and a government holding sway over its people through state-sponsored paranoia and "big brother" policies. It's sort of "Canterbury Tales" meets "1984" meets "Five People You Meet in Heaven". The idea is great - rife with potential although, in my opinion, not consistenly or fully realized. It's a bit "first novel-ish" in spots. The lingering touches of "Creative Writing 101" are hard to miss. Not a bad effort, all around, though! Apparently this is intended as the first in a series. It will be interesting to see how the author continues with the story!