Soldiers in Hiding [Paperback]

Richard Wiley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2004

This remarkable novel is not only an imaginative work of the very highest order but a cross-cultural tour de force of extraordinary daring and vision. It begins in Tokyo in 1941, when Teddy Maki and Jimmy Yamamoto, two young Japanese-American jazz musicians, are stranded in Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, drafted into the Japanese army and sent to the Philippines, the scene of bloody conflict with guerrillas and American troops. Rather than act as true soldiers, the two young men attempt to disengage themselves from the savagery of a war in which they are unable to choose sides. But such innocence is impossible to maintain. Thirty years later, Teddy Maki, by then a star of Japanese television, is still haunted by Jimmy's death and his own failure to disobey the order of his commanding officer to shoot an American prisoner. The guilt that poisons his relationship with his wife and son and with the country in which he has chosen to live as a perpetual outsider speaks to the moral issues raised by all wars--from Auschwitz to My Lai.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Japanese-American jazz musician Teddy Maki, now a star on Japanese TV, has been carrying a heavy burden of guilt since World War II. He and a fellow musician, Jimmy Yakamoto, had been trapped in Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and forced to join the Japanese army, although they were still loyal to America. Jimmy had been killed by ruthless Major Nakamura for refusing to shoot an American prisoner, and Teddy had then carried out the very command his friend had died defying. He has never been able to confide these details to his wife or sonbecause she was Jimmy's widow and their son is actually Jimmy's child. A chance sighting of the major offers Teddy the prospect of revenge and redemption, but it seems the major has likewise been waiting all these years for a similar encounter. Wiley's first novel is a work of exceptional power and imagination, especially in his portrayal of his protagonist's "listless remorse" and cross-cultural alienation. Although the weight given Teddy's living hell is disproportionate to that given his eventual resurrection from it, Wiley's debut is an auspicious one nonetheless. February 14
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Backinprint.com (July 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595326617
• ISBN-13: 978-0595326617
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,731,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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