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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
'While struggling for a better tomorrow, the end of my life has crept up on me', December 21, 2008
'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
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It revolves around a highly-debated topic!, October 10, 2008
Reviewed by Leslie Granier for Reader Views (9/08)
It is the year 2021. Naomi O'Hara is a psychiatrist who knows she is dying. She is on a train bound for New York for two reasons. First, she wishes to be present for her grandchild's birth. Second, she intends to participate in a hunger strike at Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center bombings, because that act of terrorism has resulted in America being at war ever since. Aboard the train she meets many interesting people and listens to their stories.
"A Letter That Will Come Tomorrow" incorporates the theme that war is wrong at all costs. It does not bring about peace as many people suggest. O'Hara examines how war often leads to a "forced patriotism" in the country's residents or they will be deemed as traitors. This heightened sense of patriotism rallies the citizens of a country but leads to a loss of humanity towards residents of the other countries involved. Innocent people are killed or left homeless. She also emphasizes how the national anthems of many countries glorify war.
This book is very philosophical in nature and should cause the reader to closely examine his or her beliefs about war. O'Hara expertly uses the supporting characters to promote her views. Joe is a Vietnam veteran who recounts his war stories, which involve not only the actual fighting, but also a special woman he met after his tour of duty. Brianna is a highly intelligent teenager who seems to rebel against just about everything. O'Hara uses Brianna's innocence and her ability to only view things as right or wrong, with no shades of gray, to remind the reader that difficult situations can often be resolved if people would follow the basic principles of morality.
"A Letter That Will Come Tomorrow" by Naomi O'Hara would be a good choice for a reading group because it revolves around a highly-debated topic. It could also provide stimulating conversation about what future societies may be like. (In this novel, there is a female president, robots, and extremely tight security measures for travelers.) When I started reading, 2021 seemed as if it is a long time from now. It is actually a lot closer than many realize.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended to readers seeking a book that blends good writing with spirituality, October 6, 2008
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.
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