The Shogun's Daughter
by Laura Joh Rowland
Listen, I appreciate an ARC as much as any person; a beautifully-appointed hardcover ARC is relatively unseen, so I eagerly cracked open Rowland’s The Shogun’s Daughter. Some background: I have a B.A. in English literature and I also began my Masters in English Literature with an emphasis on the Japanese short story; I was and still am fascinated with the mystic realism inherent in Japanese literature.
Rowland writes well, in the sense that her syntax flows naturally, her imagery is rich, and she wraps up all of her plots points. However, this novel of feudal Japan left much to be desired. It is, essentially, a murder mystery, but given Japan’s loose definition of the word “justice,” many will be frustrated by the so-called “plot twists.” Also, there really is no “mystery”—it’s quite easy to discover who is responsible for what in this story.
Probably the most frustrating plot line is that of Hirata; everything about the mystic warrior is just so ridiculous and contrived, I found myself eventually skipping over anything having to do with him and his “ghost.”
Pass on this unless you feel like getting yourself frustrated.
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