Behold the Many

Yamanaka, Lois-Ann (Farrar,c2006)
Shelf Number: Fiction/YAM

This is the sad tale of three sisters sent to an orphanage for treatment of tuberculosis in turn-of-the-century Hawaii . Of the three sisters, only one will survive. This richly atmospheric novel paints a chilling portrait of souls tormented by love and guilt.

Buffalo Boy and Geronimo: A Novel

Janko, James (Curbstone Press,c2006)
Shelf Number: Fiction/JAN

The author, a former medic in the Vietnam War wrote this novel that achieves depth through its language and naturalistic detail. It captures both the dialogue of American soldiers and the rhythms of Vietnamese peasant life.

Good Man: A Novel

Lee, Edward Jae-Suk (Bridge Works,c2004)
Shelf Number: Fiction/LEE

Gabriel Guttman, an aging Korean War veteran, has lost an eye and most of his memory. He is haunted by his past as he recalls his role in the massacre of Korean civilians. Upon his return to his boyhood home in Montana , he attempts to find redemption with the help of a Korean peasant woman and her teenage daughter.

Guest

Hwang, Sok-yong (Seven Stories Press,c2005)
Shelf Number: Fiction/HWA

One of Korea 's foremost writers presents a moving family saga juxtaposed against the horrors of the Korean War. This novel allows the dead and the living to share, in alternating voices, their stories and memories.

Kafka on the Shore

Murakami, Haruki (Knopf,c2005)
Shelf Number: Fiction/MUR

A young runaway is traveling across Japan in search of his mother and sister. Paralleling this story is that of an elderly, feeble-minded man, traumatized by World War II, who cannot read or write but can communicate with cats. These two stories are separate yet connected with plenty of unexpected plot elements as the two head toward their fates.

Long Stay in a Distant Land: A Novel

Chieng, Chieh (Bloomsbury/Holtzbrinck Pub.,c2005)
Shelf Number: Fiction/CHI

This first novel explores three generations of a Chinese American family and the forces that shape their fate. Life lessons wait in this dazzling debut: poignant, prickly, and deliciously absurd.