 |
This engaging multi-textured historical novel is as complex as our lives on earth. The author takes the Miki family on a passage that starts in Japan, in the 1550s, and juxtaposes their movement through the past and into the present—challenging concepts of space, time, and theology—ultimately expanding our sense of the universe. The journey of the Miki family is manifest in their search for moral truth that leads to a path for which many readers have been searching. Woven into this novel is a student handbook that lends depth to this family saga. The one constant, in a world that seems bent on destruction, are the relationships between parents and children. The parents all cherish their children, and the children reciprocate with kindness and love.
Like riding with the ebb and flow of a mighty river we travel through space and time exploring the effects of war, incarceration, deportation, capitalism, and Spirituality on a family that traces its roots to the makers of fine swords. Those waters carry us into our modern world. Charles Darwin, Max Weber, and Richard Dawkins are among the sources that capture the narrator's inspiration and challenge our perceptions of time, space, and relationship to this planet. The extrinsic view of a God separate and external to man, the intrinsic view where God is inherent in all things, and the first law of thermodynamics become major sub-themes in this work.
Although at times the writing is uneven, those who seek and question, as well as those who wonder why anyone would seek and question, will find this voluminous work thought-provoking. Readers will want to share this book to kindle vibrant conversations that may lead to a deeper understanding of others and compassion for all.