Moon Over Tokyo by Siri Mitchell

Rating: 4.5 Stars

After reading Siri Mitchell's She Walks in Beauty last year, I became a big fan of her writing.  Within the last year, my sister and I have read both her historical and contemporary novels and we have enjoyed each one of them. Most recently, I read Moon Over Tokyo, a novel that follows the life of an American newspaper  reporter and inspiring writer, Allie O'Connor.  Allie is a somewhat quirky and sarcastic, but very relatable character as she struggles to embrace life in Japan.  In a "it's a small world twist" Allie meets Erik Larsen, a former high school classmate who she considered her rival.  As her friendship with Erik develops, Allie is forced to examine her prejudices, dreams, and her life in and out of Japan.

I believe that one of Mitchell's greatest strengths is her ability to describe a setting so thoroughly that readers feel as though they have been transported through time or across the world.  Moon Over Tokyo is a perfect example of that strength.  Although I have never been to Tokyo, Mitchell's descriptions and imagery allowed me to envision the scenery, the skyscrapers, the hustle and bustle of the populated city, and the serenity of the smaller seaside or mountain towns.  The one minor fault that I found with this novel is that the voice of Allie O'Connor is very similar to the voice of the main characters in Mitchell's other contemporary novels.  Despite the similar voice, the setting and the plot made this story unique.  I highly recommend this novel to my fellow readers.  It is a quick and fairly light read, but I plan to keep this book on my shelf for quite a while! ~ M