Book
Review | Sophie and the Rising Sun
Reviewed by: Marianne
Moro
By Augusta
Trobaugh
Plume (Paperback) $13.00
213 pages
In the quiet and picturesque Georgia town of Salty Creek, Sophie
Willis' best years are squandered taking care of her mother and
gossiping, mean-spirited aunts. Her only true relationship with a man
ends when he goes off to war and doesn't come back.
The boredom and monotony of Sophie's existence fades when Mr. Oto, a
gentle American born man of Japanese descent, arrives in town
mysteriously one day. He decides to stay, and eventually is employed
as a gardener by Miss Anne. Salty Creek's wise kind-hearted matriarch
and the novel's narrator.
The subtle and heart-warming love between Mr. Oto and Sophie is
rendered scrupulously by Ms. Trobaugh, with whispers, touches, and
sighs substituting for the brusqueness of other "romances."
The scenes featuring Sophie and Mr. Oto painting by the river show how
their affection develops with barely a suggestion of hand-holding.
The blossoming love is crushed on December 7, 1941 with the bombing of
Pearl Harbor. Mr. Oto's ancestry, never noted before, is now a cause
for scandal. The town's crotchety old busybody, Miss Ruth, who had
always been critical of Sophie and Mr. Oto's friendship, now grows
even more suspicious and acerbic in her comments. In an effort to
shield Mr. Oto from the harsh looks of townspeople (and possibly
detainment in an interment camp) Miss Anne sends Mr. Oto away to an
abandoned fishing cabin outside of town and delivers food to him in
secret. Even Sophie thinks he has left Salty Creek, until Miss Anne
tells her the truth. Along with Big Sally, Sophie's exuberant black
friend from childhood, Miss Anne champions the lovers' escape. During
the appearance of a climatic hurricane, Sophie and Mr. Oto seize the
opportunity and take fate into their own hands.
A fast but memorable read, Sophie And The Rising Sun is as gentle and
laid back as its characters. If you're looking for an action-packed
time, go elsewhere. As a delicate and tautly written novel with
reverence for its characters, Sophie proves that fictional
protagonists do not have to be loud or bombastic to stir our feelings.
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