Clark and Division by Edgar Award-winner Naomi Hirahara brings readers into the poignant struggles of a Japanese American family in 1944 Chicago. After spending two years in the Manzanar internment camp, twenty-year-old Aki Ito and her family face another blow—the mysterious death of Aki’s sister, Rose, ruled a suicide by police. Convinced of foul play, Aki is determined to uncover the truth, thrusting us into a tale woven with historical intricacies and the harsh realities of racism and displacement faced by Japanese Americans during and after World War II.

Hirahara’s portrayal of 1940s Chicago is rich in historical detail, offering a vivid backdrop to the personal and communal challenges Aki navigates. While Aki’s journey is an interesting exploration of identity and resilience, some narrative choices—like an oddly placed anecdote about cross-dressing—feel disjointed, detracting from the story’s coherence. The book’s conclusion arrives abruptly, diminishing the impact of the mystery.

Despite these shortcomings, Hirahara’s extensive research and dedication to portraying this dark chapter of American history are clear, making Clark and Division an important, if flawed, read.

Rated 3 stars, the novel has its moments and educative value, though it may not satisfy those seeking a tight, engaging mystery. However, for its historical insight, it might be worth exploring further in the series.

** Thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book. The opinions are my own.

This was just not a title I felt fully engaged in. I will not be sharing a review outside NetGalley.

Set in 1944, this novel tells the story of Aki Ito, part of a Japanese family relocated after incarceration at Manzanar. Aki's older sister Rose is sent ahead to Chicago to help the family begin to resettle. The night before the family's arrival, Rose dies in a suspicious subway train accident. Aki is determined to find the truth, which is difficult amid racism and fear of her family. This was an insightful story that shows a tiny glimpse into what it must have been like to try to resettle after being forcefully removed from the only home they've known.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure what I expected going into this book. It was a slow start but picked up the pace partway through. I'm glad I read it and will keep my eye out for the next in the series. I will say the book sheds light on a part of history that I don't know much about - Japenese relocation in 1940s America.

The novel is mainly set in Chicago in 1944. The author relates the story of a Japanese-American family, removed from their home in California and relocated to an internment camp, prior to moving to Chicago. The older daughter, Rose, is sent to Chicago before the rest of the family. She is found dead on the subway tracks just before her family arrives. Her younger sister, Aki, is convinced that Rose did not commit suicide and sets out to prove her suspicions. It is an interesting insight into the life of these Americans at this time.

This tells a story of bigotry and racial profiling during the World War II discriminatory practices in the US. In addition to uncovering another aspect not as well known as internment of Japanese in isolated camps, it highlights how we as a society have not learned from our history. Well researched and compelling.

Clark and Division tells the story of Aki Ito, whose family has been resettled in Chicago after being released with Manzanar. The novel is full of historical detail about Nissei and Issei life in the US during WWII. Those details about anti-Japanese racism and the seedy lives these families were forced to live after the American government removed them from their lives in CA were the most interesting part of the book.
Unfortunately, the mystery is less interesting. There is nothing outwardly suspicious about Rose’s death, so Ali’s determination to solve the mystery feels more loyal than grounded in reality. The solution feels hurried and anticlimactic.

Aki and her family are moved into a camp after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Her sister Rose is the first to be released and relocated to Chicago. Not long after Aki and her parents are released and sent to Chicago to join her sister. They are met by a family friend with the sad news that Rose is dead. As the family finds jobs and adjusts to living in the city, Aki sets off to find out her did this to her sister and why rather police consider it suicide.
Goodreads

The setting is unique among the current batch of books dealing with the imprisonment of Japanese Americans in America during World War II. The release of Japanese Americans from the camps didn't bring an end to racism and the struggles they faced. Hirahara explores many intersections of identity, corruption, and violence against women in Chicago during this time as Aki investigates the death of her sister, Rose, a death she is convinced isn't suicide. A gritty but fascinating story.

A unique and important book, detailing the fate of Japanese Americans after Manzanar. After Pearl Harbor, Aki Ito and her family were stripped of their home and sent to the internment camp, Manzanar. Aki’s sister Rose, was able to get out first, and as many Japanese Americans did, she resettled in Chicago. When the Ito family gets to Chicago, they receive terrible news, which starts Aki on a quest to find the out the truth about Rose. A mixture of historical fiction and mystery, I could not out the book down. The descriptions of the communities in Chicago during this time were enlightening as to the segregation of the races and laws forbidding intermarriage. I highly recommend and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

A brilliantly told mystery and thriller that gave much insight to a part of history we don't know enough about. I hope that Hirahara writes more of these stories.

This book didn't catch my interest as it did for many other readers. I was very interested in the characters experiences in the internment camps and the neighborhood they moved to in Chicago, but the plot never really captivated my attention.
I do think there are many readers who will really enjoy this, and I'm glad I read it to better be able to connect customers with it.

I have read novels about the internment camps for Japanese Americans and in general how they were treated during WWII. This book takes that premise as the background and turns it into a mystery set in Chicago where many Japanese Americans were relocated after their time in the camps. This is not a book that flows with a lot of descriptive prose, but just gets down to the basics of a story. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I was really looking forward to this book and it was good, but I was left a little disappointed. I wanted a little more character development and history. I did enjoy the imperfect ending though.

Clark & Division by Naomi Hirahara, 305 pages

Aki Ito always idolized her older sister, Rose, even if the two of them were as different as night and day. So when Aki and her parents arrive in Chicago after leaving Manzanar, they're shocked to find that Rose died the day before, supposedly killing herself after an illegal abortion. But Aki doesn't believe that Rose would ever do that, much less just before her long-awaited reunion with her family, and begins investigating Rose's death, even as the Itos attempt to settle into their new freedom.

This is a wonderfully woven tale of post-Manzanar life wrapped around a beguiling mystery. It's obvious that Hirahara did a ton of research while writing this novel, though it's equally obvious how well she's woven that research into her captivating plot. Aki, her parents, and her friends are incredibly well-drawn and alive. An excellent book for fans of historical fiction and mystery novels.

Clark & Division is an interesting historical novel. The author brought the flavor of 1940's Chicago to life for me. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Japanese internment and relocation during, and immediately after, the WWII period. Great period novel and I found the crime aspect engrossing. Looking forward to more from this author.

The love of a sister is the motivating force for Aki Ito, the hero of Clark and Division. It sustains her through her family's troubles during WWII and compels her to stop at nothing in a search for justice after her sister's grisly death. With direct and spare language, the author paints a vivid picture of the harsh reality faced by many Japanese Americans during WWII. Aki seems adrift in this world, defined more by her surroundings than her sense of self. The mystery of sister Rose's death drives the narrative, but along they way much is revealed of the fractures in American society.
A compelling read.

Delighted to include this novel in “What to read in August,” the August installment of my monthly top fiction picks column for Zoomer magazine’s Books section. Review at link.

I have read several accounts of the struggles Japanese-Americans faced in relocation camps during WWII. However, Hirahara depicts the struggles that these families faced after being released from the camps. They couldn’t return to their former homes, and many communities were far from welcoming.
Clark and Division is both a historical novel and a mystery, and I thoroughly enjoyed both aspects!

CLARK AND DIVISION by Edgar Award winner Naomi Hirahara is a mystery contained within a work of historical fiction. The timing is during WWII and while the story begins on the West Coast near Los Angeles, the characters are mainly Japanese Americans so the action moves first to one of the camps, Manzanar, and then on to Chicago where many are encouraged to relocate. The female protagonists are two sisters, Rose and Aki Ito, who are young and naïve, but also very determined. Rose heads to Chicago before the rest of the family and sadly dies just before they arrive. Aki wants to find out more details and gradually (the pace is slow at times) unravels the mystery while also re-acclimating to life outside the camps. Several other young people help her, but these other characters, especially male friends, did not seem as well-developed or distinguishable as they could have been. There are some twists in this amateur sleuth story and its real strength is being such an informative read – especially about life in Chicago for transplants in the 1940s. Seemingly casual references make clear the many instances of hostility and discrimination that existed widely at that time for both women and people of color.