Evocative and compelling, this novel follows young Japanese American woman in a Japanse internment camp during World War II, and after as she tries to start a life in Chicago. The narrative sits more firmly in historical fiction territory than the mysteries that Hirahara's current readers may come in expecting.

This story of a Japanese-American family during World War II is told by the younger daughter Aki Ito in a manner that is straight-forward and sometimes brisk. In this way, it reminded me a bit of Anne Frank’s diary. The fictional events, based on historical facts and full of period details like types of clothes and food,, are disquieting and extremely upsetting to read about today.

But main character Aki and her family generally make the most of the little they have: first in Manzanar, then when they are relocated in Chicago. Aki’s older sister, who has gone before them, has found an apartment for the family and has a job. But the same day the family arrives, Rose is killed by a subway train. Aki knows Rose would not have committed suicide, but the White officials have no time for her reasoning.

As the mystery of Rose’s death continues and clues revealed, Clark and Division hits its high point and truest depiction, I believe. The Ito family IS resilient, but that trait does not overshadow the intertwined lives of several Japanese-Americans in Chicago who face segregation, bigotry, and violence. Aki persists in determining what really happened to Rose, and she does so while bringing great risk to herself. Her journey as a hero achieves a full circle in the neighborhood of the intersection of Clark and Division.

I really loved this atmospheric mystery set in the days of World War II. The parts set in the internment camp for Japanese Americans is fascinating and eye-opening, and Hirahara gives you enough detail and character to allow the situation to have a real impact.

And then the mystery kicks in when the family arrives in Chicago and discovers the oldest daughter is dead. Her intrepid younger sister is determined to find out what happened, and along the way gives us a fascinating portrait of Japanese immigrants in Chicago and how their insularity can be dangerous.

A great read.

Set in Chicago during World War II, Clark and Division tells the story of Aki's re-assimilation into America after being interred at a Mass Incarceration facility for simply being Japanese Americans. She and her parents arrive in Chicago where her sister, Rose, was released to work and factory job, only to find that Rose had died the day before. Aki struggles to accept that Rose committed suicide, and attempts to find out the story of her sister's life after leaving the camp, and soon discovers sinister happenings within the Nissei (second generation Japanese-Americans) and Issei (first generation community, all while adapting to a new life, in a new city, with a new climate, as grief swirls within her household. Well told, but perhaps a little simple and more akin to a YA novel.

If you've never read about the lives of Japanese Americans during World War II, you should read Naomi Hirahara's Clark and Division. Readers follow twenty-year-old Aki Ito and her family from their happy pre-Pearl Harbor lives in Los Angeles to their imprisonment in Manzanar in California's Owens Valley to their resettlement in the Japanese American neighborhood of Clark and Division in Chicago.

Readers see everything through Aki's eyes. She worships her older sister, Rose, who is beautiful, intelligent, and accomplished-- everything that Aki wishes she was. In comparison, Aki feels like a slow, unattractive lump, and it's not until the Itos have been in Chicago for a while that it becomes clear that Aki has been selling herself short for most of her life.

Life in Chicago isn't easy. Even giving Rose a proper burial is difficult since cemeteries are not accepting Japanese interments, and Aki cannot believe how everyone seems comfortable with the verdict of suicide on Rose's death. As she juggles her job at the Newberry Library with dealing with her parents, she still finds time to search for answers because she thinks nothing of fighting for her sister even though she won't fight for herself.

Hirahara does an excellent job of weaving a real feeling of menace into the story, and the mystery is a satisfying one to try to solve. But more than a mystery, it's the story of the Japanese American experience during World War II that's the star of Clark and Division. Watching Aki navigate her way through governmental roadblocks, prejudice, lies, and fear to finally begin to get a real sense of herself and what she's capable of is the best part of this book, and the author's list of suggested reading at the end is invaluable.

Mystery, character study, history... Clark and Division is a story that you won't want to put down until you've read the very last page.

This book is a knockout. Hirahara, author of three different series set in contemporary Los Angeles and Hawaii, has turned her eye to 1944 and the plight of American born Japanese, as well as first generation immigrants, right after Pearl Harbor. It is still shocking to me that we created internment camps for Japanese citizens who were simply going about their daily lives. Hirahara brings it home by focusing intimately on one family, the Itos.

The Itos – parents and daughters Rose and Aki – are hardworking, successful citizens. Mr. Ito manages a produce market and Rose and eventually Aki work there too. Rose is the star, the center of the family. Aki looks up to her and wishes she had her strength. This book could simply be the story of Aki discovering that strength in herself, but it is so much more.

One day the Itos are ordered to report to a camp where they will spend the next two years, sharing a room and a communal toilet that offers no privacy. One of the more heartbreaking things in this book is the slow decline and implosion of Mr. Ito, who, deprived of work and freedom, begins to drink heavily. Mr. Ito’s situation is not front and center but it’s a heartbreaking through line that subtly illustrates the cruelty of the situation.

After a few years, the government begins to resettle Japanese all over the country, taking them from their familiar homes and plunging them into completely unfamiliar environments with instructions for not more than 3 to gather at one time. Rose, the beautiful star of the family, goes on ahead to Chicago, and eventually, the rest of the family will be able to follow her.

The day finally comes and the Itos head to Chicago, relishing the freedom of the train after being in camp for so long. When they get to Chicago, it’s dirty, noisy and confusing, and worst of all, when they arrive at the apartment Rose has found for them, they discover that she has died in a subway accident the night before.
Aki makes it her mission to discover everything she can about Rose’s life in Chicago, talking to her roommates, going to the police department to retrieve her belongings, arranging a funeral and visiting her ashes, and delving deep into her sister’s diary as she knows in her heart that her beautiful Rose would never have taken her own life.

Aki’s journey to find out what happened to Rose mirrors her journey of growth as she becomes more confident and stronger, forcing herself into situations she would otherwise have avoided. She finds her voice. She and her parents find jobs – she ends up working at the iconic Newberry Library – and she finds a suitor, Art, whose family is well established in Chicago.

While the main part of the story – and it’s beautifully told and rendered, and utterly heartbreaking – is the story of the family being sent to the internment camp and then resettled in a foreign place, it’s also the story of Aki. This intimacy with the character as a reader makes you experience, along with Aki, what’s happening, almost in real time. This is a completely immersive reading experience and a completely unforgettable one.

This is a shameful part of our history which Hirahara has turned a light on, but by giving the reader the gift of the Ito family, she provides some light and hope in the darkness. This is a beautiful book, and one of the reads of the year.

Naomi Hirahara's Clark and Division provides an excellent read in terms of its success as a mystery novel and in terms of the time period and community it takes readers to: World War II Chicago, where Japanese-American families who were held in West Coast concentration camps are being relocated. I've read a number of books dealing with life in the camps and afterward, but they've all been set on the West Coast with characters returning to areas they're familiar with.

Clark and Division opens before Pearl Harbor, before the camps have been established. Aki Ito contentedly lives in the shadow of her older sister Rose, who is brilliant, charismatic, and fierce in pursuing what she feels is right, whether or not it's easy. After Pearl Harbor, the family are relocated to Manzanar, then later to Chicago. Rose heads to Chicago first, part of a group of carefully selected Neisi. When the rest of the Ito family arrive, they learn that Rose is dead, having committed suicide by throwing herself onto the subway tracks.

Aki can't accept that her sister would choose to end her life, so she begins investigating the story of Rose's time in Chicago. In the process, Aki explores the complexities of the city's Japanese-American neighborhood. Aki quickly finding work at the Newberry Library and her community expands to include two of her coworkers: one Black, the other Polish-American. These two story lines—Aki's investigation of her sister's death and her experience carving out a life for herself in a new city—propel the novel forward.

If you enjoy character-driven fiction, whether or not it fits into the mystery genre, you'll find yourself quickly immersed in Clark and Division. I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

[I will also be posting this review on Edelweiss and LibraryThing.]

This is a fascinating story of the Japanese American experience during World War II. It begins in California, where Aki Ito and her family, including her beloved older sister Rose, live a comfortable life. They are sent to be detained at Manzanar. Eventually Rose is sent to live in Chicago and soon after her family is able to resettle there, in the neighborhood at Clark and Division Streets where other Japanese families have settled. Just before they arrive Rose is killed by a subway train and Aki sets out to determine the cause of her death. This is also a coming of age story for Aki and a vivid picture of the experience of resettled Japanese Americans in 1944 Chicago. It is a riveting book, very readable and highly recommended.

This is a fascinating historical mystery set in post WW2 Chicago, where a Japanese-American family has been sent to be resettled after years of being held in an internment camp. The mystery revolves around the suspicious death of the older sister in the family. So much for readers to engage with here: injustice, sacrifice, family love, and a very absorbing and realistic mystery. I look forward to recommending this to readers.

CLARK AND DIVISION is an excellent slice of historical fiction and mystery when the daughter of Japanese immigrants goes missing in the big city of Chicago and her sister, fresh from an WW2 internment camp, goes to investigate. Absorbing, timely, and absolutely worth your time.

This is a special book, a hybrid of historical fiction and mystery that shines a light on a sliver of American history that has stayed dark for too long, the relocation of Japanese Americans from the internment camps in California and the West to Chicago. Author Naomi Hirahara is an Edgar Award winning mystery author, but Clark & Division is a step forward in her writing. She takes a deeply troubling moment in history and skillfully creates characters to tell that story in a human and humane way. This is a story about two sister, separated by tragedy, the long effects of war, racism, sexual assault and forced assimilation . Highly recommend. We will be talking to Naomi about this work in July.

This book expands the tragedy of the WWII interment of Japanese-Americans to their lives after they were released from the camps and sent, not back to their homes, but to places where they had no family, friends or community connections. Aki Ito and her parents arrive in Chicago from Manzanar to join her sister Rose who was sent there a few months earlier, only to learn that Rose is dead, hit by a train at the Clark and Division station. The coroner says it was suicide but Aki doesn't believe it and sets out to discover the truth.

This would make a good companion read with Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II.

I was riveted by this historical mystery. It's really a heartbreaking meditation on race, sister relationships, and post-World War 2 society. It reads more like literary fiction.

3.5 rounded up to 4. Clark and Division's strengths rest in its story, although at times unraveling the mystery became a little muddled. We get to almost understand Aki, but those who surround her seem to be flatter than a more successful novel would offer. The language is straightforward and as I read it i thought that Hirahara was aiming for a readership that included young adults. To me, though, its greatest missed opportunity is in her descriptions of Manzanar. While Hirahara presents the facts, she doesn't paint a rich picture of what life there was really like. I knew a survivor, now deceased, who also was released and sent to Chicago in 1943; her descriptions of living and working there as a teacher eclipsed everything the author has written about it. Nonetheless, this is a worthwhile novel that will educate many readers about that shameful period in U.S. history while bringing them a mystery story that, at times, is compelling.

This was an interesting book as the author illuminates the struggles and heartache of a Japanese American family as they leave Manzanar and relocate in Chicago. The older sister, Rose, arrives earlier than the rest of the family. When the rest of the family travels to join her, they discover that she has died the previous day. Aki, her younger sister, cannot except what she is told about her death and is consumed with finding the truth. As little pieces of the story come to light, Aki examines all the evidence. The hardships placed on these Americans is highlighted throughout the book as Aki’s personal life is also in turmoil. Well researched. #ClarkandDivision #NaomiHirahara #NetGalley

"Our ultimate objective in learning about anything is to try to create and develop a more just society."
(Yuri Kochiyama)

Rarely are we given an opportunity to peer into the lives of those who share a common bond. An existence recognized by some and then denied by others. This country of ours is a living imprint of so many faces reflecting a bounty of cultures and races. An undeniable connection which sometimes presents itself as soft to the touch or sometimes presents itself as hard-gripping and resilient through time. In spite of our wide span of variations, we stand together on hallowed ground.

Naomi Hirahara presents an extraordinary over the shoulder look into the Japanese/Japanese American encampment after Pearl Harbor in 1941. Over 10,000 individuals were forced into designated camps leaving their homes and their valuables behind. Hirahara introduces us to the Ito family who lived in Tropico, California. Mr. Ito was the manager of a produce market. He and his wife had two daughters, Rose and Aki. They were sent to the Manzanar camp in 1942 and set about adjusting to these new conditions. Choice wasn't in the cards.

Eventually, Rose finds herself in Chicago in a resettlement program in 1943. Rose is now rooming with several other girls and has secured a job. The plan is that the others in the Ito family will join her in Chicago. As the train enters the Union Station, the family is met by Roy Tonai. His stricken face says it all. A tragedy has occured. It seems that Rose jumped to her death on the elevated platform the day before. How could that possibly be?

Aki Ito steps forward in her quest to find out exactly what happened to her beloved sister. The family strongly believes that Rose would never commit suicide. Never.

And so begins an exceptional story that showcases the aftermath of the encampments. Through the eyes of Aki and her family, we will experience their adjustment to a country obsessed with threats to national security. Even the Nisei (Americans born to Japanese parents) were under suspicion and relegated to curfews and the inability to meet in groups of more than three.

And through all of this uncertainty and grief, Aki will prove herself resilient by nature even in a strange city. Aki and her parents now live in the neighborhood of Clark and Division streets. Her search for answers is sometimes marred with bad decisions and snaps of impulsivity. Aki's naievete is apparent throughout, but her love for her sister is the catalyst that sparks this novel. Hirahara's research is outstanding while aligning itself with the touching aspect of the flame of a sister's love. Certainly, a must read.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Soho Press and to Naomi Hirahara for the opportunity.

Aki's family is sent to the Japanese internment camp during the war, and then her sister Rose is given permission to move to Chicago. She works and arrange for her family to join her.
Unfortunately, she did the day before they arrive. Aki doesn't believe the story they are told and investigates to find out what really happened. An interesting novel that makes me want to learn more about the Japanese in America during WWII.

I really enjoyed this historical mystery. This book is a master class in pacing and even though it is not particularly thrilling, each chapter left me anxious for the next. A must read for fans of historical fiction.

You can tell the author did her research. It was a very well rounded story. Bit of a cliffhanger ending though. Seeing as there isn't much room for a sequel it felt odd.

There is so much I did not know about the treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII. In this book I learned more. This tale is about the "American Born Japanese" who were released from internment camps and sent to work in the mid-west. Rose Ito, the girl everyone wishes they could be, is sent to Chicago in 1944 where there is a bustling community of people relocated from the camps. Rose is to find a job and prepare for the arrival of her parents and younger sister, Aki. Rose's sister Aki anxiously awaits the family's reunion in Chicago. When they arrive, instead of being greeted by Rose they are told of her death. There follows the story of the family's adjustment to this new world and Aki's search for the truth about Rose's final days and death. As usual, Naomi Hirahara has woven a rich and intricate tale of character, relationships and society. Thank you for another fine book.