Review: Country of Origin by Don Lee

TP, $20.00, 039332706X

There was so much buzz about this book on the web that I had to read it and I was not disappointed. The story takes place in Japan. Lisa Countryman vanishes in Toyko and her sister is trying to find her. The American embassy assigns Tom Hurley to the matter. Also assigned to the case is policeman Kenzo Ota who is as neurotic as Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther. The story depicts Tokyo's shadowy world of sex clubs, which cater to every imaginable male fantasy. There are many subplots which explore Lisa's origins as an ainoko (half-breed), and the author paints a picture of interaction of races and cultures in a foreign land. This book is not dark but gives us a sense of what the shadowy world of sex in Japan would be like. I do not recommend this book to feminists-just kidding.