The Electrical Field

By Kerri Sakamoto

Book Overview

When the beautiful Chisako and her lover are found murdered in a park, members of a small Ontario suburb in the 1970s must finally acknowledge certain inescapable truths about one another and the way their community has been shaped by the dark shadow of World War II internment camps. With all the suspense of a psychological thriller, The Electrical Field slowly exposes all those implicated in the murders -- particularly Miss Saito, the novel's unreliable narrator, through whom we gradually discover the truth. Like Kazuo Ishiguru in A Pale View of Hills, Kerri Sakamoto invokes a Japanese sense of the relativity of memory and reliability of consciousness. Miss Saito, middle-aged, caring for her elderly, bed-ridden father and her distracted younger brother, on the surface seems to be a passive observer. But her own disturbed past and her craving for an emotional connection will prove to have profound consequences. A masterful and elegant story of passion, memory, and regret, The Electrical Field reaches deep into the past and into Canada's communal response to war. A reading group guide is bound into this paperback edition.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393320480
• ISBN13: 9780393320480
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 332 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Good Novel

"The Electrical Field: A Novel" is a well written, riveting book that describes specific elements of Japanese concentration camps. However, Sakamoto provides a broad detail between the interpersonal relationships between the people. The novel should center on the historical aspects of Japan than characterization. For this reason, I give "The Electrical Field" a "good" rating.

Creepy Yet Amazing

The author wrote this book in a way that makes the reader both disgusted and compassionate towards the narrator of the novel. I would definitely suggest this novel to others.

Felt like Hom

This book felt like home to me. The language, the odd gestures, the social isolation, felt very familiar. Maybe it's an "insider's" book. It resonated so strongly with me and felt that it struck chords about internment and the Japanese-American (Canadian) community in a unique and disturbing way. I was very moved by it, but I can understand that not everyone might have this experience.

Intricate tale with spins on the Japanese Canadian exchange

In the Electrical Field we go into a mind journey with the main character. It talks about the need to be validated by someone's unconditional love. An interesting angle on the Japanese internment in Canada during the War. Very absorving and detailed.