The Pearl Diver

by Jeff Talarigo

Book Overview

In 1948, a nineteen-year-old pearl diver's dreams of spending her life combing the waters of Japan's Inland Sea are shattered when she discovers she has leprosy. By law, she is exiled to an island... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400034914
• ISBN13: 9781400034918
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Beautifully Written and Divinely Told

Unlike a lot of people living today, I don't have a hard time imagining what it must be like living in a leper colony. Vesta and I lived on a sailboat for about a dozen years in the Caribbean. During the safe months, we'd mostly spend our time anchored off the French side of St. Martin or, if we wanted some peace and quiet, at Ballast Bay on the southern side of St. Kitts. But during hurricane season we'd sail south to Trinidad or Venezuela where hurricanes don't blow and one of our favorite anchorages was a small deserted island between them called Chacachacare, which used to be a leper colony. We'd often go ashore and explore the hospital or the nun's quarters or the old auditorium, the doctor's houses, the small houses the lepers who didn't have to be hospitalized lived in, the generator room. It was a small community on a small island, away from and out of sight of the population of Trinidad. So in reading this book I had a pretty good picture in my head about living life as a leper on a small island within view of the mainland, though Trinidad and Venezuela were not within a swimmer's reach from Chacachacare as Nagashima is from Shodo in this story. Still the lepers could see out where the uninfected lived. It must have been horrible. The pearl diver in this book is confined to the leper colony in 1948 and the age of nineteen and though she isn't infected as badly as the others, in fact she has no outward signs at all, this is where she must life. She adopts the name of Miss Fuji and stoically sets about helping to care for the lepers there as the years move on. However, sometimes she swims to neighboring islands during the night to watch children play, to see life as lived by ordinary people. This is a story about life in a leper colony, about dashed hopes, about a kind of fatalism that those condemned to such a life accept. It's a story about humanity. It's a story about pain, suffering and loss and it's a story about the inherit goodness found in the human heart.

Independent spirit, with hope

Talarigo has captured both the horrendous pain of the enslaved leprosy patients (try googling "Japan +leprosy" for historical context) and the will to overcome oppression in this story of a pearl diver with leprosy. The protagonist has a streak of rebellious independence, which combined with her hope for life outside the leprosorium, guides her through decades of abuse. A must read!

Lyrical

This is one of the most hauntingly beautiful books I have read. Talarigo's voice is fresh, unique and with bold simple strokes creates a rich tapestry of lives with all their strengths, frailities but above all it's their basic humanity that touches one deeply. It's a sad to think that all one reader got out of the book was "It's a little gross," I wonder why they even felt compelled to write such a comment. I read the galley several months ago and could not wait for it's actual release so that I could share this novel with friends. This is the loveliest book you will read this summer and one that will stay with you for a long time.

An ending not to be missed

A beautiful first novel - Miss Fuji is a character to remember. Quiet, haunting, reflective, soulful are just a few words to describe this deeply telling and touching book. The ending is unforgettable - you will want to read this book in one sitting.

Mesmerizing

What a beautiful book.The main character, a strong young woman who is just learning the arduous trade of a Pearl Diver finds spots on her arm that can only be leprosy. She is disowned, and banished to a leprosorium. Forced to chose a new identity, as "Miss Fuji" she cares for other more severely affected patients. The bulk of the story is told from her perspective, as she looks through objects found in the closed leprosorium.The writing is beautiful, and instantly transports you to another world.Every word is carefully, sparely placed. The author's powers of description, and ability to create mood are remarkable. Savor reading this, do not skim.Amazing that this is a first novel!I am recommending this to everyone I know, and plan to discuss this with my book clubs. This book feels inspired by one of my favorite books of all time, The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama.