There is something so good about reading a book, set in a time in place, that shows the author knows what they are writing about.

Kaede means maple in Japanese. You don't need to know this. You don't need to know that "Nothings Carved in Stone" is a real musical group. You don't need to know the areas of Tokyo either.

Kaede is in Japan because his mother died. Kaede is in Japan because his father abandoned him, and he is hoping to reconnect with him while he is here. Kaede is in Japan because he is moorless, his sails flapping in the wind, no idea which way to go with his life.

Kaede has questions he wants answers to. He calls it is box of questions, but the main one is why his dad abandoned them. And not only abandoned him, but abandoned his half brother who he is staying with while he waits for his father to make an appearance.

The descriptions of Tokyo are wonderful, as are what is written about Osaka. While it is not a travel book, the travel that does happen is realistic, and real.

I love well researched books, and this definitely one such one.

And the story is good as well, as it tears at your heart.

Thanks for the recommendation, Carebear! Shoma is the best big brother EVER. 4.5 stars

A story of family and home, and redemption.
The book doesn't really deal with Kaede's grief, but it is obvious he expresses it through anger and violence.
His visit to Japan, and reconnecting with his half-brother, through the vehicle of a school assignment, helps him define what home means to him.
Although grief is not explicitly stated, it is present in Kaede, and in his brother, Shoma. Not just the recent death of Kaede's mother, but also the absence of their father, the break-up of their family, and the what-could-have-beens. There is also Kaede's reject other his grief-fuelled actions (not all of them).
I do wonder about their father's absence and lack of technological coverage, as internet and cell phone coverage isn't that bad. But, for adding to the plot, it seems necessary.