Kanazawa

"Kanazawa is both a sensitive portrayal of the struggles of an international marriage and a paean to the city in which it is set."

—Iain Maloney, The Japan Times

"David Joiner delivers a slow-burning family drama reminiscent of a film by Yasujirō Ozu or Hirokazu Koreeda."

—Tina deBellegarde, Books on Asia

"With its deliberate, expressive descriptions of the city and the mountains that surround it, Kanazawa is a character driven novel that illustrates the importance of communication and compromise."

—Dontaná McPherson-Joseph, Foreword Reviews

"Reflective and atmospheric, Kanazawa is a story for sitting with. The drama and conflict are experienced not as grand explosions of intense emotion but as a quiet gnawing from within that is far less easy to escape. Joiner’s patient attention to the interiority of his characters and a strong sense of place create a moving portrayal of the messiness of relationships and the ways that all the things we hope to bury in the past stay with us."

—Reid Bartholomew, World Literature Today

"Joiner’s understanding of Japanese culture is perfect. Like one of Yasujiro Ozu’s films.. [Kanazawa] is a slow and gentle portrayal of the intimate relationships and subtle emotional changes within a Japanese family in English."

—Daiya Hashimoto, Editor for Booklogia

"Filled with lush greenery, formidable mountains, historic castles, and a vibrant local community... Kanazawa casts a shimmering layer of magical novelty around the countryside that has too long been reserved for prominent cities ever since Japan’s industrialization in the early 20th century."

—Ella Kelleher, Asia Media International

"Kanazawa is a nicely local-colored novel, the whole range of tensions of modern Japan, from busy, bustling and crowded Tokyo to the more relaxed Kanazawa to the village of Shiramine, presented."

—M.A.Orthofer, The Complete Review

"A graceful novel of a graceful city. David Joiner’s Kanazawa interweaves four love affairs, echoing the fantastical writings of the early 20th century writer Izumi Kyoka. At the story’s heart lies the enigmatic bond between Emmitt’s wife’s parents, with a secret only revealed in the novel’s dramatic climax. The other three love affairs, with their own enigmas, are Emmitt’s own - for his wife Mirai, for his adoptive city of Kanazawa, and for his muse Kyoka."

—Alex Kerr, author of Lost Japan and Finding the Heart Sutra

"Atmospheric... and shibui. A quietly captivating tale of life and art in Kanazawa. Slowly sinks its hooks in and doesn't let go."⁠

—Robert Whiting, author Tokyo Junkie

"The grand old city of Kanazawa, its lush historic environs and rich cultural legacy form the setting of this compelling narrative. Kanazawa weaves an intriguing story of a Japanese family worthy of the best of Japanese literature.”

—Roger Pulvers, author of Liv

"In Kanazawa, David Joiner has written a book not unlike its titular city, with great historical depths hidden beneath a deceptively tranquil surface. A story of misunderstandings, miscommunications and family secrets centred around a marriage that seems doomed to fall apart under the weight of unspoken resentments. Above all, Kanazawa drips with a sense of place, the setting much more than just a back drop to the action; Joiner shows that there are plenty of stories taking place outside the vortex of Tokyo. Tense, moving, and subtly gripping, Kanazawa is a welcome addition to the books-about-Japan shelf. 

—Iain Maloney, author of The Only Gaijin in the Village