Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet

The novel alternates between 1986, where widower Henry Lee discovers belongings of Japanese families at the Panama Hotel, triggering memories of his childhood, and 1942, when 12-year-old Henry befriends Keiko Okabe at school amid rising anti-Japanese prejudice after Pearl Harbor.

Despite his father's opposition and Keiko's family's internment, their innocent bond endures, exploring themes of loyalty, forgiveness, and reconciliation with his own son decades later.