In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow is a breathtaking spiritual journey.
Trudging her way to way work in a munitions factory in Japan, Kiyomi Oshiro watches a man fall from the sky. The war is underway and the man that falls to his death is Micah Lund, a bombardier with a heart full of hatred for the enemy. Kiyomi, herself a war widow, struggles with her place in Japanese society and with the difficulties of wartime. Kiyomi and her eight-year-old daughter, Ai, become unorthodox friends with Micah who is, for all intents and purposes, their enemy. With the impending destruction of Hiroshima, will Kiyomi be able to save her daughter? Can Micah get over his prejudices and make a difference?
There is little love or beauty to be found in times of war, yet somehow, that is exactly what Kenneth Harmon has captured. The vivid depictions of Japan are breathtaking. In a brilliant way, Harmon depicts these characters with an initial patriotic fervor melting slowly into compassion and empathy. The accurate portrayal of life for a woman in Japan in the mid-1940’s is stark and thought provoking. In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow is a breathtaking spiritual journey that will cause you to reconsider your view of those in the world around you and make you think more deeply about how we all treat one another.
