All Sorrows Can Be Borne
Published on 27. July 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-64428-385-1 (ISBN)
Description
Inspired by true events, All Sorrows Can Be Borne is the story of Noriko Ito, a Japanese woman faced with unimaginable circumstances that force her to give up her son to save her husband. Set in Hiroshima, Osaka, and the badlands of eastern Montana and spanning the start of World War II to 1982, this breathtaking novel is told primarily in the voice of Noriko, a feisty aspiring actress who fails her audition to enter the Takarazuka Theater Academy. Instead, she takes the "part" of a waitress at a European-style tearoom in Osaka where she meets the mysterious and handsome manager, Ichiro Uchida. They fall in love over music and marry. Soon after Noriko becomes pregnant during their seaside honeymoon, Ichiro is diagnosed with tuberculosis destroying their dreams.
Noriko gives birth to a healthy baby boy, but to give the child a better life, Ichiro convinces her to give the toddler to his older sister and her Japanese-American husband, who live in Montana. Noriko holds on to the belief that this inconceivable sacrifice will lead to her husband's recovery. What happens next is unexpected and shocking and will affect Noriko for the rest of her life.
Eighteen years later, her son enlists in the U.S. Navy and is sent to Japan. Finally, he is set to meet his birth mother, but their reunion cracks open the pain and suffering Noriko has endured.
With depth and tenderness, All Sorrows Can Be Borne is a harrowing and beautifully written novel that explores how families are shaped by political and economic circumstances, tremendous loss and ultimately forgiveness.
Noriko gives birth to a healthy baby boy, but to give the child a better life, Ichiro convinces her to give the toddler to his older sister and her Japanese-American husband, who live in Montana. Noriko holds on to the belief that this inconceivable sacrifice will lead to her husband's recovery. What happens next is unexpected and shocking and will affect Noriko for the rest of her life.
Eighteen years later, her son enlists in the U.S. Navy and is sent to Japan. Finally, he is set to meet his birth mother, but their reunion cracks open the pain and suffering Noriko has endured.
With depth and tenderness, All Sorrows Can Be Borne is a harrowing and beautifully written novel that explores how families are shaped by political and economic circumstances, tremendous loss and ultimately forgiveness.
Reviews / Votes
Great Group Reads 2021"Emotionally gripping with themes of true love, sacrifice, depression, and perseverance, All Sorrows Can Be Borne will give its readers so much to think about and be grateful for in their own lives. This is a beautiful, carefully written, detailed story filled with historical events and wonderful descriptions of Japan and Japanese customs."
-Manhattan Book Review
"All Sorrows Can Be Borne was absolutely beautiful. Loren Stephens writes the heart-wrenching story of Noriko and her husband Ichiro, a young Japanese couple who give up their son to American relatives. Readers who enjoy more serious novels would not want to miss out on this read..."
-San Francisco Book Review
"So many of us have suffered this past year or so. Many of us have had to dig deep within ourselves to learn how to bear sorrows and loss. Many of us have looked to the past for inspiration to get through difficult times. For all these reasons, Loren Stephens' All Sorrows Can Be Borne has come at the exact right time. Inspired by true events and real people, the story looks at pain and suffering but also the ultimate triumph of love, forgiveness, and compassion. I loved the book."
-Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of The Island of Sea Women, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, and many more
"All Sorrows Can Be Borne is a harrowing story of love and betrayal, all the more heartbreaking because it is based on family history. Post-war Japan comes alive in these pages, and even the most unforgivable acts make a tragic kind of sense when viewed through the prism of violence that marked every one of the war's survivors. As this tale makes clear, in the wake of such trauma, humans can do the unthinkable, both to and for the ones they love."
-Aimee Liu, author of Glorious Boy
"Starting with the heart-wrenching opening chapter of All Sorrows Can be Borne, Loren Stephens weaves a tale of love, family, and loss with a page-turning plot. Both harrowing and tender, this generous and emotional novel pulls you into a story of character and place that's hard to put down. This is a beautiful book."
-Barbara Abercrombie, author of The Language of Loss
"Stephens evokes the emotions of each character with great clarity and power, ensuring readers will feel as though they were experiencing the story themselves....This moving saga will stun and enthrall readers."-Publishers Weekly
"The characters' perseverance through continual struggle makes for a
compelling story of survival of life's many trials and of one person's
drive to stay true to oneself."-Kirkus
"An engrossing read, which is likely to catch the eye of a movie producer or director. Highly recommended."
-Historical Novel Society
"An eloquent and engaging novel that was inspired by true events and deftly written with a compelling sensitivity, All Sorrows Can Be Borne explores how families are shaped by political and economic circumstances, tremendous loss and ultimately forgiveness. One of those masterpiece works of literary fiction All Sorrows Can Be Borne is especially and unreservedly recommended."
-Midwest Book Review
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
California
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 214 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
204 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64428-385-1 (9781644283851)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Loren Stephens is a widely published essayist and fiction and nonfiction storyteller. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, MacGuffin, The Jewish Women's Literary Annual, Forge, Crack the Spine, Amuse Bouche, The Writer's Launch, the Summerset Review, the Montreal Literary Review, and Tablet Travel Magazine to name a few. She is a two-time nominee of the Pushcart Prize and the book Paris Nights: My Year at the Moulin Rouge, by Cliff Simon with Loren Stephens was named one of the best titles from an independent press by Kirkus. She is president and founder of the ghostwriting companies, Write Wisdom and Bright Star Memoirs. Prior to establishing her company Loren was a documentary filmmaker. Among her credits are Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist with on camera narration by Burt Lancaster, produced for PBS and nominated for an Emmy Award; Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman? produced for Coronet Films and recipient of a Golden Apple from the National Education Association; and Los Pastores: The Shepherd's Play produced for the Latino Consortium of PBS and recipient of a Cine Gold Eagle and nominated for an Imagen Award. She is a member of the Regional Board of the Anti-Defamation League; a member of its Deborah Awards Committee for Outstanding Women; and a member of Greenlight Women, an organization of women in the entertainment industry who serve as mentors.