Exit A by Anthony Swofford

Exit A

Anthony Swofford

The conflicting cultures in this book are intriguing, particularly as Virginia is a haku – half American, half Japanese. Life on a US airforce base in Tokyo is fascinating and the damaging effects of military life on family relationships comes across clearly. Virginia is the most interesting character - I skipped on the love story, it's the relationship with her father, the General, that makes this book worth reading.

Extract
Still lying prone, she eyed the two other people in the room, Silver and Severin. Severin would probably stay away from home only for another day or two, three at the most. Silver had work for them tomorrow, she knew. She didn’t know what it was. Silver had been running with a Korean gang and had been looking for a big break, and he’d told her that he had found it. This would mean an increase in the danger she put herself in. She wanted this, the danger. What she liked about Silver was that he’d never tried to sleep with her. He’d never asked her for a favour through her father. He’d simply been her friend. That was why she stole for him. It was easy, work for a friend - exciting and totally contrary to everything her father had ever taught her. She had to admit her desire to hurt her father.
Parallels
  • Country of Origin by Don Lee
  • Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
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Violence
Explicit sexual Content