The Emperor of Any Place by Tim Wynne-Jones (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Emperor of Any Place by Tim Wynne-Jones Karen Coats Wynne-Jones, Tim The Emperor of Any Place. Candlewick, 2015 [336p] ISBN 978-0-7636-6973-7 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys R* Gr. 7-10 Evan is stunned by the sudden death of his father. Not knowing what else to do, he calls his grandfather, Griff, a severe military man whom his father hated, to come help settle his dad’s affairs. Griff had little respect for his son, who fled to Canada to evade the draft during the Vietnam War, and it doesn’t initially look like things will go any better with his grandson. Meanwhile, a phone call alerts Evan to a family mystery involving Griff; prior to his death, his father had received a book containing a translation of the diary of a Japanese soldier from World War II who was isolated on an island in the Pacific. Evan becomes engrossed in the diary, which tells of an American soldier stranded on the island until Griff comes and rescues him. Questions remain: how does the story end for the Japanese soldier, and why does Griff want the diary to disappear? Evan and Griff walk a knife edge between contempt and suspicion in their dealings with each other, and their ultimate method of reaching détente is both moving and masterfully tied in with the diary itself. The layers of intergenerational strife, savage warfare, lingering suspicion and gradual healing are quilted into a warming narrative that is both uncompromisingly tragic and holistically redemptive. Readers will carry this haunting story with them for a long time. Copyright © 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois