Book-The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford tells of a young Chinese boy at the outbreak of WW II.  Lots of ethnic detail, culture clash, thwarted love, reconciliation and prejudice.  He has a domineering father who will not allow him to speak Chinese after the age of twelve although the parents speak only Chinese.  There are a lot of historical bits which apparently are accurate.  There actually were buttons that read, "I am Chinese" and for good reason, of course.  It is an easy read.  My book group seemed to divide between those who found it moving, and those who found it a little too much.  It is the quintessential middle brow novel--makes you feel like a better person for having read it and wraps everything up with a happy ending.  It is more thematic than the typical genre novel without stretching for the hard truths.