kira-kira

Title: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

Genre: Multicultural

Annotation: After moving from Iowa to Georgia, two Japanese-American sisters share an incredible bond that will withstand the ultimate test.

Review: Katie Takeshima adores her older sister. Lynn does everything with her younger sibling, and together it seems as if they can take on the world. They love their parents and want to make everything good in the world happen for them. But when their father's job prospects transport the family from the cornfields of Iowa to the chicken processing plants of Georgia, life seems to lose a bit of its kira-kira (or "sparkle" in Japanese). Even through the adjustments Katie and Lynn must make as cultural rarities in a new community, they maintain a friendship only sisters can know. Sadly, Lynn's dreams of going to college and buying a house by the ocean are threatened as she become progressively ill. With her most devoted companion paling before her very eyes, Katie must find her own voice even if it's the only way to honor her fading sister.

Kira-Kira is a superb illustration of the influence our siblings can have on us as we grow into young adults. Having my own younger sister, there were times I had to hold back my tears when reading Katie's accounts of pride and of sorrow, especially after Lynn dies from lymphoma. Lynn's confidence and aptitude for academics appears to take center stage with their parents, who - once arriving to Georgia - have to work themselves ragged to support the family and no longer seem to enjoy the life like they previously had up north. Katie easily could have become embittered by Lynn's "perfection," but no malice lies within her heart; she could never hate her sister. Towards the end of Lynn's life, she and Katie have a spat of frustration in which they shout that they hate each other. After her death, Katie mourns this fact, but is reassured that people do not display their true nature in illness. Lynn continually edifies her sister, and after she dies, Katie takes a step further into womanhood; her grades improve and she takes on more responsibilities to help her mother and father.

Even as a story of great loss, Kadohata's novel illuminates the joys of friendship, especially in the cohesiveness of family. Though tragedy may try to tear that webbing asunder, the threads of sisterhood last a lifetime. Lynn's presence exists with Katie up to the beaches of southern California. As the Santa Ana winds blow around the Takeshimas on the New Year, Katie can feel her sister's spirit where it had always longed to be.