Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende (2015)

I used to judge movies and books based on their ability to make me cry. Well this one succeeded - I actually had a hard time seeing the road between the tears at one point (as I listened to it).

Allende has once again woven a magical story intertwining the present and past as well as cultures, though still keeping to the West coast, San Francisco in particular.

We have Irina from Moldova working in Lark House, an ideal multi-level retirement facility in the Bay area, CA. (I need to find one like this for myself eventually.) She meets Alma Balasco, a rich elderly artist, who moves from her large family home to Lark House to simplify her life. Alma was sent to America from Poland to live with her aunt by her parents right before WWII. Her best friend becomes the son of the Japanese gardener.

I should say a lot more about this book, but it already has been a few months since I finished reading it, so I will just post this as is. Beautiful story - it looks at the cruelties and injustices of the Japanese internment during WWII, the unacceptability of interracial relations, and Irina too has a dark past that is dealt with, but in the end, a very life confirming book.