Todd Shimoda: The Fourth Treasure

By PHILIPPA JAMIESON*

Japanophiles will love this ambitious novel that combines calligraphy, neuroscience, and a story of lost love.

Tina Suzuki, a neuroscience student in San Francisco, discovers an interesting research subject: her boyfriend's calligraphy teacher, Zenzen. Following a stroke, the teacher loses the power of speech and sits all day producing not calligraphy but mere doodles. Tina, with the help of a fellow student and the proprietary interest of two professors, tries to find out whether there is meaning in Zenzen's brushstrokes, whether he is using them to communicate.

Meanwhile her mother Hanako has begun to suffer from multiple sclerosis, which she tries to hide, along with some secrets from her past. Why did she leave Japan two decades ago to work in a tempura restaurant in America? Why did Zenzen make the same trip at a similar time? A Japanese detective is handily employed by the author to ferret out information, even though it starts to become obvious early on. Another layer of the story is set in 17-century Japan, providing a historical background for the calligraphy schools in the novel, and for the magical "fourth treasure" of the title, the Daizen inkstone, a talisman that enhances one's calligraphy.

Todd Shimoda, a third-generation Japanese-American, has collaborated with his wife Linda, whose elegant illustrations grace the novel. The cover is simple and stylish, as is the internal design, until you try and read it. Two maddeningly small typefaces, footnotes in the margins, kanji (Japanese characters) and drawings all make for a cluttered look. A larger format would have been more accommodating, but even then the margin notes, mostly explanations of the origins of kanji mentioned in the text, and excerpts from Tina's neuroscience notes, are a serious distraction from the main story.

Shimoda's writing is competent but occasionally patchy and wooden, and his characters need more development. Where the book sings is in the poetic passages from Zenzen's stroke-struck mind, the abstract lines he draws in lieu of kanji, and Hanako's accompanying haiku-like interpretations. I longed for more exploration of the teacher's thought patterns and Hanako's responses, rather than the skilful but mechanical plotting. Still, it's a thoughtful read, examining the relationship between art and science, insider/outsider identities, and the contrasting cultures of Japan and America.

Vintage $26.95

* Philippa Jamieson is a Dunedin freelance writer.