The Mask Carver's Son

Description

1890. Yamamoto Kiyoki is a Japanese art student, dreaming of studying in Paris with the inspiring and vibrant Impressionist painters. His father, Yamamoto Ryusei is a lonely mask carver. Ryusei's art, carving intricate masks for traditional Japanese theatre. He expects his only son to honour the traditions of his family. But what is a father to do when his son's path is not what he had planned? And how can a son honour his father and yet fulfil his own destiny?

Alyson Richman is the author of The Mask Carver's Son, The Rhythm of Memory, The Last Van Gogh, and The Lost Wife. She lives in Long Island with her husband and two children.

"Ms. Richman is a very special talent."- Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author "Recalls Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha . . . [Richman's] sense of Japanese culture is subtle and nuanced."-San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle "A long, succulent glide through two cultures."-Bookforum "This reverent, formal, and ambitious first novel boasts a glossy surface and convincing period detail."-Publishers Weekly "Richman has successfully drawn upon her historical research and her own experience . . . filled with historical detail and strong characterization."-Library Journal "A meticulous profile of a man struggling against his native culture, his family, and his own sense of responsibility."-The New York Times Book Review