Lensey Namioka,
Mismatch

Ages 10-14

Can a Chinese-American girl find happiness with a Japanese-American boy? Much-published Lensey Namioka did in her personal life; and in her latest young adult novel, Mismatch, she updates the story to 21st century Seattle, where talented young musicians Andy and Sue are thoughtful, well-assimilated Asian-Americans. However, their attraction to each other must overcome serious historical and racial prejudice in their families.

As, unknown to their families, the two begin spending time together after rehearsals, we learn that Sue’s grandmother retains traumatic memories of the Japanese occupation of China in her childhood; meanwhile, Andy’s father often recounts his shock at the coarse behavior of Chinese locals on a recent visit to Beijing. These two appealing young people are beloved and loving children who are loath to hurt their respective family members; prospects look pretty grim for them.

Their story plays out in the context of fundraising for and taking a trip to Tokyo with their high school orchestra. In Japan, Sue stays with a Korean family and discovers the difficult conditions for Koreans in Japanese society. Andy earns the respect of the disdainful Tokyo teenager in his homestay family after rescuing her from a threatening gangster in a pachinko parlor. Readers are taken on a whirlwind tour of Tokyo through the eyes of the orchestra members, who, Andy realizes, have seen widely varying aspects of the country in their few days’ visit. “They might have gone to different cities in different countries. Could any of them say that what they had seen was typically Japanese?”

The resolution of this self-described Romeo and Juliet story (albeit with a happy ending) may be too pat and fast to be entirely believed, but the characters, especially Andy and Sue, are drawn with nuanced sensitivity. And for any kid about to go with the high school band to Japan (as my friend’s son in Berkeley will be doing soon), Namioka’s Mismatch is an easy-to-absorb guide to fascinating and multi-faceted Tokyo, through the eyes of American teenagers.

Charlotte Richardson
July 2007