Gasa-Gasa Girl

February 28, 2005
If not as flawless as Nirahara's debut, Summer of the Big Bachi
(2004), the second outing for Japanese-American Mas Harai—Hiroshima survivor, Californian, gardener and sleuth—offers many of the same felicities. Mas's estranged daughter, Mari, whom he has described since babyhood as gasa-gasa
(constantly moving), invites him to New York City, where everyone seems to be gasa-gasa
. Son-in-law Lloyd, also a gardener, has requested Mas's help in restoring a traditional Japanese garden attached to a mansion in Brooklyn's Park Slope. The father of the owner, tycoon Kazzy Ouchi, was the original owner's gardener, and Ouchi's daughter now oversees the development of the mansion into a museum about the Japanese in New York. Vandalism, theft and neighborhood opposition already threaten the project, but it hits a really big snag when Mas discovers Ouchi's corpse in the dry koi pond. Mas and old friend Tug Yamada begin an investigation that leads to a much sought after Japanese diary recording the sordid history of the mansion's early tenants. The endearing, quietly dignified Mas, supported by a cast of spirited New Yorkers, as well as the distinctive Japanese-flavored prose, make this a memorable read. Agent, Sonia Pabley.

Starred review from March 1, 2005
Hiroshima survivor Mas Arai is a man of few words: luckily, readers are privy to his thoughts. This follow-up to her highly praised debut, " Summer of the Big Bachi" (2003), finds Mas leaving his Southern California home-and-gardening business to visit his daughter, Mari, in New York. Despite being married and recently having a baby, Mari, the titular "Gasa-Gasa Girl," is still as restless as her Japanese childhood nickname implies. (For his part, Mas finds all New Yorkers entirely too "gasa-gasa.") Mari and her husband, Lloyd, are going through tough times, both with their baby's health and with Lloyd's job, designing a garden for a half-Japanese multimillionaire. First, the garden is targeted by vandals, and then Lloyd's boss, Kazuhiko "Kazzy" Ouchi, is found murdered in the pond. With Lloyd the obvious suspect, Mas must track down a mysterious gardenia to help clear his son-in-law's name. Although Hirahara generates a satisfying level of suspense, what makes this series unique is its flawed and honorable protagonist. Seeing New York City through Mas' eyes, hearing his amusingly accented English, and struggling with him as he tries to avoid an emotional confrontation with his daughter give readers a fascinating insight into a complex and admirable man.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)