Caitlin Ober is back in Japan, teaching English in Kyushu. Some 15 years ago, as a little girl, Caitlin lived in Kyoto, but a tragic accident drove her and her family back to America. Now guilt obscures her path, just as ashfall from a nearby volcano covers Kagoshima in dust. In a garden Caitlin meets a teenage half-Japanese girl, Naomi, who may be someone Caitlin can save this time around. Together the two travel to Kyoto during O-Bon, the festival when the dead return. Amid bonfires, temple grounds, and ghostly memories, Caitlin bravely embraces her future. Ash is a bittersweet novel of redemptive beauty, of startling images and alluring details. Holly Thompson lives in Kamakura and writes frequently about Japan. This is her first novel.

 

 

There are 292 pages in this book.

It is a novel.

This book was published in 2001 by Stone Bridge Press .

Holly Thompson is the author of several novels in verse for children. Twilight Chant is her first picture book. She splits her time between Japan and Massachusetts. Visit her website at www. hatbooks. com.