I was surprised with how much I liked this story. It's a WWII story, but it's set on the Asian front, which makes it if not unique, than refreshingly different. It's also a love story -- or several love stories: first love, married love, father-child love -- and one of discovery. The plot is actually quite minimal, but the characters are so well drawn, that I didn't mind the lack of action (though there was action). A good read.