The premise of Maiko Seo's first novel published in the U.S., the poignant Someone to Cook For, might initially seem disheartening: for most of her young life, Yuko shuffles through numerous households and parents. And yet Seo, with charming translation from the Japanese by Laurel Taylor, creates a heartwarming story of found and chosen family overflowing with unconditional love.
By 17, Yuko "had three fathers and two mothers." With sweet indulgence and grandparental assistance, Yuko's birth father raised her after losing her mother when Yuko was two. Eight-year-old Yuko welcomes wonderful new mother Rika. Two years later, Yuko chooses the familiarity of staying in Japan with Rika when her father is transferred to Brazil. Yuko's longing for a piano prompts Rika to find her a new father: wealthy, gentle Mr. Izumigahara. But marriage stifles Rika and she leaves Yuko in comfort and safety, then reclaims her when she takes another husband. Devoted Mr. Morimiya becomes Yuko's third and final father. When Yuko becomes engaged, however, Morimiya won't accept her formerly peripatetic fiancé, prompting the couple to reconnect with her previous parents, hoping they will help in securing Morimiya's approval.
Although "the makeup of [Yuko's] family had changed seven times over [her] lifetime," she always believed "all of [her] parents had tried their best--more than they needed to really--to connect with [her] and be the best parents they could be." Seo gifts Yuko with profound strength and kindness, while poignantly, eventually revealing the parents' various well-intentioned reasons for what appears to be abandonment. Seo writes with unguarded, convincing clarity, inspiring considerable empathy for each member of Yuko's unconventionally committed family. --Terry Hong