Sushi for One?
by Camy Tang
What would it be like to be born and raised in the U.S. but to be surrounded and under the influence of another culture? And added to that, you’re Christian while the culture is primarily tied to a false religion? Lex Sakai finds herself in such a position. Lex is trying to live the American dream. She works hard and is saving up money so she can move out of her father’s house and into a condo.
Her passion is sports! Any kind of sports, but her ultimate passion is volleyball. She’s tempering the loss of her mother by following in her footsteps and couching a high school girl’s volleyball team. Life is good, the job, okay, so not so good but the money is good enough. Church is good. Then Grandma sets her eyes on Lex. With the upcoming wedding of her cousin Mariko, Lex is now officially the OSFC (Oldest Single Female Cousin). Grandma wants to live through her great grandchildren and won’t take no for an answer. She funds Lex’s volleyball team which is good enough to get into the playoffs. Grandma knows how much it means to Lex, so she has all the power. Find a boyfriend by Mariko’s wedding or the funding for the team will be pulled.
It’s not easy finding someone but her girls mean everything to her so the hunt is on.
Lex turns to Scripture to make a list of what she should be looking for in a man (something which Grandma can’t begin to understand). She soon finds her self deluged in men as her whole family (due to blackmail and threats from Grandma) tries to help her find a suitable mate. Through it all she keeps running into Aiden. She likes him a lot, but…he’s not a Christian so she’s automatically cut him off the list.
Slowly but surely Lex’s world starts falling apart. Things start hitting her from all sides. Sometimes that’s what it takes for the Lord to get your attention.
I highly recommend this book. The author gives the reader great insight into the struggles when not only cultures collide, but families (especially the conflict between believing family members and unbelievers). It gave me much to think about.
Reviewed by Lynn Worley
chbookshelf April 22, 2008
Title: SUSHI FOR ONE?
Author: Camy Tang
Publisher: Zondervan
September 2007
ISBN: 978-0-310-27398-6
Genre: Inspirational/chick lit
Lex Sakai has no strength to stand up to her grandmother, the matriarch of the family. Lex is the oldest single female in the large clan. When Grandmother gives the orders that Lex must have a serious boyfriend in four months or she would stop funding Lex’s girl’s volleyball team.
Lex tries to find funding for her team on her own, but every door she tries seems to have ties to her family and treat her as an incompetent eight-year-old. Plus all the men Lex tries to date either cancel on her in favor of her beautiful younger cousin Mimi, or they are total losers.
Lex compiles a list of traits for the perfect man, based on Ephesians—but the one man she keeps running into doesn’t seem to have a single quality on her list. Can Lex let God take over and plan her future for her?
I’ve been looking forward to reading SUSHI FOR ONE? for some time, and the story didn’t disappoint. From the first sentence I was drawn in and my interest held. I had to keep reading to find out more about Lex, her circle of close friends, and the guy that read his newspaper upside down in the coffee shop.
Lex is a real character, someone you could run into on the street. She is athletic, and trying to balance her volleyball teams with her increasingly demanding family and trying to find a man guarantees a hilarious read. A glossary is included at the end of the book with Chinese or Japanese words. $12.99. 342 pages.
Reviewed by Laura Hilton