description: When Alec Stern arrives in Japan, he discovers a land of opportunity. For only in Tokyo could an impressionable young man fresh out of college find, in one stroke, a new job, a new family, and a society that lavishes attention on Japanese-speaking gaijin . Yet, even as Alec claims a place in this new world, he is haunted by memories of the one he left behindâ€”a world once infinitely secure but which disintegrated with the breakup of his parents' marriage.In this incandescently observed novel, John Burnham Schwartz introduces readers to one of the most appealing protagonists in contemporary fiction while enchanting them with the keenness of his eye and the aptness of his voice. Through its exquisitely rendered scenesâ€”a fishing trip of Zen-like serenity; a night at a sex club where giggling businessmen dive into the actionâ€”and vividly imagined charactersâ€”the laughing mother who taught Alec to ride a bicycle; the beautiful sad Japanese woman who teaches him how to loveâ€” Bicycle Days surprises, moves, and enlightens us as very few books do.
language: English
title: Bicycle Days: A Novel
titlecomplete: Bicycle Days: A Novel
genres: Travel, Fiction, Asia, Japan
ratings_count: 152
publisher: Summit Books