December 6

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
No one is better than Martin Cruz Smith (Rose, Red Square, Gorky Park) at evoking the sights, sounds, and peculiar textures of lives lived in extraordinary times and places. With December 6, Smith moves from the contemporary Cuban setting of his previous novel, Havana Bay, to Tokyo City in 1945, giving us a suspenseful, minutely detailed account of the days preceding -- and immediately following -- the attack on Pearl Harbor.

His vehicle for this hypnotic ride is gambler, con man, and suspected collaborator Harry Niles, who grew up on the streets of Tokyo and is, in many respects, more Japanese than American. Harry runs a popular expatriate bar called The Happy Paris and juggles romantic relationships with the wife of the British ambassador and a tempestuous former geisha named Michiko. Like many of his fellow Americans, he's convinced that war is imminent and is determined to catch the last flight out of Japan before hostilities commence. His plans for escape face many obstacles, including the obsessive scrutiny of two zealous agents from Tokyo's "Thought Police" and a crazed modern samurai with a long-standing grudge against Harry that can only be satisfied by bloodshed. All of this is complicated by Harry's penchant for high-stakes gambling and by his own peculiar ethical code -- a code that leads him into a dangerous shell game with Japanese Naval Intelligence and causes him to risk his life protecting friends, lovers, and even strangers.

Like all really good fiction, December 6 works on a number of levels: as a thriller; as a multilayered portrait of a complex, contradictory figure; as a meditation on Japanese culture, character, and beliefs; and as a cogent historical analysis of Japan's decision to initiate a war it could not possibly win. The result is a striking, absolutely authentic novel that illuminates one of the critical moments of the 20th century and confirms Smith's position among the most stylish and intelligent American storytellers. Bill Sheehan

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Set in the crazed, nationalistic Tokyo of late 1941, December 6 explores the coming world war through the other end of history's prism - a prism held here by an unforgettable rogue and lover, Harry Niles." "In many ways, Niles should be as American as apple pie: raised by missionary parents, taught to respect his elders and be an honorable and upright Christian citizen dreaming of the good life on the sun-blessed shores of California. But Niles is also Japanese: reared in the aesthetics of Shinto and educated in the dance halls and backroom poker gatherings of Tokyo's shady underworld to steal, trick and run for his life. As a gaijin, a foreigner - especially one with a gift for the artful scam - he draws suspicion and disfavor from Japanese police. This potent mixture of stiff tradition and intrigue - not to mention his brazen love affair with a Japanese mistress who would rather kill Harry than lose him - fills Harry's final days in Tokyo with suspense and fear. Who is he really working for? Is he a spy? For America? For the emperor?" Now, on the eve of Pearl Harbor, Harry himself must decide where his true allegiances lie.

FROM THE CRITICS

The New Yorker

Smith's new thriller is set in Tokyo in the last days of 1941, just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor; its central character, the American Harry Niles, grew up in Japan, where his missionary parents were preaching the Word. Harry isn't very holy, however: he owns a night club called the Happy Paris, dabbles in assorted short cons, and spends much of his time with various mistresses, including the possibly murderous Michiko, the jukebox girl at the Happy Paris. As the rumors of war heat up, Harry finds that he is the victim of his own equivocal identity: Americans worry that he has become too Japanese, and the Japanese suspect him of being a spy. Smith's plot is more than slightly reminiscent of "Casablanca," and the spectre of the Second World War seems, at this distance, almost quaint, but the characters are so well drawn and the local color so colorful that these quibbles hardly interfere with the novel's pleasures.

Library Journal

This novel, set in Japan, takes place over the course of December 6-8, 1941. Harry Nile is technically a U.S. citizen, but he grew up in Tokyo under the care of a Japanese nursemaid while his missionary parents tried to convert the natives to Christianity. Harry, the gaijin or foreigner, was always the bad guy, always the target in kids' fantasy games and at school, yet he established local ties and contacts as a result. He becomes the antithesis of his parents: a hard-drinking, swearing, smoking ladies man who runs a bar. Harry knows that something is going to break up the peace negotiations between the United States and Japan, so he is angling for a seat on the last plane out of Tokyo, even though it means leaving behind his live-in girl friend, his bar, and the only life he knows. As his plans unravel, he makes uncharacteristic gestures of kindness, generosity, and selflessness, even warning the U.S. ambassador of the forthcoming attack on Pearl Harbor. The unabridged version, well read by L.J. Ganser, provides a wealth of detail about Japanese culture and customs. Long passages fill out the characters and provide motivation. The abridged version, well read by John Slattery, accurately presents the central themes of the story. Harry's actions seem somewhat inconsistent without the background material, but the tale retains its suspense. Both versions are recommended for public libraries.-Joanna M. Burkhardt, Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Univ. of Rhode Island, Providence Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School-In early December, 1941, Harry Niles runs his nightclub, Happy Paris, in Tokyo's Asakuza district, keeps a mistress, and makes plans to escape from Japan with the British ambassador's wife. His departure is complicated by the Japanese, who consider him a spy and arrest him several times; the British and Americans, who deny him any help; and a Japanese soldier who wants him dead. He manages to elude most of his problems, narrowly escaping only to discover that he is trapped in Japan on December 7. Smith vividly conjures up the beauty of the country and the ugliness in people. Along with clear descriptions of locations, he creates realistic pictures of a distinct time and place. While the protagonist is the most fully developed, the secondary characters, as well as those who play far lesser roles, quickly take on distinct personalities and attributes. The book has flashbacks of Niles growing up in Japan as a mistreated and neglected son of American missionaries. As the plot progresses, his background helps to explain his attitude toward Japan, the imminent war, his relationships with two lovers, and his love of gambling against the odds. Since the story takes place over three days, the events move quickly and the plot is tightly woven together. The result is a historical thriller brimming with action, odd characters, and an ending well worth the read.-Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile

Raised in Japan, Harry Niles, the son of a missionary, seems to be as Japanese as he is American. Martin Cruz Smith, who is known for capturing the ambience of exotic locales, tells the story of Harry's life during the days leading up to December 7, 1941. As he navigates through love, losses, and possible double crosses, it's never clear who Harry is. Is he just an irreverent nightclub owner—or a spy out to thwart the Japanese? John Slattery makes the most of a choppy abridgment. Although his narration is a bit slow at times, Slattery is highly effective during dialogue involving Japanese characters, which he performs with skill and a lack of stereotyping. Slattery is also superb at giving Harry an attitude that makes it hard to determine whether he's a man of honor, a traitor, or just plain misguided. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews