**NATIONAL BESTSELLER** **•** **PEN/FAULKER AWARD WINNER** **•** **The acclaimed author of** The Swimmers **and** When the Emperor Was Divine **tells the story of a group of young women brought from Japan to San Francisco as “picture brides” a century ago** **in this understated masterpiece … that unfolds with great emotional power (** San Francisco Chronicle **).** In eight unforgettable sections, *The Buddha in the Attic* traces the extraordinary lives of these women, from their arduous journeys by boat, to their arrival in San Francisco and their tremulous first nights as new wives; from their experiences raising children who would later reject their culture and language, to the deracinating arrival of war. Julie Otsuka has written a spellbinding novel about identity and loyalty, and what it means to be an American in uncertain times.