MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT – A Novel by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga
St. Martin’s Press (Griffin), Available Now
ISBN: 0312372612

A comic, cross-cultural novel in which fresh-from-Japan Midori Saito finds herself lost in translation in San Francisco as she searches for her American Dream and the perfect dessert.

Midori Saito's dream seems about to come true. Too independent for Japanese society, Midori is a young woman who has always felt like a stranger in her native land. So when she falls in love with Kevin, an American English teacher, she readily agrees to leave home and start a new life with him in San Francisco—as his fiancée. Kevin seems to be the perfect man. That is, until he dumps her for his blond ex-fiancée, whom Midori never even knew existed. With just a smattering of fractured English, not much cash, and a fiancée visa set to expire in 60 days, Midori realizes she’s in for quite a struggle. Unable to face the humiliation of telling her parents she's been jilted, she decides to go it alone, surprising even herself as she proves she will do almost anything to hang on to her “American Dream.”

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WENDY NELSON TOKUNAGA was born and raised in San Francisco. Her short stories have appeared in The Abiko Literary Quarterly Review, The Plaza, and Yomimono, among others. She lives in Half Moon Bay, California with her Japanese-born surfer-dude husband Manabu Tokunaga. Drawing on her extensive experience in studying the Japanese language and culture; living, working and playing in Japan; and her cross-cultural marriage, Tokunaga explores the theme of why some people feel the need to trade in their native culture for a new one.

Praise for Midori by Moonlight:

“Tokunaga depicts Midori's determination to create her own version of the American dream with exuberance [in this] delectably frothy debut.”
-- Publishers Weekly

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Tokunaga suffuses the book with warmth and lightness. . .Just as the right dessert hits the spot, reading this delicious slice of escapism makes for a perfect afternoon. But instead of suffering a sugar crash afterward, you'll muse for days about the characters you've left behind and why they matter so much to you.
—San Francisco Chronicle

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“[Midori by Moonlight] draws upon vivid imagery when defining traits of Japanese culture and really hits the nail on the head when depicting some American attitudes toward others.... witty and charming."
—Charleston Gazette

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“Midori is endearing, feisty, and funny: the novel is a delight.” – Ellen Sussman, editor of Bad Girls and author of On a Night Like This.

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Best selling author Cara Lockwood (Dixieland Sushi) says, “Midori by Moonlight is part wasabi, part ginger, and as scrumptious as a California roll. You’ll devour this book in a day!”

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Author Lauren Baratz-Logsted (Vertigo) says, “A delightful fusion of East meeting West, as if Banana Yoshimoto and Meg Cabot got together to create a romantic comedy.”