By Asha Lemmie

Nori is the illegitimate daughter of a Japanese aristocrat and this unfortunate birth circumstance will haunt her throughout her life. The story explores the Japanese culture’s emphasis on family honor and appearances often to the detriment of all other aspects of life. Nori grows up convinced she is cursed and despite some kind people in her life she is mostly encouraged in her fears. The family matriarch is a force and the machinations of family dynamics are quite complex.