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wrote "Bock moves back and forth through time in a series of exquisite scenes, always keeping his vision tightly focused, despite the world-altering events he describes. ... What makes the novel so compelling and disturbing, though, is its emotional restraint." Regarding the quality of the prose, a
273:
My own unceasing pain erased any concern for those people. I did not care. There are things you get used to. There are things you learn not to see. I came to a point where I would not have cared if they all had died, and might not even have noticed them if somehow I'd been given the promise that my
176:
follows the stories of three main characters affected by World War II: Hiroshima bombing victim Emiko, German nuclear physicist Anton Böll, and
Austrian-Jewish refugee Sophie Böll. The narrative is non-linear, jumping between different times and places, and the point of view alternates between the
318:
After Sophie's funeral Anton reveals to Emiko the extent to which he had been involved in Emiko's life. He first met her while volunteering at the hospital in which her grandfather was working. Feeling he had to make amends in some way, he ensured that Emiko was on the list of girls to get
257:
with her parents, younger brother, and grandfather during World War II. Following the atomic bombing, with her parents dead, Emiko and her brother recover in a hospital and her grandfather cares for patients. Though her brother dies, Emiko travels to the United States as part of a
241:, Bock gave the draft to editor Phyllis Bruce in 1999 and sold it to Knopf for US$ 250,000. He re-wrote most of the book with the help of Bruce, and two other editors, Gary Fisketjon of Knopf and Liz Calder of Bloomsbury (who published the book in the UK).
177:
characters; Emiko's story being written in the first person while Anton and Sophie's stories are written in the third person. Bock took several years to write the novel, re-writing several drafts, before having it published in August 2001 by
331:, while the portions following Sophie and Anton Böll use the third-person. The tone was described as "disturbingly calm". Its central theme is that of identity and attempts to find solace. Bock states "All three of the main characters in
232:
originally owned the rights but Bock withdrew the book from
Doubleday citing "a difference of opinion" between himself and the editor. He had written two drafts, including one in which the main character was an art historian involved in
401:
fiction bestseller list and peaked at #1 in late
September and early October. It was translated and published in multiple languages, including Japanese and German. The book was a finalist for the 2001 for the
315:
and takes up gardening, planning elaborate landscapes every year. In 1995, after refusing further medical treatments, and with Anton by her side, she succumbs to the disease.
274:
brother and I would leave this place together and alive. I am not proud of this. I would not know the truth of such a terrible confession had I not lived through that time.
297:
268:
thanking the
American audience for bringing her to the US. She later becomes a documentary filmmaker and, in 1995, approaches Anton Böll to be part of a new project.
505:
was more critical, finding it "is badly let down by its form, a split-time-scale narrative... is significantly short of narrative dynamism", while novelist
311:
when it was turned away from Cuba and sent to the United
Kingdom. She was living in a refugee camp in Canada when she met Anton. She was diagnosed with
250:
234:
435:
may not be a page-turner, but Bock's prose lures the reader along through smooth, sculpted sentences full of rich detail and subtle meditation." In
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noted "something inaccessible about all three as remote to each other as they to the reader, and thus are never truly empathetic". The review in
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801:
109:
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296:, witnesses the tests, and travels to Hiroshima recording the aftermath. Anton regrets the consequences of the atomic bombs, attends the
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419:
300:, but maintains his belief that it was necessary to end the war and prevented more deaths. He marries Sophie and becomes a professor at
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The narrative alternates between three characters (Emiko, Anton and Sophie) and takes place around the fiftieth anniversary of the
410:, an international literary award for promoting greater understanding of the Pacific Rim and South Asia. It was nominated by the
27:
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magazine, Brian
Bethune wrote, "Intellectually engaging, beautifully written and powered by three memorable characters,
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one reviewer highlighted that on "occasions, the prose turns mannered and cliches pop up". though a later review by
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228:, but struggled with this project that would become his first novel, taking several years to write the novel.
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in the United
Kingdom. Knopf ordered an initial print run of 60,000 copies. It debuted at the #2 spot on the
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reconstructive surgery, and secretly filmed her at memorial events. He had been waiting for her to find him.
307:
As World War II was beginning, Sophie's Jewish parents sent her away from
Austria. She was on board of the
781:
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Note: The book reached #1 in the
September 17 edition before falling back to #2 in the October 22 edition.
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called it "an elegant, unnerving novel" but that Bock "tries too hard to underscore those links by using
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Critics gave it mostly positive reviews and it became a best-seller in Canada. It was nominated for the
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called it a "brilliant novel... superb plot twists that make it a spellbinding adventure in reading".
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Anton was a scientist in Nazi
Germany who, following a disagreement regarding the direction of its
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was 36 years old and living in Toronto. He had previously published a book of short stories called
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262:. On the way, the American media takes an interest in the girls and she appears on an episode of
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concludes that it "reads as the work of a young writer who is straining with too much effort".
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from the a Japanese historical perspective, finding strong similarities between the real-life
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292:, is recruited by the US and flees via France, Spain, and Portugal. He becomes a part of the
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Gwartney, Debra (December 23, 2001). "In Hiroshima, Three Lives Fused in a Blinding Flash".
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Goossen, Theodore (Winter 2003). "Writing the Pacific War in the Twenty-First Century".
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253:, though the back story of each character is told. Emiko was a small girl living in
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are refugees who don't belong anywhere. Each has a desperate search for home." In
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said "Bock's writing is both dense and immensely readable" while the review in
327:
The portions of the book that follow the character Emiko Amai is written as a
981:
Curran, Beverley (March 3, 2002). "'Ash' offers equivocal stance on A-bomb".
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496:
342:
254:
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Nickson, Keith (September–October 2001). "Another View of The Ash Garden".
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Pearl, Nancy (July 15, 2002). "The Kiriyama Prize: Award-Winning Fiction".
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in New York. With Sophie, he retires to a small town outside of Toronto.
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26:
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The book was released as a hardcover on August 25, 2001, published by
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as "a book that ends where Bock's begins". An essay in the journal
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to connect his characters' experiences". In London, the review in
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which noted the similarities between the character Emiko and the
204:. It has been analysed in several literature journals, including
1001:(September 21, 2001). "Disparate Lives, Connected by One Bomb".
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Gussow, Mel (November 7, 2001). "Write What You Know? Why, No".
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Smith, Edward (October 14, 2001). "The nuclear winter's tale".
117:
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Bethune, Brian (September 3, 2001). "Destroyer of worlds".
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Feldman, Gayle (July 2001). "Bock: Rising from the Ashes".
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Shigeko and the character Emiko, but noting it was not a
1038:(October 6, 2001). "Life force - Book of the week".
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915:Love, Barbara (August 1, 2001). "The Ash Garden".
622:Crawley, Devin (December 2000). "In the Works".
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260:group of girls receiving reconstructive surgery
8:
19:
702:Iyer, Pico (June 2002). "The Last Refuge".
806:Time (International South Pacific Edition)
523:
521:
25:
18:
601:Ross, Val (August 2001). "Gambling man".
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445:will seduce anyone who reads it." In the
235:art theft and looting during World War II
863:. Vol. 93, no. 213. p. 20
579:
577:
779:"Writer runner-up for esteemed prize".
517:
719:Rozhon, Jon (2001). "The Ash Garden".
160:is a novel written by Canadian author
7:
800:Bennett, Brian (February 25, 2002).
164:and published in 2001. It is Bock's
853:Charles, Ron (September 27, 2001).
740:"Maclean's Bestsellers - Fiction".
420:International Dublin Literary Award
220:At the time of publication, author
194:International Dublin Literary Award
14:
855:"The cost of righteous vengeance"
404:Books in Canada First Novel Award
279:— Emiko in a Hiroshima hospital,
198:Books in Canada First Novel Award
172:, a collection of short stories.
168:, following the 1998 release of
91:Print (hardback & paperback)
882:Hodges, Hugh (September 2001).
822:Also March 2002 Europe Edition.
643:Murphy, Richard (Spring 2002).
960:(April 2002). "First Novels".
650:Review of Contemporary Fiction
1:
548:Feldman, Gayle (July 2001).
468:"highly recommended" it. In
1103:Bloomsbury Publishing books
789:. May 20, 2003. p. B1.
431:, Brian T. Bennett wrote, "
251:atomic bombing of Hiroshima
1124:
1067:Curled Up With a Good Book
391:in the United States, and
237:. With a working title of
860:Christian Science Monitor
479:A Japanese review in the
448:Christian Science Monitor
379:Publication and reception
83:Canada, United States, UK
24:
412:Vancouver Public Library
808:(7): 62. Archived from
722:Canadian Ethnic Studies
361:Canadian Ethnic Studies
206:Canadian Ethnic Studies
550:"At Work and At Large"
329:first-person narrative
276:
1093:Alfred A. Knopf books
746:. September 10, 2001.
416:Bergen Public Library
149:PR9199.3.B559 A9 2001
1088:2001 Canadian novels
1021:The Sunday Telegraph
802:"The Fallout of War"
502:The Sunday Telegraph
1098:HarperCollins books
812:on October 22, 2010
688:Canadian Literature
491:by literary critic
356:The English Patient
302:Columbia University
21:
16:Book by Dennis Bock
1004:The New York Times
587:The New York Times
488:The New York Times
298:Pugwash Conference
239:A Man of Principle
1108:2001 debut novels
999:Kakutani, Michiko
889:Quill & Quire
787:Kitchner, Ontario
708:. pp. 77–81.
705:Harper's Magazine
625:Quill & Quire
604:Quill & Quire
555:Publishers Weekly
531:Publishers Weekly
459:Quill & Quire
451:, fiction critic
406:, as well as the
338:Harper's Magazine
294:Manhattan Project
265:This Is Your Life
210:Hiroshima Maidens
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867:January 14,
816:January 14,
566:January 14,
562:(27): 47–48
453:Ron Charles
387:in Canada,
222:Dennis Bock
166:first novel
162:Dennis Bock
38:Dennis Bock
1082:Categories
925:(13): 156.
782:The Record
768:(12): 152.
513:References
497:leitmotifs
393:Bloomsbury
283:, page 34.
216:Background
200:, and the
187:Bloomsbury
185:(USA) and
181:(Canada),
137:813/.54 21
64:Bloomsbury
1044:. London.
1041:The Times
1024:. London.
842:(36): 58.
835:Maclean's
743:Maclean's
632:(12): 10.
534:(27): 48.
438:Maclean's
398:Maclean's
345:compares
343:Pico Iyer
255:Hiroshima
52:Publisher
987:. Tokyo.
970:(2): 36.
691:: 56–69.
611:(8): 16.
414:and the
124:46929224
44:Language
946:(3): 3.
896:(9): 44
245:Summary
226:Olympia
170:Olympia
47:English
196:, the
189:(UK).
34:Author
349:with
313:lupus
96:Pages
60:Knopf
902:2011
869:2011
818:2011
568:2011
428:Time
118:OCLC
105:ISBN
923:126
840:114
766:127
560:248
425:In
353:'s
99:281
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375:.
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58:,
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