Daikon

“Since 1945, there have been rumors that the U.S. military hauled at least three atomic bombs to Japan, one for Hiroshima and one for Nagasaki. What happened to the third? The truth will never be known, but Samuel Hawley has crafted a breathtaking story of what might have been. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, Daikon is a riveting tale about war, intrigue, love, and perseverance.” —John Grisham“In the opening pages of Daikon, I knew I was in the hands of a skilled writer. By Daikon’s end, I felt honored to share the same craft. Literatur­e ­allows us to get out of our own skins and live other lives. Through Daikon’s characters, I inhabited the Japanese culture of 1945, immeasurably different from my own: obedience to authority ingrained through centuries; worship of a living god/man; accepting injustice without complaint; welcoming the terrifying duty and honor to sacrifice one’s life for the group. I witnessed the final days of World War II through the eyes of a loving Japanese man and woman separated by war and state terrorism. I endured the firebombing of Tokyo, and I felt extreme hunger and abject fear as much as is humanly possible without the actual experience. And finally, I was nearly shattered by one man’s willingness to sacrifice almost everything to save that which he most treasured. Throughout it all, I could not look away. This novel is storytelling at its finest.” —Karl Marlantes, New York Times bestselling author of Matterhorn“Daikon is a gripping and fascinating work of historical fiction that’s so convincing I felt like I’d stumbled onto an extraordinary World War II documentary with indelible characters and haunting footage from a vantage I’d never imagined. Daikon will sweep you away.” —Jess Walter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins“In Samuel Hawley’s spellbinding debut novel, history and possibility collide. The result is a gripping, propulsive journey into the nuclear heart of what might have been. The year is 1945, and Japan’s defeat is at hand. But what if they had the atomic bomb? And what if we, by mistake, had given it to them? Daikon ponders whether what’s best in humanity is found only in its darkest moments. And whether love can transcend death and war. The result is a breathtaking chain reaction that unleashes the true power of the novel.” —Adam Johnson, New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Orphan Master’s Son“Daikon is an exhilarating tale set amid the extraordinary devastation and despair of Japan’s last days in World War II. Carefully researched, thoroughly convincing, and utterly compelling. I loved this book, and you will love it too.” —Arthur Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Memoirs of a Geisha

Samuel Hawley was born and raised in South Korea, the son of Canadian missionaries, and taught English in Korea and Japan for nearly two decades. He is the author of the nonfiction book The Imjin War, the most comprehensive account in English of Japan’s 16th-century invasion of Korea and attempted conquest of China. He currently lives in Istanbul, Turkey. Daikon is his debut novel.

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