Michael R. French - Books - MICHAEL R. FRENCH

New Book by Michael R. French

Ghost With Two Hearts
Available Now on Amazon!!

Approaching 30, Adrian, a talented software engineer, takes stock of his wealth and accolades - and how unhappy he is. He doesn't make friends easily, dislikes social media, and was bloodied in a divorce. He finds no common purpose in a country defined by political vitriol, distrust, and inequality. Taking a leave of absence from his company, he travels to Japan with a samurai sword that his grandfather stole from a Japanese captain in World War Two. Adrian is determined to find its rightful heir. Doing the morally correct thing, he hopes, will make him feel better about his life.

Reviews

ChronicallySubRich
BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN , MOVING TALE OF LOVE AND LONGING
The author has done a masterful job of updating a traditional Japanese genre -- the "kaidan" or ghost story -- to modern day Japan. It's told from the perspective of an American who's alienated from his own culture and has come to Japan to set right what he has come to understand was a deeply dishonorable act committed by his grandfather, who took a samurai sword from a man he killed during the fighting on Iwo Jima. His mission to return the sword to the officer's family takes some unexpected turns, involving him with two different apparitions: the mischievous but wistful ghost of a young woman, Emiko, who occupies the attic of his rental, and the vengeful spirit of the officer killed by his grandfather. The relationship transcending mortality between Adrian and the "kami" Emiko is beautifully written and poignantly depicted. Mixing elements of the supernatural thriller and detective story, with some acute observations on the similarities and contrasts between American and Japanese society, this novel held my interest to the very end.

Beryl Kreisel
UNIQUE LOVE STORY
For me the story was a metaphor for young people today and how they find it difficult to cope. The heroine can’t handle her parents expectations and the hero is a lost sole dealing with a divorce, a job that is not fullfiling and needs to find himself. Their relationship opens up the possibility that they can eventually find happiness.

Bcolmandesign
A DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE
A unique and beautifully told love story. I especially enjoyed the story interwoven with Japanese history and cultural spiritual references. A wonderful read!

Mark Otto
Great dialogue!
Ghost with Two Hearts is such an interesting book. I didn't really know what to expect but I loved the dialogue and characters and really enjoyed leaving the country and experiencing something new through my travels in Japan with Adrian. Like all good books do, this one transported me along with it's characters to an unfamiliar place. Thank you Michael R. French for your delightful writing.

Alan Webber
This is a tale that is filled with magic and mystery, courage and cunning. You won’t be able to put it down until you get to the end—and you won’t want it ever to end.

Shirley Melis, Author
February 25, 2023
            Beautifully felt and expressed, Ghost with Two Hearts captivated me from start to finish.
Several years ago, I tasted the magic of Kyoto and Philosopher’s Path but now, thanks to Michael French, I have experienced a far deeper immersion in this eastern culture so strikingly different in key respects from our own.
            This short novel is the compelling story of one man’s quest to rectify his grandfather’s action in WWII that quickly evolves into a complex whodunit coupled with a search for truth and meaning at odds with the norms of Western culture.
            French’s ability to convey ideas and nuanced feelings without breaking the storyline is stunning. Written in the first person, present tense, this evocative novel reads like a memoir. Throughout the story, I felt I was in protagonist Adrian’s skin, suspending disbelief in ghosts while longing for their tangible materialization and sensing the angst in his struggle to re-define himself while casting aside Western values that no longer speak to him. In French’s foreword, he expresses the hope that his novel “holds a mirror up to who we are and who we might become.” For this reader, he fulfilled his hope.