A Hundred Suns by Karin Tanabe

Over the years, our book club has noticed that the phrase “It’s All About the Money” comes into play in just about every book we read.  Karin Tanabe in her historical fiction novel, A Hundred Suns, delivers a clear picture of the imperialist French in Indochina.  Centering her story around Jessie an American married to Victor who was a member of the French Michelin dynasty, Tanabe reveals to the reader the cruelty of the French rubber plantation owners to the native people who were forced into a slave like lifestyle working in inhuman conditions on plantations.  The rich expats lived like kings on the labors of the poor people who were not earning enough money to survive.  The storyline was more than just an expose on the living conditions of the poor however.  The development of labor unions organized by the communists gave evidence to show how these radical antigovernment political groups were able to fight the imperialists and to begin the push to remove all foreigners.  The impoverished natives were easily persuaded to join the militant communists who promised to make everyone equal.  The devious plans of empathetic supporter and communist members made the book more of a suspenseful mystery than just a history book.  The treachery of servants, supposed friends, and crooked police added to the tension and hooked the reader from the beginning.  In the end, mysteries within mysteries were uncovered in a most satisfying way.  Tanabe truly has a gift in story telling and revelation of historical periods that ought not to be forgotten.