Cherry Blossoms in Winter: A Riveting Soldier’s Story of the Korean War, Friendship, and Love in Post-War Japan

Dane is a young man living abroad in Vietnam. He has been rather aimless in his life which has been reflected in a string of short-term romances wherein Dane usually checks out before he has to commit. Dane’s professional life parallels his romantic life in its similar disarray. The advice Dane receives from his father reverberates throughout his brain: He must get his career on track by the time he’s 30 years old. Dane is currently laboring on a research project on World War II which takes him to Manila where he plans on interviewing surviving veterans. In Manila, he meets American expatriate Jack Pierce.

The pair meet and begin their friendship over a game of cards. Jack and Dane share their backgrounds as the men pass the time. While Dane is the son of a Vietnam veteran, Jack is an army veteran who served in the Korean War. As Jack feels more comfortable in Dane’s presence, he decides to divulge more of his past to Dane including some painful memories.

Despite being successful in his Freshman year in college, Jack elected to forgo his studies and serve in the US Army. Jack was sent to Japan where he assumed the role of an occupier in the aftermath of World War II. Jack and the men in his unit have no war to fight so their main duties are to train for the next military action. The men utilize their spare time carousing in various bars and looking for a casual fling. When Jack meets Michiko, he is infatuated. The couple spends a night dancing and each greatly awaits their next encounter.

Unfortunately, the call of duty beckons for Jack and he must leave Michiko. The distance between them only heightens his feelings for her. Whether Jack is scaling Mt. Fuji or attempting to seize a stronghold in Korea, his love for Michiko sees him through the worst situations.

In Cherry Blossoms in Winter, Dane was searching for an interviewee about war. Instead, he found someone with a familiarity with love, war, and loss. Conversely, Jack Pierce had found the confessor in whom he could unburden his soul. The romance between Jack and Michiko and their path towards each other provides a great deal of emotional depth to the narrative. Jack’s tour of duty in Korea plays a pivotal role in his development and his survival doesn’t mean he emerged unscathed. The battle depicted is pitched and ferocious, but also genuine. The horrors of war and its quixotic nature provoke sobering thoughts. Author Michael J. Summers has written a superb and appealing novel that explores the enduring bond of love.