Waiting on Wednesday (#10)

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This meme highlights some of the books whose releases bloggers are most anticipating this year.

The book whose release I am most excited for this week is...

Title: The Language Inside
Author: Holly Thompson
Release Date: May 14th, 2013

A beautiful novel in verse that deals with post-tsunami Japan, Cambodian culture, and one girl's search for identity and home. Emma Karas was raised in Japan; it's the country she calls home. But when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, Emma's family moves to a town outside Lowell, Massachusetts, to stay with her grandmother while her mom undergoes treatment. Emma feels out of place in the United States, begins to have migraines, and longs to be back in Japan. At her grandmother's urging, she volunteers in a long-term care center to help Zena, a patient with locked-in syndrome, write down her poems. There, Emma meets Samnang, another volunteer, who assists elderly Cambodian refugees. Weekly visits to the care center, Zena's poems, dance, and noodle soup bring Emma and Samnang closer, until Emma must make a painful choice: stay in Massachusetts, or return early to Japan.

C'mon, admit it - that cover is beautiful. It is eye-catching, it's different, and I love the fact that the girl on the cover can see her reflection in the mirror. It really is a very well taken picture, but even better than that, is this novel's poignant synopsis. I haven't read a lot of novels that deal with real-world issues, cancer, or even different cultures, but this story seems to have them all, which I love. I think it takes on a fascinating subject of what "home" really is and Emma's struggle to blend in with society and make a new home for herself is already one I find compelling. Furthermore, I love that the romance is so subtly interwoven into the synopsis which makes me think that this is a highly character-driven novel with a beautiful underlying romance - in other words, it's exactly what I love, so I can't wait for this one to release! Plus, did I mention that title? It's so lyrical, I could say it all day..."the language inside, the language inside, the language inside..." :)

What new books are you anticipating this week?