The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

Travel back in time to 1799, to the fan-shaped artificial island of Dejima in Nagasaki Harbor - the sole window onto the world for the Japanese Empire. Meet Jacob de Zoet, a young clerk who has traveled to earn his fortune to win the hand of his wealthy fiancée back in Holland. But when he meets Orito Aibagawa, daughter of a samurai doctor, everything changes. Amidst devious merchants, deceitful interpreters, and costly courtesans, Jacob finds himself making rash promises with unforeseen consequences. A mix of luminous writing, prodigious research, and imagination, this epic novel explores forbidden love, clashing civilizations, and a man's willingness to gamble everything for what he desires most. Praise for the book has been overwhelming, with The Boston Globe calling it a "masterpiece of our time." Get lost in this exquisitely rendered historical novel by a genius author.