Bedtime Eyes
by Amy Yamada

Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
Bedtime Eyes is the first English-language publication of three of Yamada's short novellas: "Bedtime Eyes," "The Piano Player's Fingers," and "Jesse." Thematically linked, [color="Navy"]each involves the relationship between a Japanese woman and an African-American man, exploring love, sex, the search for true communication, and the vast gulf that separates the characters' different, yet equally revealing viewpoints. Starkly imagined and sharply observed, Bedtime Eyes introduces some of the most powerful and influential work by one of Japan's most exciting contemporary writers.
Review:
"Originally published in Japan in the mid-1980s (before Trash), the three novellas in this harsh, [color="navy"]vivid collection each feature a Japanese woman in a destructive relationship with an African-American man. The title novella presents Kim, a nightclub singer who falls for a navy deserter called Spoon. As Kim and Spoon's coke-fueled sexual idyll spirals into violence, Kim remains desperate to keep him. Another sadomasochistic relationship forms the core of 'The Piano Player's Eyes,' about a woman named Ruiko who dominates her 'new toy,' Leroy Jones. When he returns to Japan two years later as a noted jazz pianist, they vie for the upper hand in the relationship, with devastating results. 'Jesse,' a wrenching story that unfolds more warmly than the previous two, revolves around a turbulent threesome: Rick, an alcoholic; his young girlfriend, Coco; and the title character, his 11-year-old son. Coco first sees Jesse as competition, but as she realizes the father-son bond trumps that between lovers, she struggles to win the boy's approval. In stark, profane prose, [color="Blue"]Yamada complicates racial stereotypes — the hypersexual black man, the submissive or dragon lady Asian woman — as she illustrates how cultural and racial difference amplify 'the extraordinary power of sexual curiosity.' (Feb.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
"The stories are stark in their realism and the obsessive and irrational sexuality of the relationships she explores pulls the reader into the emotional conflicts that make these characters and their actions unforgettable." Library Journal

http://www.powells.com/biblio/0312352263?&PID=25631

Race mixing propaganda(black man and asian women) become more popular in asia.