Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-7

Chapters 8-12

Chapters 13-16

Chapters 17-22

Chapters 23-27

Chapters 28-32

Chapters 33-39

Chapters 40-47

Chapters 48-52

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Chapters 48-52Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 48 Summary: “Broken Records (1986)”

When Henry doesn’t hear from Marty for a few weeks, he visits Marty in his dorm. Samantha has suggested that Henry return the sketchbooks to their rightful owner, but Henry disagrees. He feels he let Keiko go all those years ago, that he had a chance and didn’t take it.

Chapter 49 Summary: “Hearthstone (1986)”

Having heard the news that Sheldon is near death, Henry rushes to the nursing home to visit him. Sheldon tells Henry that he needs to “fix it.” Thinking he is referring to the broken Oscar Holden record, Henry brightens. But then Sheldon clarifies that he isn’t talking about the record but about the real reason why Henry was always looking for that record.

Chapter 50 Summary: “Tickets (1986)”

Henry visits Bud’s Jazz Records to see if the Oscar Holden record can be fixed, but unfortunately it’s broken beyond repair. He returns home to find his best suit spread out on the bed with a plane ticket to New York in the pocket. Marty is there, explaining that he located Keiko in New York and that she is expecting Henry.

Chapter 51 Summary: “Sheldon’s Song (1986)”

Henry visits Sheldon one more time. Sheldon’s entire family is gathered in his room, listening to a record. Henry is startled to realize it is the Oscar Holden record. Samantha is there too; she explains that when they contacted Keiko and explained the situation, Keiko immediately sent her copy of the record, the one Henry brought her in Camp Harmony. For 40 years, she has kept it in pristine condition. There is also a letter from Keiko to Henry, telling him that she hopes he remembers only what was and not what wasn’t meant to be.

Chapter 52 Summary: “New York (1986)”

Henry visits New York for the first time. He is too nervous to call first, so he takes a taxi directly from the airport to Keiko’s apartment in Greenwich Village. Keiko answers the door, an older Keiko, but with the same clear, expressive eyes. Her apartment is full of pictures of her family and her artwork, including a sketch she drew of herself and Henry, years before. They resume their conversation with each other as if no time has passed at all.

Chapters 48-52 Analysis

Marty and Samantha, now fully aware of the Henry and Keiko’s story, take action on his behalf to help the pair reunite. Marty locates Keiko, who is recently widowed herself, in New York. Keiko sends the Oscar Holden record, which Samantha plays as Sheldon is dying in his bed at the nursing home. Marty and Samantha have purchased a ticket for Henry—without this action from them on his behalf, Henry might never have found or reached out to Keiko.

The suit and plane ticket laid out on Henry’s bed in 1986 parallels the same scene from 1942, when Henry discovered another suit and a boat ticket. This latter act is an expression of love, unlike the earlier scenario, which was not made with regard for Henry’s desires or interests but his father’s. Where Henry’s father acted to preserve tradition and assert authority over his son, Marty acts out of love and compassion, wanting his father to find closure and perhaps happiness by reuniting with Keiko. In a novel so focused on conflict between fathers and sons, this suggests that healing and reconciliation between generations is possible when these relationships are nurtured with respect, love, and empathy.

The novel’s final scene shows Henry reunited with Keiko. This is a purely sweet moment, as they are still comfortable with each other and effortlessly resume their conversation despite the 40-year gap in correspondence. The novel’s ending is ultimately hopeful, with Marty and Henry’s relationship on sturdier ground, and Henry and Keiko together again. They have both lived happy and fulfilling lives with other people, although it is clear they have never lost their love for each other.