A Majority of One

The story unfolds in the years after World War II, when memory of the war and Hiroshima shapes attitudes toward Japan. Loss and trauma haunt Bertha and Koichi as they navigate romance and family pressure. The narrative moves from a wartime context on a ship to peacetime diplomacy at embassies and the United Nations.

The action spans Bertha's Brooklyn home, a voyage to Tokyo, and later diplomatic hubs in Tokyo and New York. The settings juxtapose bustling city life with intimate moments at social gatherings and private homes. These places frame the clash between wartime memories, prejudice, and the hope for cross-cultural connection.

❤️ Interracial Love

Bertha's tentative romance with Koichi Asano challenges the era's racial boundaries and social expectations. The couple's courtship becomes a test of family loyalty, cultural pride, and personal healing after wartime losses. The story uses their relationship to explore hypocrisy in liberal attitudes toward race. The connection grows through mutual vulnerability, even as external pressures threaten to tear them apart.

🕊️ Memory and Loss

Both Bertha and Asano carry the weight of loved ones who died in the war—the son Bertha mourns and a daughter who died in Hiroshima. Their shared grief becomes the glue that allows a fragile trust to form, even as past traumas complicate present choices. The memory of battle and destruction colors their perceptions of reconciliation and risk.

🗺️ Diplomacy and Clashes

Jerry and the American diplomats often fail to learn Japanese language and customs, leading to misunderstandings and missteps that threaten negotiations. The lack of cultural literacy highlights how personal bias can derail diplomatic work. Reconciliation in the story requires empathy, patience, and a willingness to listen across cultural divides.

👵 Aging and Loneliness

Bertha's loneliness and longing for companionship drive her toward a cautious romance, even as family expectations and prejudice pull her in opposite directions. The narrative uses her evolving relationship with Asano to explore how aging individuals seek connection after loss. The journey toward possible happiness becomes a test of courage and self-definition.