Yukiko “Yuki” Oyama

When the novel opens, Yuki is introduced as Jay's mother who abandoned him when he was a baby. The narrative then shifts to 1968, and Yuki's story begins. She is a 16-year-old Japanese girl, living in New York with her parents. The Oyamas have lived in America since Yuki was a little girl, but she still feels caught between two cultures. She does not quite identify with her parents and their rigid adherence to Japanese customs, like leaving food at the ancestors' altar, and she barely speaks the Japanese language. But she is not entirely American either, and she does not fit in at school. Meeting Odile, a confident, white American girl that is interested in getting to know her, opens up a whole world of possibility for Yuki.

After her parents move back to Japan and Yuki moves in with Odile, she falters without a legitimate...