Autumn: September 1937 Summary

When Stephen is allowed to leave his father's apartment to go to the family's vacation home in Tarumi, Japan, on his own, he counts it a victory. To celebrate, he buys a journal and begins making entries in the journal to document his journey and his time in Tarumi. It's those journal accounts that become the book, Samurai's Garden. Stephen then begins to recount the months of illness that prompted the trip to Tarumi. He became ill while away at school in Canton. His friend King accompanied him home, and Stephen then describes the worry in his mother's eyes and the way the family servant Ching doted on him.

Stephen describes the symptoms of tuberculosis—the constant coughing and fever. While staying in Hong Kong with his mother, Stephen becomes something of a recluse. His sister Penelope—whom Stephen...