American Fuji cover

American Fuji

by Sara Backer

""Expect the unexpected. This is Japan." That's Gaby Stanton speaking, trying to explain to Alex Thorn why his questions about the mysterious death of his son, an exchange student at a small Japanese university, are likely to go unanswered. But those words could also serve as the leitmotif for this exuberantly funny tale of Americans abroad in modern-day Japan.". "After five years in Japan, Gaby herself has learned to expect the unexpected. Fired for no reason from her university position, she has taken the only job available to her: selling fantasy funerals to Japanese clients. And because the firm she works for shipped Cody Thorn's body back to the States, his father has turned up on her doorstep looking for answers. What ensues is a wild ride through the manners, mores, and prejudices of the Japanese."--BOOK JACKET.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?