Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter by Shoko Tendo

I've waited a long time to read this book, and it was all worth it. A page-turner, though inconsistent, there was never a dull moment. The first few chapters chronicling Shoko's teenage years, were bittersweet: becoming a yanki, hanging out with friends for days after running away from a troubled home, thinner-sniffing and gang-fights. Shoko had always done what she wanted, and with the gang, she felt belonged.

At eighteen, she was the lover of two married men. And I went hell over her indecision to leave them though they had abused her physically, till she was, at more than one occasion, close to death. I had a strong suspicion then that she was looking for her father in them. Since young, she was almost like a grown-up, strong-minded in her way, thus her father never gave her much attention.

Though the eye-catching book title would suggest that it's about the life of a yakuza, it's more a story about a little girl, who had lost her family ties and her way in life, only to be reunited with them as an adult.

Against all odds, Shoko becomes what she had wanted as a child: a writer. And a very promising one indeed, I think, as she seemed to grow from strength to strength with each chapter. At the end, it turned out to be quite moving and lyrical.