Only Uni by Cami Tang

This month FIRST has a second selection to offer its readers! If you would like to read the first chapter of this book, please look here.

This is the second book in Tang's Sushi series, so you may want to check out the first book, Sushi for One which released last Fall to rave reviews. Camy's writing is so realistic, you won't believe it! Here are some of my thoughts:

Tang has written this series featuring different members of an Asian-American family. Only Uni tells the story of a single woman’s efforts to come to God after a rather loose lifestyle. Since some Asian families practice Buddhism and other Eastern religions, the character’s conversion to Christianity is misunderstood and considered highly questionable. Because of this background and her own wrong choices, the main character, Trish, has a lot to work through - mainly her insatiable lust for the opposite sex.

Camy Tang’s writing style is very colorful, and her character development is so successful that she managed to create a host of people who got on my last nerve. The women lacked self confidence and it took them forever to get up enough nerve to stand up to their own family about their faith. Their relationships with each other were filled with skepticism and doubt, and their attempts to establish new relationships were awkward and immature. Basically, I wanted to grab them by the collar and shake some sense into them most of the time. The women in this story have a looooong way to go in the area of maturity – both emotionally and spiritually.

Now, having said that, I have to say that this book was very well written. I did like the way the characters in the book finally rallied around Trish during some rather trying circumstances. Forgiveness is something all of us struggle to give and receive most of the time. Camy Tang creates characters that are real enough to get on your nerves and a story line that has enough twists and turns to give you whiplash. Perhaps after they grow up a bit, I’ll like them better. In the mean time, I hope you will try this series and make your own decision. I need to move on to something that is less likely to trigger my instinct to throttle folks! Did I say her characters were believable? They really stick with you! Enjoy!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Camy Tang is a member of FIRST and is a loud Asian chick who writes loud Asian chick-lit. She grew up in Hawaii, but now lives in San Jose, California, with her engineer husband and rambunctious poi-dog. In a previous life she was a biologist researcher, but these days she is surgically attached to her computer, writing full-time. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service.

Sushi for One? (Sushi Series, Book One) was her first novel. Her second, Only Uni (Sushi Series, Book Two) is now available. The next book in the series, Single Sashimi (Sushi Series, Book Three) will be coming out in September 2008!

Visit her at her website.