Bicycle Days — John Burnham Schwartz

When Alec Stern arrives in Japan, he discovers a land of opportunity. For only in Tokyo could an impressionable young man fresh out of college find, in one stroke, a new job, a new family, and a society that lavishes attention on Japanese-speaking gaijin. Yet, even as Alec claims a place in this new world, he is haunted by memories of the one he left behind -- a world once infinitely secure but which disintegrated with the breakup of his parents' marriage.

In this incandescently observed novel, John Burnham Schwartz introduces readers to one of the most appealing protagonists in contemporary fiction while enchanting them with the keenness of his eye and the aptness of his voice. Through its exquisitely rendered scenes -- a fishing trip of Zen-like serenity; a night at a sex club where giggling businessmen dive into the action -- and vividly imagined characters -- the laughing mother who taught Alec to ride a bicycle; the beautiful sad Japanese woman who teaches him how to love -- Bicycle Days surprises, moves, and enlightens us as very few books do.