Tokuda's Last Song

Tokuda left his homeland, Japan, for America, holding fast to his dream of becoming a singing idol like Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett. However, this is not to be. He meets failure at every turn. Idealistic, hugely egotistical and with a lackluster voice to begin with, he is driven to take a final step towards fame, nearly destroying himself and those people who have befriended him all along. Their own fates are as complex as his and are equally as fascinating. Finally, in a totally unpredictable ending Tokuda saves himself and becomes a Star in a very different sense. Every character in this story-set in the entertainment capital of the world, Hollywood-is probed with the acuteness, humor and humanity we have come to expect from the great realist novelists of the past.