We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(3) Base Camp
Good news: the language in Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet isn't technically difficult, and while the story switches back and forth between different periods in time, it's pretty easy to fall into the rhythm of this shifts. That said, the subject matter itself can be upsetting. After all, reading about the injustices that Japanese American citizens went through during WWII, like being uprooted from their homes, harassed, attacked, and forced to live in internment camps. It isn't hard to understand, per say, though it is hard to stomach.