Going to a country where you don't speak the language is one thing; going to a country where you can't even figure out the toilets is another. In If Only, when Corinna and her dad go to Tokyo to visit Sophie's high-school host family, they're seriously out of place. But the trip makes them bond in a way they haven't since Sophie died—they have to stick together, and they have to laugh at themselves. They also learn to view death in a new way when Aiko introduces Corinna to the Japanese view that dying is just a transition, not a permanent ending.
You know what, though? These two have felt out of place since the story began. And in this regard, becoming actual foreigners helps them stop feeling like such strangers to each other, and integrate back into their lives at home. Go figure.
Questions About Foreignness and "The Other"
- Why do Corinna and her dad decide not to scatter Sophie's ashes in Japan?
- What's the biggest moment of culture shock Corinna experiences on the trip?
- Where does Corinna feel more like a foreigner—in Japan, or at school?
Chew on This
The Ishibashis show Corinna and her dad that Sophie's legacy is so large it can be tapped into halfway around the world, which reassures them that they'll never lose her completely.
Traveling to another country is no big deal when you've been traveling a foreign country inside yourself for a year.