The Flower Mat

First published as Hanamushiro in 1948, the setting for THE FLOWER MAT is 18th-century Japan, a time when families were bound together by a rigid code of honor and individual lives were of necessity valued far less than the interests of the group. It tells of a young bride, Ichi, born into such a tradition, groomed in the virtues of ideal womanhood, and finally tempered by tragedy. Her life and fate are bound up inexorably with the fortunes of her in-laws, high-ranking officials. She soon becomes aware that something is dreadfully wrong, that something is threatening her home and her peaceful way of life. Though she attempts to put clues together, her questions go unanswered. Struggling for truth and justice, Ichi finds that her only weapons are her own strength and the lovely mats, decorated with delicate flowers, that she designs. 173p.