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Star Sand, told mostly in the voice of a teenage Japanese American girl, Umeno Hiromi, and is set on the island of Hatoma, Japan in 1945. It is the story of her survival through war and an unlikely friendship between two men - a Japanese army deserter and an American infantryman. Pulvers spends lots of time describing Hiromi's daily life, with detailed descriptions of the island and fishing, developing the plot slowly. Of particular significance and intrigue is Hiromi's collection of star sand, for which the novel is named. The twist ending, which involves a time and voice (POV) shift, seems rushed -- but despite this the novel comes full circle to an end that is both satisfying and hopeful.

*Originally written in Japanese, this review is based on the English language Kindle edition.