Kimi\'s Obaachan, her grandmother, had always been a silent presence throughout her youth.
Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, all Kimi ever wanted to do was fit in, spurning traditional Japanese culture and her grandfather\'s attempts to.
Sipping tea by the fire, preparing sushi for the family, or indulgently listening to Ojichan\'s (grandfather\'s) stories for the thousandth time, Obaachan was a missing link to Kimi\'s Japanese heritage, something she had had a mixed relationship with all her life.
Kimi\'s Obaachan, her grandmother, had always been a silent presence throughout her youth