Turning Japanese

An unexpected win in a comic-book competition sends half-Japanese Lisa Falloya to Tokyo for a yearlong manga publishing internship in Yardley’s chipper new novel. Lisa lands in Tokyo, where she stays with a dysfunctional host family and gets smacked with culture shock. The story picks up when, despite her lowly status, Lisa decides to champion a comic-book idea proposed by a fellow editor. When she also gives a boost to a talented young artist, she incurs the wrath of tyrannical manga star Nobuko. Lisa’s discovery of her own inner fire as an editor and her attempts to navigate a rigid hierarchy give a bit of fire to the story, with further complications arising when her controlling fiancé pressures her to return home early. Yardley doesn’t take the obvious ways out, and Lisa’s trip to confidence and assertiveness has plenty of girl power verve. (Apr.)