Book Review: BIG IN JAPAN by Jennifer Griffith

Goodreads synopsis: Buck Cooper doesn't remember when he became invisible. It was probably around the time he hit 300 pounds, and that was quite a few pounds ago. At six-foot-six, he's the elephant in the room nobody notices. Still, his social leprosy doesn't keep him from putting in for a promotion in the stats department, or from carrying a torch for the gorgeous Alison, who just might see through the blubber to the real Buck inside.

So when Buck gets Shanghaied to Tokyo for a family emergency, the last thing he expects is to be marveled at everywhere he goes. Little kids run up to him and want to pull the hair on his arms. He's suddenly the Jolly Blond Giant.

As his life takes a new turn in a country where being big can mean fame and fortune, Buck must embark on the most dangerous yet adventurous ride of his life--to find the ultimate meaning of love and acceptance. Even if it means risking his life and giving up everything he has.
(image source) (Good reads review)

Truth: I didn't expect to like this book.

There, I said it.

But I did!

I didn't expect to care about a white guy sumo wrestling in Japan.

But I did!

I was captivated by Buck's experiences, horrified at the conditions that he was put into, and really quite afraid for him.

Add to that the fact that I did NOT want him to succeed when it came to his quest to "win" his love interest, (I didn't want ANYONE to win in that competition) and I was turning pages as fast as I could.

I was skeptical at the author's ability to portray a big white boy Texan, and there were moments when I wondered if she was just writing how she THOUGHT a big white boy Texan would think/act as opposed to how a big white boy Texan actually would (I feel only slightly at the advantage here, being married to exactly that, minus the sumo wrestling and a hundred pounds). But it wasn't enough to really bother me, just to make me go "hmm" a couple times.

All in all, a recommended read for certain.