Morais's latest (after The Hundred-Foot Journey) follows Seido, a Japanese Buddhist priest whose attachment to ritual fortifies him against the heartbreak of his youth: days after his induction into the priesthood, at age 11, his family was killed in a fire. Years later, when he is transferred from his temple in Fukushima, Japan, to Brooklyn, he finds a congregation of American misfits starved for spiritual counsel. Jennifer, his assistant, grieves her fiance's death; Michael, a disturbed college student, lives in fear of his mother; and the temple's benefactors jockey for influence and power. But by leaving the austere orderliness of Japan and entering the noisy hodgepodge of Brooklyn, Seido finds, for the first time, a community. With patience and sacrifice, he learns to communicate his faith and rediscovers it for himself. This is a breezy read that ably moves to a predictable feel-good resolution, yet Morais often indulges in purple prose and cultural caricatures. An uncomfortable propensity to exoticize Seido-whose most profound observations are expressed in Yoda-like bromides and haiku-undermines the sublimity of his spiritual awakening and his fullness as a character. Agent: Richard Pine, Inkwell Management. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

At age 11, Seido Oda, the second son in a family of four children in a Japanese village, is selected by his father to enter the Buddhist priesthood. Just days after Oda joins the Headwater Sect at the nearby Head Temple, a fire consumes his parents' inn and kills the entire family, a tragedy that marks his life. Years later, when Oda is master teacher of the arts at his home temple, he's appointed to oversee the building of the Brooklyn temple and thrust into a new, rapid-fire world. Unable to truly reach his varied group of American believers, the inscrutable Oda is guided by his candid assistant, Jennifer Meli, a PhD in Italian literature with whom he eventually becomes intimate, and an epiphany one night on the Brooklyn docks helps him reach enlightenment. A spiritual mishmash, in the words of the author, this account of a Buddhist priest's journey through life sheds light on cultural differences and finding acceptance. But fans of Morais' sensual debut, The Hundred-Foot Journey (2010), may find this pales in comparison.--Leber, Michele Copyright 2010 Booklist

After living his entire life in a remote mountain village in Japan, Buddhist monk Seido Oda experiences extreme culture shock when, at the age of 40, he is commanded by his superior to open a temple in Brooklyn. This novel, written as a fictional memoir, is similar in tone to Morais's 2008 debut, The Hundred-Foot Journey. -VERDICT American actor Feodor Chin narrates Oda's story well, skillfully imparting the character's compassion as well as his initial unease in his new home. This will be of interest to readers of lyrical literary fiction and to those looking for a "feel-good" story as well as to Morais's fans. ["The pacing in Morais's work is unhurried and matches the reserved personality of his main character.... A reflective story that is certain to be appreciated by those who enjoy reading about the human condition," read the review of the Scribner hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 7/20/12.-Ed.]--Julie Judkins, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.