The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet

I wasn't planning to read this novel when it first came out, since I usually read many more older books than newly-published ones, but when I saw that it involved two cultures close to my heart – my family is Dutch and I was raised just about as Protestant as you can get; and I've had a crush on various aspects of Japanese culture since being a huge Sailor Moon fan in my adolescence – I went for it. It took me longer than usual to get into it, although once I got there it was engaging enough to read for long stretches and finish in a week or two. I expected more from it, though, especially having enjoyed Cloud Atlas very much a few years ago. The ending was mildly disappointing; the story seemed to fade away without a gesture toward something larger. Perhaps I missed it? I was expecting something to resonate, but nothing did beyond Jacob's stand on the watchtower.