Mika Suzuki is a directionless, 35-year-old Japanese woman with a big secret: She gave her daughter up for adoption at 19. Emiko Jean’s latest novel, “Mika in Real Life,” takes place as Mika takes on a major transformation, starting with reconnecting with her daughter, Penny. To impress her estranged daughter, Mika gives her life an undeserved glow-up that inevitably blows up in her face. When Mika decides to be honest with herself and others, she begins to process her life. Donna Edwards of The Associated Press says it’s worth wading through the rough start to get the novel's redemptive, touching ending.
