Book Review: The Facepalmer’s Husband: Life in Japan

The Facepalmer’s Husband: Life in Japan by Mr Pete Tomlinson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Author Peter Tomlinson has lived an interesting life. During his ten years in Japan, he experimented with ways to make a living, married a longsuffering Japanese wife, and stumbled his way through Japanese social situations.

This memoir turns Peter into “Pete”, a character he speaks about as if he is another person. This twist gives the stories a fresh angle on Pete’s mishaps as he blunders his way through life in Japan.

As the author has said, “Having had some quite unique experiences, I wanted to see if I could retell them for my son to read.” I heartily approve of this decision. On a personal note, my own dad surely had many wild experiences from his time in the Korean war, to his work with the Jet Propulsion Labs (JPL), and later into the sky as a private pilot. I’m sure there were dozens of stories he could have told me about his life, but he chose instead to turn his word skills towards “Dad Jokes” and fictional shaggy-dog stories. As a kid, I loved all that and developed a great sense of humor from listening to him. But as an adult, I wish my dad had opened up more about his personal life experiences as a younger man. Tomlinson’s son is lucky to have this book.

Each yarn spins out a rambling, detailed adventure, peppered with clever word-wit. The common theme throughout the book is Pete’s sincere yet ill-advised decisions and actions. While the people Pete interacts with are usually horrified by what’s going on, we the readers can’t help but shake our heads and smile at good ol’ Pete, doing what he does best.

Each story is just long enough for one relaxed sitting. So, get a cup of coffee and kick back for a cultural trip to Japan the likes of which you never expected.