Comments for A Colonel's Daughter

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This piece belongs to the series "CBC Radio's Outfront"

Produced by Carma Jolly

Other pieces by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Summary: Makiko Ishihara of Toronto travels to her childhood home in Japan to face some difficult memories.
 

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Review of A Colonel's Daughter

Makiko Ishihara has an intriguing voice and as a storyteller she is compelling to listen to. The story of her trip back to Japan from her home in Toronto to visit her austere father's memorial service is wonderful radio. I especially love the tape of her father and later on her conversation with her daughter asking her if she was too tough as a mother. In a loving and funny exchange, her daughter says yes but she got used to it. I love Outfront's work and usually it's about the right length for me. But this one felt too slow and long. While I love the elegance of the story unraveling, I think this piece could have been tightened up by several minutes. Yet there is a mesmerizing quality to this work and it's one you want to listen to while taking a drive on a rainy and wintry day thinking about your own childhood memories.