Hiromi Goto’s The Kappa Child depicts the story of an unnamed narrator as she dreams her way through the hardships of domestic violence, racism, and sexual orientation while growing up in a homogenous prairie society. Japanese folklore influences the narrator deeply to the point in which she believes she has immaculately conceived a Kappa despite medical authority telling her otherwise, “But there’s this sensation of not being alone in my body…And not only that, it kicks and prods and pushes from the inside” (104). Perhaps the kappa the narrator feels is meant to represent an intuitive feeling of disconnect between body and mind. Throughout the chapters the narrator often feels the Kappa’s presences the most when experiencing hunger, she seems to associate her growling stomach as separate from her own body. This idea of disconnect is a reoccurring theme. At the beginning of the novel the narrator comments on her reflection noting the detachment between self and appearance, “The odd thing about your looks is that you never see your own face. Funny how that works. How your reflection isn’t really who you are, just an image of your real self contained in glass” (14). Indeed, Goto creates a character that seems to see herself as an anomaly, a presence outside the confines of what her family and society want and expect her to be. From a readers perspective the fantasy enthralled plot seems to be a device for underlining discord between the narrator and her environment. In all, The Kappa Child’s depiction of childhood and adult life steaming from a place of mystery and hardships give the reader an option to read between the lines and decide between what is said and what is meant.

Mootoo’s style of writing in Out on Main Street does a good job of putting the narrator’s voice in your head. It’s hard to read it without imagining an accent, but it also takes a little getting used to as the meaning can get lost. Throughout the pages, the narrator appears to be preoccupied with how others view her and her girlfriend. On a casual outing with her girlfriend the narrator, as if used to negative responses, feels the need to constantly keep an eye out for others who might challenge the legitimacy of her relationship going as far as threatening violence, “I tell she not to pay de brothers no attention, because if any a dem flirt with she I could start a fight right dere and den” (50).The narrator seems to make quick judgments on people based on glances and gestures, determining that the men she passes on the street want to “fix” her and the women are afraid of any sexual advances on her part. It seems like the narrator is in constant battle with a populace that doesn’t respect her way of life. Mootoo really makes this clear when the one person outside of her private sphere whom she responds positively with, the giraffe lady, looks at her with disgust upon realizing she is a lesbian. Over all, Mootoo’s writing conveys the struggle of a homosexual couple in a heterosexual society rather well, although making it a little difficult with the lack of correct grammar and spelling.