How do the vast differences in the Hikari's life compared to Rachel and Drew's impact their relationships?

Hikari's life was vastly different from Rachel's and Drew's. Are some of these differences common to all mother-daughter relationships? And how do these differences impact the relationship Hikari has with her daughters, as compared to other mother-daughter relationships you are familiar with?

As a subservient wife to a western man who married her solely for her services of child bearing and rearing, Hikari is presented as a woman with internal demons who cannot nurture her daughters. Rachel and Drew grow up yearning for unfulfilled maternal care.
Although differences are unavoidable generationally the characters in book are too extreme and I don't know any parallels in real life.

Hikari had a child out of wedlock and that was a disgrace in her country. Then her child died and she became a mail order bride with a shameful secret that her husband used to control every aspect of her life. She was afraid of him and did not know enough to get help or leave. She sacrificed her happiness and any real relationship with her daughters to keep some peace in the home, and when that failed she was still afraid to disobey her husband in any real, meaningful way. Her daughters were somewhat shielded from their father's cruelty because of this - until she could no longer protect them,, but they could leave, they could make their own choices and live their lives as they chose.
Another big difference is that when Rachel became pregnant out of wedlock her baby daddy married her and all was well, unlike her mother's situation. Both Rachel and Hiraki were ashamed of things in their past that they hid from their children.

Hikari was so distanced from her daughters that it couldn't help but impact the people they became and the relationships they had. I don't know that it was just her life experiences that made her that way - having lost one child does not really explain the way Hikari was with Rachel and Drew. Killian was a bully and controlled a lot of the environment of their home and what happened in it, but things might have been a lot different if Hikari had connected more with her daughters.

Hikari's "forced silence" and fear kept her from developing any deep relationships with the girls. I think they felt her caring but were never able to share a bond. Her inability to be honest and open led to their own cautious relationships with each other.

I did not feel that the relationships were "real." Sad to say, but unless women are educated and in control of their own finances, they can be subject to male domination.

I didn't see any connection at all between Hikari and Rachel and Drew. There was little in the novel that reflected any conversations or shared experiences, other than those involving Killian and his bullying. I felt sad for Rachel and Drew - they might as well NOT have had a mother, although both of them remember things Hikari had done for them...and grow to appreciate her as they themselves grow.

It was sad that Hikari could not have been stronger, like her counterpart Tomoe. I don't remember her once standing up to Kilian and fighting for her daughters.

I think Hikari was so fearful of and dependent on killian that she was a very poor mother. I didn't sense any reall bond although as a mother she did show some passive concern and care. At no point, did she show any backbone or ability to stand up for her kids. She was very subservient.

Hikari was not allowed to be a real mother to her daughters as she was limited in what she could do or even say because of the position she was in. Killian was more like her boss and not a good husband or father figure.

Killian is the true villain of the story and should be looked at closer for his reasoning, however I don't think a mother needs anyone's permission to be a good mother. Fear is powerful but her love should have been more powerful

Rachel and Drew eventually were able to draw on each other for support. Hikuri had no one to give her any support. And she was so overcome with fear of being deported that she co uld not move beyond that fact.

This family is so dysfunctional on so many levels that it is difficult to determine cause and effect
of any relationships. Killian starts off being somewhat different, just by the act of securing a mail order bride. He never evidences any true attempts at relationships with his wife or his daughters. The daughters are prevented from a true sister/sister relationship because they are constantly being used or abused by one or both parents. It is only after the narrative of Tomoe is revealed that the sisters have a glimmer into the culture and values that may have been a part of their mother's life. From this comparison (feudal Japan to present USA) some structure is provided for them to sort out their feelings.

We knew fragments of Hikari's life, given Killian the source I speculate on authenticity. Rachel and Hikari were similar - both pregnant prior to marriage, similarities end there. Background, culture all differing. Daughters didn't really know of Hikari's past, they only witnessed the present causing wonderment with resentment. Watching Hikari interact with Killian, let alone Killians asinine behavior and actions it's al mess. Thank goodness Rachel and Drew weather the storm unscathed considering the pathetic environment.

It's interesting that the two girls do end up as relatively well-adjusted as they did (Rachel was somewhat controlling and Drew was somewhat irresponsible, but still...). Do you think that's realistic - that two children with such as dysfunctional family life would grow up OK?

Hikari's life and her role in this family were dysfunctional due to the way she was raised and the lack of love or even feeling from Killian that she experienced. My own mother was from Peru and she never understood the differences between her upbringing in her culture and raising 2 daughters in American culture. Hikari was in a double bind with the lack of feeling in the home. The loss of her birth family also left Hikari with a void in her life with no real role model for mothering. Killian's attitude certainly put Hikari in her place. I felt a lot of sorrow for her.

Hikari was so wrapped up in her secrets and afraid of anything coming out she showed no emotion. The poor girl's needed some affection and love/caring. Rachel and Drew were judgemental of each other and not loving. Until they started reading the book and understanding their Mom and each other. Drew and Rachel reached out to people. The mother and daughters couldn't have had a more different relationship.