If history tells us anything, it's what mistakes we've made and how we may attempt to fix them. David Mura takes us on the journey of a middle aged academic working below his real or imagined potential as he pursues both closure to his family's difficult past in the form of an elusive and ambitious literary project. Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire shares the title of the book by the main character, Ben Ohara, who struggles with depression, professional insecurity and the joys and responsibilities of having a family of his own. The subject of Ben's unfinished book serves as the framew…