"The Last Samurai," by Helen DeWitt

A 2000 debut novel, this book has had an interesting story unto itself, becoming a "cult" classic in the process. Praised by many of the world's top authors and literature publications as a unique and intelligent literary triumph--and even ranked by some as the best book of the year--it fell out of print for over a decade after staggering initial sales. With a slew of issues ranging from rights, copy-editing, and even the title itself, it's been re-published to further acclaim and strong continuous sales. This selection has become known for its intellectual depth, with a number of online reviewers relating how it was a thought-provoking reading journey that gets your mind swimming through wit, humor, and big ideas we've all dealt with. The Last Samurai (not to be confused with the entirely unrelated Tom Cruise film) is still considered a unique novel today, a coming-of-age tale that "crosses cultural boundaries". What kind of conversation will this 500-pager spark with our group, and will you agree with these assessments?!

From Goodreads:

A child prodigy with a talent for languages and an insatiable thirst for knowledge, Ludo shares with his single mother, Sibylla, an obsession with Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai", absorbing its lessons in Samurai virtue, and embarks on a quest to find his father, approaching seven men to test their worthiness.