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Sunny Hata is the adopted daughter of Doc Hata. Sunny came to the United States at the age of seven, and though she learned English quickly, she never fully assimilated into the normative values and behaviors of life in Bedley Run. Doc Hata’s medical supply store reminded her of the orphanage she’d just come from in Japan, and his near-exclusive focus on restoring his house made her feel unwelcome. As she grew into adolescence, Sunny also felt intimidated by the reputation of her “good poppa.” When she reached a plateau in her technical skills on the piano, her inability to reach the kind of perfection that Doc Hata wanted her to negatively affected her self-worth. Unable to live up to the standards that Doc Hata apparently embodied, Sunny grew angry and rebellious. She got into trouble with her father and the authorities, and as tensions came to a head, she left home. Thirteen years later, in the novel’s present time, Sunny feels willing to build a new foundation for her relationship with Doc Hata provided that he doesn’t forget the difficulties of their past.

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