tbr

This book may seem like a beast at almost 500 pages and might seem like it will be difficult before you start, being about Koreans emigrating to Japan and spanning the 20th century, but it's almost too readable and very accessible. There are hardly enough Korean books out there, especially not many featuring emigration to a place that isn't English centered. So I liked this unique sort of story. It's like Charles Dickens (which would be appropriate - Dickens is mentioned in the book) showing the struggles of a family (four generations!) and a select number of people around them influencing their lives. Later generations born in Japan, but not allowed to be a Japanese citizen even though also never visiting Korea. The theme of cultural belonging reminded me of a favorite: 'Someone Knows My Name' by Lawrence Hill.