Started: 3/13/2020
Completed: 3/16/2020
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody
Review:
I sort of thought that this book might be like Leon Uris', Trinity, but it is not. There are many interesting parallels that can be drawn, but it feels like those are done in hindsight. The parallels are rather shallow and not illuminating.
This book is a story of oppression. Oppression of women. Oppression of Koreans. Even some self-oppression and some just plain bad decisions. Because this book spends so much time wrapped in poverty, simple mistakes or bad decisions are not lessons, but catastrophes. Good decisions are simply steps in survival.
The book is not as sad as the previous paragraph makes it sound. Humans seem to try to enjoy themselves in some way even if the opportunities are sparse. The poignant moments sparkle in the melody of oppression. The book is also not without success and victory, but even the characters themselves feel these victories are cheats of a sort.
Good character is honored (despite not really being rewarded for the most part) in general and that is a little refreshing. This is a story that is different from the themes of European books. This book seems to be run on the theme of suffering and, particularly, women's suffering. At the same time, it is a tale of women's strength. One serves as a foil for the other with neither claiming the ascendancy.
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