320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 5, 2024
3/5 Stars
War never truly ends. This is a statement that rings true for many South Korean families, including Yewon's own. Even as a small child, she and her siblings had to live with the bones of relatives long gone. For so many families, war, grief, and death are handed down through generations, and letting them go is nearly impossible. When Yewon is asked to drive a North Korean woman to visit her estranged brother, her view of the conflict between North and South Korea reaches a new height. Plagued by nightmares about a strange hotel, Yewon starts to question the people around her, their way of living, and her own future.
I didn't know much about South Korea going into this book, but what I found was equal parts depressing and sad. I hadn't realized how many Koreans lived with the fear of war daily, and how the past affects them every day. This book was certainly an eye-opener and a tragic one at that. I only wish the story would have been shortened a bit, as I felt certain elements got lost in its pages.
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