Review by New York Times Review
Disappearances and untimely demises are a kind of family legacy for two Midwestern sisters, Janie and Hannah, whose immigrant parents reared them on horror stories of relatives gone missing amid political turmoil in their native Korea. So when Hannah drops from sight shortly before their father receives a diagnosis of Stage IV stomach cancer, a double shadow of inevitability is cast. Janie's search for her younger sibling turns into an exercise in genealogical connect-thedots as she links Hannah's disengagement with generations of family trauma. Chung, a first-time novelist, is sensitive to the spontaneous combustibility of sisterly relations. And she plays fair: both women are vaguely annoying, and both elicit sympathy, especially after Chung trots out their cloddish cousins and self-dramatizing aunt, whose fire-and-brimstone theatrics are eventually doused with a cold bucket of Kierkegaard. The novel's layering of past and present grows schematic, but its prose is crisp and unfussy. Less felicitous is Chung's recurrent use of old-country folk tales, which rattle on like a tour guide stubbornly resolved to explain every last monkey and elephant on the bas-relief. Jan Stuart is the author of "The Nashville Chronicles: The Making of Robert Altman's Masterpiece."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [April 22, 2012]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Moving among feelings from reserved to exuberant and from easy joy all the way to devastating pain and loss, Chung's superb debut examines the twin hearts of cruelty and compassion between sisters in particular and family in general. Korean immigrant and grad student Janie, born Jeehyun, and her younger sister, Hannah, known as Haejin in their native tongue, struggle to maintain even the veneer of a sisterly bond as they at times gracefully float together, then violently come apart, throughout their lives. When Hannah abruptly disappears from the family fold, Janie is charged by their father with finding her and bringing her back. Haunted by childhood memories of her grandmother's story about the family being cursed with lost sisters for generations, Janie feels compelled to find Hannah yet bitterly resentful as well. A second harrowing blow to the family lends urgency to Janie's search while providing deeper introspection about the fragile and implacable bonds that hold a family together even across the seemingly impassable chasm of different cultures and changing generations. This elegantly written, stunningly powerful, simply masterful first novel should earn Chung many fans, especially among those who enjoy Amy Tan, Eugenia Kim, Lisa See, and Chang-Rae Lee.--Trevelyan, Julie Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this beautiful debut novel, sisters Janie and Hannah demonstrate very different reactions to their Korean parents and heritage. The dutiful Janie has carried the weight of having to look after the more manipulative but possibly more lovable Hannah since childhood. Woven with tender reflections, sharp renderings of isolation, and beautiful prose, the story traces Janie's and Hannah's Midwestern upbringing. Tensions rise when Hannah intentionally disappears while away at college. Janie, haunted by her grandmother's warning that in their family, a sister from each generation always vanishes, tries to find her, though Hannah makes it clear she doesn't want to be found. Chung simultaneously shines light on the violence of Korean history, the chill of American xenophobia, and the impossibility of home in either country. "In Korea, couples dress alike to show the world that they're together. Families, sisters, teams, groups-delight in wearing a uniform.... Here is the lesson: nothing is more important than belonging." Though both sisters know this to be true, they struggle with how to make peace with one another and their past until an unanticipated trip to Korea allows everyone to see more clearly. Agent: Maria Massey, Lippincott Massie McQuilkin. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Prize winner Chung's debut novel is a richly drawn story of a family haunted by a generational curse that threatens the loss of a sister. One layer of the tale revolves around the pressure the curse creates along with the bond between Janie and her younger sibling Hannah. Another is their father's illness, which forces a return to Korea with both hope and desperation. The very realistic and moving drama is well constructed by this young author, who balances emotion with beautiful descriptions. Unfortunately, Emily Woo Zeller's narration suffers from oddly pitched voices, particularly of males and elders. -VERDICT Despite narration flaws, this is recommended for all fiction collections. ["For greater satisfaction, readers might try Sonya Chung's Long for This World or Chang-rae Lee's The Surrendered," read the less-than-positive review of the Penguin Group hc, LJ 2/1/12.-Ed.]-Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
