Lee Geum-yi

Lee Geum-yi's The Picture Bride is a mildly interesting historical novel from Korea, published in translation in Australia by Scribe. It's commercial fiction from a best-selling Korean author of YA so the main focus of the novel is the story of three women who migrate from Korea to Hawaii to marry a man they've seen only in a photo.

Globally and historically, it's not an uncommon story. From the days predating photography women were married off for diplomatic or trade reasons to men who they'd seen only in a portrait. See Andrea Hotere's The Vanishing Point (2023) for a recent example from 17th century Spain, but there are any number of historical novels from the UK and Europe about aristocratic women and girls married off to disappointing men in this way.

And sometimes the bridegroom was duped too. Henry VIII was not best pleased about the appearance of one of his wives, though I forget now which one it was.

After the arrival of photography, in places where men migrated for a better life but wanted a wife from the old country, matchmakers and/or family members organised a bride to marry a man they've seen only in a photo. (Tinder et al are the modern equivalent, as depicted so well in Never Look Desperate (2023), by Rachel Matthews where the problem persists: people project their best selves, or some other self in order to attract attention. At least now people get to choose whether to swipe right or left and can escape if the first meeting turns out to be a dud.)

The best of historical novels using this trope use the fate of these women as a vehicle for some other issue of historical interest, as Hotere does so successfully, Lee Geum-yi, less so. Her agenda is to shed a light on the 20th century Korean struggle for independence from the Japanese Occupation. By characterising the young women as suffering under the combined effects of Japanese oppression and traditional attitudes towards women, Lee Geum-yi provides a convincing reason for them to risk everything since they have no future in Korea. Once they arrive in Hawaii and one of the husbands turns out to be an independence activist who becomes a freedom fighter, she is able to depict the political divisions among Koreans which hampered independence movements.

However...

These historical aspects are planted awkwardly into the novel in a slightly didactic way. Whether this awkwardness derives from the original in Korean or the translator has inserted them to make it easier for those without any background in Korean history, I can't tell. But there is a lot of telling about Korean cuisine, which (I'm guessing) would be largely redundant for Korean readers?

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/11/06/the-picture-bride-2022-by-lee-geum-yi-transl...… (plus d'informations)

Can’t I Go Instead is a deep look at the relationship between mistress and servant during a difficult time in Korea’s history, extending into and past the second world war. It asks how far both loyalty and deception will reach in the will to survive. It’s not always pretty, but the story is fascinating.

The story opens with an explanation of Viscount Hyeongman’s family. He’s a rich, important person in Korea in the 1930s made more so by his support of the Japanese who rule the country. He has two children, one illegitimate but who will be recognised as the heir and his daughter in wedlock, Chaeryeong. For her birthday, the Viscount takes her to a small village to give her a present, her own maidservant. But the child who has been picked doesn’t want to go, so Sunam asks, ‘can’t I go instead?’ which changes her life. As the girls grow up, their relationship changes slightly but it’s never equal. When Chaeryeong gets in trouble for having a boyfriend actively campaigning for a free Korea, it’s Sunam that takes the consequences. Chaeryeong is married to a Japanese man and sent to the US while Sunam must pretend to be her and become a comfort woman for the Japanese army. While Chaeryeong has many difficulties once she reaches the US, it’s Sunam and her colleagues that have no idea what comfort women are. It’s all cloak and daggers until they reach their final destination. Sunam is shielded from the worst, but her life will turn from bad to good and back again as the women meet again in an independent Korea at the end of the war.

What I enjoyed most about this novel is the history. I didn’t know a great deal about Korea prior to the Korean War and the story does an excellent job in explaining the control of the Japanese and the various groups either supporting them or fighting for a free Korea. The most interesting is when Chaeryeong and Sunam go to Japan for Chaeryeong’s study and the restrictions on Korean people are described. There were some slow periods leading up to thing. In contrast World War II is over very quickly in page time, briefly touching on the internment of Japanese people in the USA and general anti-Asian sentiment. I would have preferred some more detail on this rather than the youth of both girls. The section on the brutalisation of the comfort women is relatively opaque and over with quickly, thanks to Sunam’s escape. However, Sunam is the subject of a lot of poor treatment while Chaeryeong seems to get all the glory. That extends for much longer than the reader would expect.

The translation into English by An Seon Jae is brilliant. The story doesn’t have any awkward moments or things that don’t translate well. Nothing detracts the reader from the story, which even though it’s sad and mean at times, is a necessary one. It’s not always doom and gloom with periods of happiness for all the characters. I also liked the final mystery towards the conclusion – it was a nice twist that I wasn’t expecting! Highly recommended for those who enjoy reading about lesser-known history in a fictional format.

Thank you to Scribe for the copy of this book. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com… (plus d'informations)

Willow, a poor Korean girl, was promised education, food, clothing and prosperity, if only she would become a picture bride, and marry a Korean man unseen in Hawaii. Along with two other girls from her community, she is shown a photograph, is given some money and is sent across the ocean. Upon landing in Hawaii, many of the picture brides find that their husbands lied about their age and financial status. Separated, the girls become distraught as they struggle to adapt to the poverty in Hawaii.

This was a well written and engaging book. Willow was a very dynamic and multi-dimensional character. The author handled the passage of time very well and kept the story moving and interesting. At the end, the book switched to Willow's daughters point of view, which was a bit jolting. I felt Pearl's chapters could have been handled in an epilogue. Overall, highly recommended.… (plus d'informations)

Willow, a young woman in early 20th-century Korea, has a lot of hope when she agrees to be a picture bride for a young man who has immigrated to Hawaii. These hopes (especially the one that she will be able to go to school) are quickly dashed when she arrives to find her husband and his situation somewhat different from her expectations. Her story, and that of the fellow brides she traveled with, form the core of this novel. Willow struggles, both in her marriage and living in a new place, but she ultimately is able to make a home in Hawaii. I found this novel interesting (I'd never known much about the Korean immigration to Hawaii or picture brides), but I struggled a little to engage with the story or the characters.… (plus d'informations)