Scan barcode
ktlee_writes's review against another edition
5.0
THE EVENING HERO by Marie Myung-Ok Lee is a sweeping portrayal of one Korean American man’s grappling with his hidden past, his chosen profession’s disintegration, and his strained relationships with his wife and son. The novel takes us from Dr. William Kwak’s role as his town’s sole OB-Gyn physician in modern-day rural Minnesota all the way back to his childhood - as Kwak Yungman- during the Korean War and his coming of age in its aftermath.
In the present-day storyline, Dr. Kwak contends with the profit-driven closure of his town’s hospital by the medical conglomerate that recently bought it out. His son, Einstein, who is also an OB-Gyn, has a very different approach to medicine - and to life - and convinces him to work in “retail medicine” in the Twin Cities, serving as a glorified technician lasering off pubic hair. Full of tongue-in-cheek humor bordering on satire, Lee renders intergenerational immigrant family tensions, the medical-industrial complex, the vulnerability of being an immigrant of color in a small Minnesota town, and the lingering effects of trauma with astute precision.
The parts of the novel set in the past, detailing Yungman’s difficult childhood and the way his single mother persevered through war and poverty, are deeply moving. I learned so much about the Korean War, the Americans’ destructive attitude, and the way the armistice fractured families and the very soul of a nation. Lee captures so well the way immigrants can tuck away their heartbreaking pasts, never even hinting at them, as they seek to build new lives in their adopted countries. But is there such a thing as a clean break?
Lee’s versatility as a writer is impressive; stylistically, she shifts from dark humor that feels very current and relevant to expansive, lyrical historical fiction. She manages to make present and past meet in a wistful, hopeful ending.
Perhaps because I see so much of Yungman in people who are dear to me, I was quickly enamored with him - first generation immigrant cringey awkwardness and all. I did want to hear more from Young-ae, his wife and medical school classmate, who remained somewhat of an enigma to me throughout. Ultimately, this is a profound novel about the immigrant experience and the deceit of the American Dream, as well as about the effects of Japanese colonialism and U.S. interference on Korea and its people.
If you can’t tell, I highly recommend this novel. It’s BEHOLD THE DREAMERS (Imbolo Mbue) (for its different take on the American Dream) meets PACHINKO (Min-Jin Lee) (for its gripping Korean historical fiction) meets JOAN IS OKAY (Weike Wang) (for its sharp commentary on immigrant life and U.S. health care).
In the present-day storyline, Dr. Kwak contends with the profit-driven closure of his town’s hospital by the medical conglomerate that recently bought it out. His son, Einstein, who is also an OB-Gyn, has a very different approach to medicine - and to life - and convinces him to work in “retail medicine” in the Twin Cities, serving as a glorified technician lasering off pubic hair. Full of tongue-in-cheek humor bordering on satire, Lee renders intergenerational immigrant family tensions, the medical-industrial complex, the vulnerability of being an immigrant of color in a small Minnesota town, and the lingering effects of trauma with astute precision.
The parts of the novel set in the past, detailing Yungman’s difficult childhood and the way his single mother persevered through war and poverty, are deeply moving. I learned so much about the Korean War, the Americans’ destructive attitude, and the way the armistice fractured families and the very soul of a nation. Lee captures so well the way immigrants can tuck away their heartbreaking pasts, never even hinting at them, as they seek to build new lives in their adopted countries. But is there such a thing as a clean break?
Lee’s versatility as a writer is impressive; stylistically, she shifts from dark humor that feels very current and relevant to expansive, lyrical historical fiction. She manages to make present and past meet in a wistful, hopeful ending.
Perhaps because I see so much of Yungman in people who are dear to me, I was quickly enamored with him - first generation immigrant cringey awkwardness and all. I did want to hear more from Young-ae, his wife and medical school classmate, who remained somewhat of an enigma to me throughout. Ultimately, this is a profound novel about the immigrant experience and the deceit of the American Dream, as well as about the effects of Japanese colonialism and U.S. interference on Korea and its people.
If you can’t tell, I highly recommend this novel. It’s BEHOLD THE DREAMERS (Imbolo Mbue) (for its different take on the American Dream) meets PACHINKO (Min-Jin Lee) (for its gripping Korean historical fiction) meets JOAN IS OKAY (Weike Wang) (for its sharp commentary on immigrant life and U.S. health care).
vickimarie2002's review against another edition
5.0
I need to read more Korean novels. I find that I really enjoy them, especially if they are historical fiction. Sadly, I do not know much about the Korean war or life in Korea at all and so I really learned a lot from this book. I can't imagine what a culture shock it was for Yungman and his wife when they moved to America. And then to go from being an OB/GYN to working with his son....wow. You have to read it to understand! I really enjoyed the flashback to Yungman growing up and trying to survive with his brother and mother. I also thought the ending tied everything up well. I highly recommend this book!
surabhib's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
harleighthornton's review against another edition
4.0
The Evening Hero, the Korean translation of Yungman, is a broad, generational story about fear, grief, regret, hope, family, and redemption.
On this journey, the reader follows Dr. Yungman Kwak from his traumatic childhood in Korea to his life trying to reach the promise of the American Dream. Although this book is fictional, it is clear that Lee put a tremendous amount of effort into researching the history of the Korean War and the conflict between North and South Korea. The writing in this book is lyrical, but do not expect something fast paced. It takes the author time to build this story, and no detail is left unturned. Although this book is in no way a thriller, I really enjoyed the ominous hints that Yungman had an unforgivable secret.
Yungman’s journey highlights the heartbreaking reality of culture and identity loss when immigrants are forced to assimilate to avoid prejudice. I developed a great respect for Yungman’s perseverance, but hated him for abandoning his only family.
The ending of this book completely satisfied me, it was beautiful how the author brought the Kwans back to Korea to honor their families.
On this journey, the reader follows Dr. Yungman Kwak from his traumatic childhood in Korea to his life trying to reach the promise of the American Dream. Although this book is fictional, it is clear that Lee put a tremendous amount of effort into researching the history of the Korean War and the conflict between North and South Korea. The writing in this book is lyrical, but do not expect something fast paced. It takes the author time to build this story, and no detail is left unturned. Although this book is in no way a thriller, I really enjoyed the ominous hints that Yungman had an unforgivable secret.
Yungman’s journey highlights the heartbreaking reality of culture and identity loss when immigrants are forced to assimilate to avoid prejudice. I developed a great respect for Yungman’s perseverance, but hated him for abandoning his only family.
The ending of this book completely satisfied me, it was beautiful how the author brought the Kwans back to Korea to honor their families.
bookishlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Dr. Yungman Kwak is a Korean immigrant who is forced into abrupt retirement from his practice as an obstetrician in a small Minnesota town after his hospital closes. Left without his life's main purpose, he takes a job in a retail medical establishment doing cosmetic procedures. His wife has also become busy with a group of fellow Korean Americans at her church, much to his dismay. Yungman also has much more time to reflect on his past, the Korean War, and his separation from his brother. While I enjoyed many parts of this story, particularly Yungman's past in Korea and his and his country's experiences during the Korean War, I also struggled with it at times. The juxtaposition of tones between the satirical aspects of the privatization of health care and the more serious aspects of Yungman's past was jarring and took me out of the story. It felt like two very different novels melded together not very seamlessly. I really liked Yungman as a character, and I can see where the author was going as his story comes full circle at the end, but the transitions needed work. Still, I'd pick up another book by this author.
hachecubed's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
riotgl's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
vlaniganfoffimreading's review against another edition
4.0
This is a story about the American dream and what it truly means to Dr. Yungman Kwak. His dream was to leave Korea and become a Dr and he did just that, but his life in America doesn’t exactly reflect the true American dream. I like the dual timelines in this one.
.
Thank you #SimonandSchuster and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
oliviaalee's review against another edition
5.0
absolutely incredible read. beautifully written, researched, and thought out. every part of this book flows seamlessly between stories of war-torn families, language, social commentary on the american healthcare system (as well as other things), and cultural imagery. would recommend a thousand times over.
marielee207's review against another edition
5.0
If you liked this novel, especially the under-represented theme of how war affects common, unheralded people, you will also like Nancy Krikorian's All the Light There Was
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15814504-all-the-light-there-was?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=JLL0vln1Oa&rank=1