A review by babsellen
Native Speaker by Chang-rae Lee

5.0

Although I found a few instances where the author was a bit cryptic in his wording of the narrator's thoughts, I was very taken in by this book. It skillfully explores the inner and public life of a Korean American man in his 30s. The narrator is very much in love with his wife but is driven by a job that feeds his compulsion to escape into invisibility, which in turn feeds his identity as an outsider. Spurred by tragedy, his wife leaves him for a time, blaming his job as an irreconcilable reason for her inability to connect with him anymore. But there is more to it. The tragedy is revealed in layers as is the couple's life together before the present day. In the mix is a window into the Korean culture that is carried with its emigrants to their new land. Throw in some compelling political intrigue, and I was smitten. It just took awhile to get there.