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A review by asurges
Shelter by Jung Yun
4.0
I've never been one of those people who gets turned off by a book if the main character is unlikeable, but this novel challenged that assumption.
Kyung is the Americanized son of a Korean couple: in the past, his father beat Kyung's mother, and Kyung is distant from his own wife and son and is incredibly unlikeable. In fact, he's so unlikeable I wanted to applaud the author for being able to stick with him.
However. This book is beautifully written and carefully constructed. Jung Yun is a talented writer who makes her characters accessible and real, and she gave me so much to think about. Not only does she include themes of immigration, but she also includes themes of the past never disappearing, the theme of pushing away our pasts, and family history.
If you are looking for a thoughtful, well-written book about the experience of being an immigrant decades later, this is a novel well worth reading.
Kyung is the Americanized son of a Korean couple: in the past, his father beat Kyung's mother, and Kyung is distant from his own wife and son and is incredibly unlikeable. In fact, he's so unlikeable I wanted to applaud the author for being able to stick with him.
However. This book is beautifully written and carefully constructed. Jung Yun is a talented writer who makes her characters accessible and real, and she gave me so much to think about. Not only does she include themes of immigration, but she also includes themes of the past never disappearing, the theme of pushing away our pasts, and family history.
If you are looking for a thoughtful, well-written book about the experience of being an immigrant decades later, this is a novel well worth reading.