erine 's review for:

Brother's Keeper by Julie Lee

4.0

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A difficult story to tell, but an important one. Sora’s journey as she flees her home in North Korea in 1950 is fraught with fear, tragedy, hope, desperation, strength and bone-deep weariness.

Spoiler

While ultimately this story ends on a sober but uplifting note (as did that of the author’s mother), there was so much fear and pain before the end. Some of it is everyday struggle: a daughter who wants an education fighting with her mother who is preparing her for traditional life, sibling infighting, shaky friendships. But the other thread twisting through this novel is of the oppressive North Korean government and the war between North and South Korea. Midnight arrests, hard labor camps, refugees fighting for survival, all of it is depicted frankly. I did not find gratuitous descriptions, but even mundane depictions of fleeing for one’s life are intense.

Ultimately, though, Sora is an incredibly brave and realistic heroine. And the journey within this novel is a vital story to share.