A review by jcpdiesel21
The Kinship of Secrets by Eugenia Kim

3.0

An interesting story that gave me much-needed insight into Korea during the Korean War and its aftermath, but overall isn't quite as powerful as it should be. The central premise is strong, and the fact that the story is loosely based on events from Kim's own family history gives it legitimacy and resonance. Inja is a fully realized character with a clearly defined point of view; her chapters are effective and engrossing. However, the portions devoted to Miran suffer in comparison, as her struggles feel less urgent and her perspective is split with Nanjin's, which ruins the intended sisterly symmetry of the novel. While each separate part of the book is clearly labeled with its corresponding time period, years are occasionally summarized or skipped over and I sometimes lost track of the current status and ages of the characters. The book is slow going at first, yet hits a good flow halfway through to a strong, rewarding ending. Although I'm not sorry to have read this, I do wish that it had packed more of a punch given the potent subject matter.