Two sisters grow up a world apart—one in war-torn Korea, the other in America—in this “finely wrought novel” by the author of The Calligrapher’s Daughter (Publishers Weekly). In 1948 Najin and Calvin Cho, with their young daughter Miran, travel from South Korea to the United States in search of new opportunities. Wary of the challenges they will face, Najin and Calvin leave their infant … Calvin leave their infant daughter, Inja, behind with their extended family; soon, they hope, they will return to her.
But then war breaks out in Korea, and there is no end in sight to the separation. Miran grows up in prosperous American suburbia, under the shadow of the daughter left behind, as Inja grapples in her war-torn land with ties to a family she doesn’t remember. Najin and Calvin desperately seek a reunion with Inja, but are the bonds of love strong enough to reconnect their family over distance, time, and war? And as deep family secrets are revealed, will everything they long for be upended?
Told through the alternating perspectives of the distanced sisters, and inspired by a true story, The Kinship of Secrets explores the cruelty of war, the power of hope, and what it means to be a sister.
“A gorgeous achievement.” —Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko
more
What an extraordinary time to read this heartfelt novel about the bonds of family, set against the backdrop of the Korean War. Eugenia Kim is a masterful storyteller who makes her characters come to life as she spans decades, continents, and cultures.
Eugenia Kim’s The Kinship of Secrets is a beautiful allegory of loss and recovery. Through the parallel growth of two separated sisters, Kim bears witness to the fall and rise of a nation and its resilient and generous people. The Kinship of Secrets is a gorgeous achievement.
Miran lives in America. Inja lives in Korea. The two girls are sisters. In 1948, Najin and Calvin leave Korea with only one daughter hoping to return to Korea, soon, to reunite their family. They leave for America with the older, weaker daughter, intending to return for their other daughter. Unfortunately, the situation in Korea gradually grows hostile, and, eventually, war breaks out, delaying their endeavor for fifteen long, excruciating years. Though sisters of the same family, Inja and Miran grow up in very different environments. Miran grows up in a thriving, carefree, and prosperous United States, while Inja flees a war, struggles to find food, and lives in a very slowly developing, war torn Korea.
Secrets fill their family tree, and parents and children struggle to provide happiness for one another through maintaining these secrets. As these secrets are revealed to the reader, we realize the love and devotion to family and to what is right, that has filled the family’s life with unimaginable strife and struggle.
This is a tender and loving book about duty to family and to the human race. It is about silently doing the right thing and not bragging about it. It is about deep and enduring love. It shows us that there are more important things than material goods.
Even though my father in law was a Korean War veteran, I knew little about this era in time. I love historical fiction and couldn’t wait to read this one! The Kinship of Secrets is the story of a country divided and the sacrifices one family made for a child. Eugenia Kim did an amazing job of bringing Korea and her people to life! I can’t imagine how hard life was for the Korean people during this war. I especially loved the author’s note at the end and what inspired her to write this book!
I felt as though I had stepped into a graceful story of two countries, South Korea and America, and family ties that survive the challenges of history.
A graceful, poignant, and moving portrayal of one family’s struggle to remain a family through decades of war, migration, and separation.
This beautifully written book is the story of two sisters, only ten months apart in age, separated as toddlers. In 1948 daughter Inja is left in South Korea with her Uncle and Aunt and her grandparents, as her parents Calvin and Najin Cho, along with daughter Miran, move to the United States in search of better opportunities for their family. Their plan to return for Inja is crushed by the outbreak of the Korean War. Thus, Miran grows up under the shadow of a sister she barely remembers, while Inja receives “care packages” from a family she knows little about.
Told through alternating perspectives of the sisters, the story takes the family from 1950 to 1973, thus allowing the reader to observe the growth of Miran and Inja, the impact of the separation on the sisters, and the hardships experienced by the family in South Korea. We also read of the efforts of the Korean community in the United States to ease the burdens of their loved ones in South Korea. While most of the story focuses on the sisters, Ms. Kim also writes of the mother’s efforts to acclimate to her new home and the guilt she feels over leaving a daughter behind. In the Author’s Note I learned that this story was inspired by the author’s life.
The contrast between Inya’s and Miran’s lives was heart-breaking. One sister had so much, the other struggled. One knew immense love, the other lacked emotional support. Subtle differences between belonging and not belonging – having a mother but not having a mother, having a daughter but not having a daughter, being Korean yet not being Korean. My favorite “take-away” from Ms. Kim’s book is the phrase “the charity of secrets”. What a beautiful phrase!
I felt the pace was appropriate for a story that covers this range of years taking the sisters from their toddler years to their mid-20’s. It was interesting observing the development of their personalities, each reflecting a blend of their culture and their environment. Also as the sisters mature, family secrets are revealed. I loved reading about the beauty of the Korean culture and its emphasis on family. I also learned a bit about the Korean War and now understand why it is called “The Forgotten War”.
I enjoyed Ms. Kim’s writing so much I just ordered her previous book “The Calligrapher’s Daughter”. She wrote of the difficulty of everyday life during the time of war, family ties, humor in the darkest of times, and the love between sisters.
Thank you to BookBrowse and the publisher for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own.