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The Kinship of Secrets Eugenia Kim Books

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The Kinship of Secrets Eugenia Kim Books

It was just OK for me . I did see the Korean War though a child’s eye, however , it never really held my interest. I did complete it because it was one of the picks for my book club but everyone in my group felt they read better stories about war .


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The Kinship of Secrets Eugenia Kim Books Reviews

As tensions increase on the Korean peninsula, Miran and Inja’s parents decide to emigrate to the US. However, they leave Inja behind Korea with her grandparents. The parents tell their Korean family they will return the next year, but that year comes and goes and they are unable to return. Inja’s mother, Najin, sends packages home with presents for Inja inside not realizing how wildly inappropriate and confusing they are. When war breaks out in Korea, every one hopes it will be short. It isn’t, and privations suffered by the Korean people are incredible. Both sisters, living such disparate lives, begin to forget what the other even looks like.

This is a story from a perspective little seen in historical fiction, i.e., told from the perspective of each of the sisters, it doesn’t take long for the reader to begin wondering how each will cope should the parents be able to reunite their family. This is an emotional read without being maudlin or overly dramatic.

The author’s writing is fluid and the story well told. There are parts of the book that are hard to read, but are, nevertheless, fulfilling because the reader is invested in the what happens to the sisters.
An utterly engaging story that follows two sisters as they grow up separately due to the Korean War. When Najin and Calvin leave Korea for America, they bring with them the older sister — Miran — but leave baby Inja behind with her uncle and grandparents. What was originally meant to be a 1-2 year absence becomes a 16 year separation as first war and then U.S. immigration policies serve as barriers to reunion. When Inja is finally reunited with her “real” family, she is understandably bereft at being torn from her “real” home and family in Korea.
Well-written and full of fascinating, well-researched details of life in both locations as seen through the eyes of a young girl growing up. The time frame spans 1950 through 1973. Inja’s life in Korea goes through the terribly difficult war years, the armistice, and reconstruction before she leaves for America. Ten years later she returns and sees yet another Korea - one that is modernizing under the leadership of Park Chung-hee. The focus on individuality and independence in America is contrasted with a more communal priority in Korea. For Inja, “The comfort of being home, her Korean home, came from fulfilling the drive to belong. But this drive also heightened the pain of division when a single small thing marked one as different, such as Inja having a mother but not having a mother; for Uncle, having her as a daughter who was not his daughter; for Miran being Korean yet not being Korean.”
The role of secrets and the truth in love and family cohesion is a theme throughout the book. A number of painful secrets are kept in order to avoid bringing others pain. Inja has learned and internalized this behavior and reflects on its value Secrecy is “a way to live in the accumulation of a difficult family history, a way that was a profound expression of love.” When Inja thinks of the many secrets she keeps, she thinks “These were all precedents that venerated keeping secrets from her mother as being rituals of love.”
This book is genuine and full of insights. It’s a great opportunity to learn history through the eyes of people who have lived it and culture through the eyes of people who embody it. The story appears to be loosely based on aspects of the author’s family which is probably responsible for the natural and honest feel of the prose. While full of feeling, the book is not overly dramatic which I appreciate. For those who enjoyed Pachinko, I found this to be a complementary narrative that further fleshes out Korean culture and history. A great read.
Amazing book. Super touching and makes you realize the tremendous hardships others may have gone through. I learned a lot about the history of Korea too. Can’t recommend this book enough.
I switched between the Audible and versions of The Kinship of Secrets because of the busy holiday season. Ultimately I went to the text so that I could savor every paragraph. Told through the backdrop of the Korean War, this is an incredibly engaging tale of two sisters separated by both geography and history who have to find their way, not back, but to each other, both physically and psychically. I highly recommend it.
Eugenia Kim is an outstanding author. I loved, The Calligrapher’s Daughter” and this book,”The Kinship of Secrets” as well, was excellent. Ms. Kim is a true artist of words. I will buy every book she writes....she is a master storyteller!
I’m of a Korean background, however, my great grandparents migrated to Far East Russia in 1910 and then were forcefully brought to Central Asia in 1937, but it’s another story. Just recently I was thrilled to get a glimpse on the more recent Korean history to which I can relate, reading Pachinko. And now this novel which shows Korean War and post war times through the story of two separated sisters. It also provides an accurate description of the Korean family culture, duty and responsibility instilled in us by my parents, which may sometimes put a lot of pressure on one. Thank you for the joy that I experienced reading this novel, highly recommend.
It was just OK for me . I did see the Korean War though a child’s eye, however , it never really held my interest. I did complete it because it was one of the picks for my book club but everyone in my group felt they read better stories about war .