Read Yes
Length 296
Quick Review The story of a Korean family who emigrated to the US. Following the oldest daughter as she looks to the past while coping with her father’s illness in the present. Delving into issues of identity, immigration, education, family, sisterhood, cancer, and more.
Catherine Chung is able to capture the complexities of familial relationships with grace tackling difficult subjects.
The protagonist, Janie, is in her mid twenties and a PhD student when her sister disappears and her father is diagnosed with cancer soon after. While trying to put her family back together she looks toward her version of the past for answers. As the story unravels more versions emerge giving a larger picture to the intricacies of what it means to be family and siblings.
Chung takes on issues of immigration and the difficulty of identity as a child growing up in a new culture. She explores the problems of being the peacemaker in a family. The issue of being born a girl within a family desperately wanting a boy. Having to face the reality of a past after having lived never suspecting the truth.
For me, the most interesting aspect of Forgotten Country is a truth I have been toying with for awhile. Though siblings are raised under similar conditions with the same parents, advantages, genes, and everything else, they have completely different experiences within those conditions. It is a difficult reality coming to this conclusion that siblings have vastly different experiences of the same instance or that a moment away can make all the difference to another.
I really loved this novel. I believe it has more depth than it seems at first glance. I look forward to reading her future work. She has a bright future ahead of her.
Memorable Quotes
“And it seemed that if this impossible thing was true, the opposite could also happen.”
“In the end, we left our house bravely: we did not go from room to room talking about old memories. We did not stand and state, or turn back for one last glance.”
““Your girls need names.” “They already have names,” my mother said. “Proper names,” Mr. B. clarified. “American names.””
“I think joy can stop time.”
Title: Forgotten Country
Author: Catherine Chung
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 9781594486524