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Butterfly Wish: A Doomed Interracial Love Affair Set in Post War South Korea
Butterfly Wish is a story about friendship, love, loyalty and betrayal. But it is mostly about unchecked human behavior in a mecca of sex and violence. Shane Brennan and Manny Veneto are stationed in the Republic of South Korea in 1963 when suddenly they are dragged into the dark world of sin and exploitation. The two men are serving in the United States Air Force when their world surprisingly changes forever. Fifty some odd years later they decide to return to South Korea to find forgiveness and resolution to their life-long struggle with guilt. What happens to them upon their return is extraordinary. The story-line is edgy and often brutal in its details. (Adult Fiction). Contains some profanity-graphic sex and violence. Intended for readers 18 years of age and older.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 8, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 25, 2019
This unflinching account of the lives and loves of a group of US airmen stationed in Korea in the aftermath of the Korean War had me gripped and didn’t let go. The author does not shy away from showing what life was really like for the Korean women who “serviced” the US servicemen. The details of life in and around the base are so evocative I felt I was practically there, smelling the smells, eating the food, and roaming around the bars and clubs that formed all the life of the airmen when not on duty. Among the grim prostitution, drugs and occasional violence, wounded souls reach out to each other, seek a connection… but any long term relationship is doomed from the start. I would perhaps have liked to know more about the background of the main characters, Kim and Shane – what happened to her, what made him choose her among all the other girls. A tough read, but a rewarding one, it makes you think about what it means for a people to be under occupation – even one considered benign.
October 21, 2017
Reviwed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman
A bittersweet wander down memory lane is what awaits readers of Butterfly Wish by D Davidson and R Marcano. Fifty years ago, two tough young men from New York were stationed at Osan Air Base, South Korea. Although the conflict was long over, the experience of living in a country where life was valued so little and almost anything was available, for the right price, would teach them much about life and even love amongst the B Girls of the hovel of a village that lined the Air Force Base. Both men experienced the comaraderie of belonging to a Unit but also the guilt and loss of living somewhere where they were neither wanted nor liked, except for their money. As seventy-year olds, Manny and Shane return seeking forgiveness, redemption or perhaps even some sort of reconciliation with those they had left behind.
I found this story to be very touching in places, but equally harsh and somewhat scathing of the attitude of US troops who were stationed in South Korea and one could imagine, by extension, to those who served later in Vietnam or were stationed in Japan, the Philippines or other Asian countries. The attitude of the US forces to the locals was incredibly stereotypical and most seemed unable to see beyond the thoughts of getting drunk and getting laid. Both Manny and Shane were good men at heart, but even they fell prey, at times, to treating the local women with disdain. One thing became clear, however, their brief experience in Korea would shape these two men's future. I enjoyed the writing and the frank retelling of events as they actually were without any attempts to gloss over or try to justify the horrors faced by the civilian population. It was hard hitting and yet deeply touching at times. In Butterfly Wish, Davidson and Mercano have brought alive something which very few of us would ever experience. An excellent job by the authors and a fascinating story.
A bittersweet wander down memory lane is what awaits readers of Butterfly Wish by D Davidson and R Marcano. Fifty years ago, two tough young men from New York were stationed at Osan Air Base, South Korea. Although the conflict was long over, the experience of living in a country where life was valued so little and almost anything was available, for the right price, would teach them much about life and even love amongst the B Girls of the hovel of a village that lined the Air Force Base. Both men experienced the comaraderie of belonging to a Unit but also the guilt and loss of living somewhere where they were neither wanted nor liked, except for their money. As seventy-year olds, Manny and Shane return seeking forgiveness, redemption or perhaps even some sort of reconciliation with those they had left behind.
I found this story to be very touching in places, but equally harsh and somewhat scathing of the attitude of US troops who were stationed in South Korea and one could imagine, by extension, to those who served later in Vietnam or were stationed in Japan, the Philippines or other Asian countries. The attitude of the US forces to the locals was incredibly stereotypical and most seemed unable to see beyond the thoughts of getting drunk and getting laid. Both Manny and Shane were good men at heart, but even they fell prey, at times, to treating the local women with disdain. One thing became clear, however, their brief experience in Korea would shape these two men's future. I enjoyed the writing and the frank retelling of events as they actually were without any attempts to gloss over or try to justify the horrors faced by the civilian population. It was hard hitting and yet deeply touching at times. In Butterfly Wish, Davidson and Mercano have brought alive something which very few of us would ever experience. An excellent job by the authors and a fascinating story.
April 7, 2019
This book is fiction, and yet it's also clearly informed by the personal experience of authors D. Davidson and R. Marcano. Hauntingly, they bring postwar South Korea to life, diving into the details of life on and near an American Air Force base in 1963. Their straightforward prose might have some rough edges, but the gut punching stories they relate have the grit of unvarnished truth.
In particular, they bring the plight of the "bar girls" to light. In nearly hopeless conditions, where many South Koreans struggled daily on the bring of starvation, a ring of exploitation built up around the air base. The airmen had money to spend, and the B girls used their good looks to extract those dollars via prostitution, gambling, and drugs. Twenty year old New Yorkers Shane Brennan and Manny Veneto arrive in South Korea and through the pages of the book become entangled not only with B girls, but with human inequity. Two cultures, rich and dominant versus poor and desperate, collide, and one side is dehumanized. Or perhaps the dehumanizing happens on both sides.
I recommend this book as important reading. The characters and situations find echoes throughout human history, but the regrets of these particular American soldiers are vividly tied to 1963 and B girls of South Korea.
In particular, they bring the plight of the "bar girls" to light. In nearly hopeless conditions, where many South Koreans struggled daily on the bring of starvation, a ring of exploitation built up around the air base. The airmen had money to spend, and the B girls used their good looks to extract those dollars via prostitution, gambling, and drugs. Twenty year old New Yorkers Shane Brennan and Manny Veneto arrive in South Korea and through the pages of the book become entangled not only with B girls, but with human inequity. Two cultures, rich and dominant versus poor and desperate, collide, and one side is dehumanized. Or perhaps the dehumanizing happens on both sides.
I recommend this book as important reading. The characters and situations find echoes throughout human history, but the regrets of these particular American soldiers are vividly tied to 1963 and B girls of South Korea.
May 20, 2019
Butterfly Wish is a vivid story about many themes: love, regret, youth, heartache. In the very beginning, the reader is transported to decades-ago post-war Korea, where two young US servicemen are stationed. Trying their best to understand and navigate the different world around them, they grow into their experiences. Shane, the open-hearted protagonist, falls into love with a local Korean named Kim. The struggles they experience while being consumed by their all-encompassing love is poignant and heartbreaking. A great read with a very sentimental and fulfilling ending.
September 27, 2018
A poignant, riveting reminiscence of army life in early 1960's Korea, centered around the doomed love story of a G.I. and a Korean prostitute. The dialogue and emotions ring incredibly true, and this book reminds me of James Jones's best novels in its stark depiction of military life, and the jocular and sometimes sexist and racist banter of young men on their own far away from home. I could not more highly recommend this book, which is both a love story and candid look at army life.
July 27, 2019
A very earthly, honest book. Even though it is a fictional story you can tell that the authors were there and had first hand experience. This story really puts you into the time period and transports you to their lives.
February 12, 2023
A Tragedy
This book is obviously autobiographical and means a great deal to the authors. The story drew me in, but I kept hoping for more description. The story takes place in South Korea in the early sixties, but it could be anywhere and any reasonably modern time. We get names and cursory descriptions of many GIs and bar girls, but not enough distinguishing features to keep them from running together. What we do get in spades is a portrait of "the Ugly American," entitled and brash, running roughshod over the locals. Maybe that's the point of keeping the characters relatively anonymous.
In the acknowledgements, the authors thank their editors, so they were wise enough to use them. I wish the editors had served them better because the book is full of typographical errors and grammar faux pas as well. Definitely a book worth reading, but so had to get through.
This book is obviously autobiographical and means a great deal to the authors. The story drew me in, but I kept hoping for more description. The story takes place in South Korea in the early sixties, but it could be anywhere and any reasonably modern time. We get names and cursory descriptions of many GIs and bar girls, but not enough distinguishing features to keep them from running together. What we do get in spades is a portrait of "the Ugly American," entitled and brash, running roughshod over the locals. Maybe that's the point of keeping the characters relatively anonymous.
In the acknowledgements, the authors thank their editors, so they were wise enough to use them. I wish the editors had served them better because the book is full of typographical errors and grammar faux pas as well. Definitely a book worth reading, but so had to get through.
March 30, 2019
What a great story
This book was one of the best books that I have read in years. The Characters are 3 dimensional, the story draws you in and really makes you care about everyone. You will laugh, sympathize, mourn, and cry. Bravo
This book was one of the best books that I have read in years. The Characters are 3 dimensional, the story draws you in and really makes you care about everyone. You will laugh, sympathize, mourn, and cry. Bravo
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews