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Nuclear Family
Set in the months leading up to the 2018 nuclear missile false alarm, a Korean American family living in Hawai'i faces the fallout of their eldest son's attempt to run across the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea.
Things are looking up for Mr. and Mrs. Cho. Their dream of franchising their Korean plate lunch restaurants across Hawaiʻi seems within reach after a visit from Guy Fieri boosts the profile of Cho's Delicatessen. Their daughter, Grace, is busy finishing her senior year of college and working for her parents, while her older brother, Jacob, just moved to Seoul to teach English. But when a viral video shows Jacob trying—and failing—to cross the Korean demilitarized zone, nothing can protect the family from suspicion and the restaurant from waning sales.
No one knows that Jacob has been possessed by the ghost of his lost grandfather, who feverishly wishes to cross the divide and find the family he left behind in the north. As Jacob is detained by the South Korean government, Mr. and Mrs. Cho fear their son won't ever be able to return home, and Grace gets more and more stoned as she negotiates her family's undoing. Struggling with what they don't know about themselves and one another, the Chos must confront the separations that have endured in their family for decades.
Set in the months leading up to the 2018 false missile alert in Hawaiʻi, Joseph Han's profoundly funny and strikingly beautiful debut novel is an offering that aches with histories inherited and reunions missed, asking how we heal in the face of what we forget and who we remember.
Things are looking up for Mr. and Mrs. Cho. Their dream of franchising their Korean plate lunch restaurants across Hawaiʻi seems within reach after a visit from Guy Fieri boosts the profile of Cho's Delicatessen. Their daughter, Grace, is busy finishing her senior year of college and working for her parents, while her older brother, Jacob, just moved to Seoul to teach English. But when a viral video shows Jacob trying—and failing—to cross the Korean demilitarized zone, nothing can protect the family from suspicion and the restaurant from waning sales.
No one knows that Jacob has been possessed by the ghost of his lost grandfather, who feverishly wishes to cross the divide and find the family he left behind in the north. As Jacob is detained by the South Korean government, Mr. and Mrs. Cho fear their son won't ever be able to return home, and Grace gets more and more stoned as she negotiates her family's undoing. Struggling with what they don't know about themselves and one another, the Chos must confront the separations that have endured in their family for decades.
Set in the months leading up to the 2018 false missile alert in Hawaiʻi, Joseph Han's profoundly funny and strikingly beautiful debut novel is an offering that aches with histories inherited and reunions missed, asking how we heal in the face of what we forget and who we remember.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 7, 2022
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January 24, 2023
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Nuclear Family is a family drama characterized by a gritty realism & tragicomedy tone, that will definitely appeal to fans of dysfunctional families such as the ones you can find in books such as Kirstin Valdez Quade's The Five Wounds or, series like Shameless, or films such as Everything Everywhere All at Once . While I believe that Joseph Han is a promising author, structurally and thematically Nuclear Family felt a bit all over the place, and the elements of magical realism were at best, ineffectual, and at worst, a mere gimmick. Still, there were some truly heart-rendering moments, especially towards the end, and the sense of place is consistently strong. I also appreciated how ambivalent the characters were and the fraught, yet sometimes playful, dynamics they have with one another.
The narrative uses multiple perspectives and a nonlinear timeline to recount the events leading to and the aftermath of the novel’s ‘inciting incident’, that is Jacob Cho attempting and failing to cross the Korean demilitarized zone. The Cho's are a Korean American family based in Hawai'i who run several restaurants. While their daughter, Grace, a college student with a penchant for weed, still works for them, their son Jacob has gone to become an English teacher in Seoul. One day, Grace and her father see on the news a video showing Jacob’s failed attempt to cross the border to North Korea. Confused, angry, and scared the Cho are unable to get in contact with Jacob as he is being detained by the South Korean government. While the sections taking place in Hawai'i focus on the weeks and months after this incident, the chapters centred on Jacob's attempt to give us an insight into the circumstances that led him to do this. We learn more of his childhood in Hawai'i, where he was often made to feel like an outsider, and that he is fairly repressed when it comes to his sexuality and desires. Once in Seoul Jacob’s portions of the narrative acquire a feverish quality, as scenes and sequences of events are presented to us in fragments. He seems affiliated with a mysterious malaise, one that results in rashes and a general sense of fatigue. His sense of alienation is exacerbated in Seoul as although he is seen as Korean, he doesn’t speak the language fluently and has American mannerisms that once again lead him to feel like an ‘oddity’. Additionally, he is being stalked by the ghost of his grandfather who is intent on possessing him. Interrupting his chapters are the ones revolving around the rest of his family, in particular Grace. The Cho’s reputation is in tatters after Jacob’s botched attempt is televised, and the restaurants are hard hit. Their regular customers begin eating elsewhere, while their neighbours and the members of their church distance themselves from them, seeming to delight in gossiping about the Cho’s ‘fall’ and spreading false rumours about them (that they are spies, turncoats etc.). Grace, now more than ever resentful of her parents and her brother, as well as the ‘special’ treatment he was given by them growing up & in adulthood, tries to smoke away from her problems.
While I appreciated the realism of the dialogues we do get, I found myself wishing for more. A lot of the ones we get are either of bantery & argumentative nature or of a stoned & confused variety. Sure, they could be entertaining and authentic but I would have liked for more scenes where we get to ‘hear’ the characters interacting with one another, especially in those more emotional & dramatic moments.
Han’s multivalent perspectives do not always work out, and we get snippets following characters who do not really add much to the Cho’s narratives. I wish the narrative would have instead exclusively focused on the Cho’s, as I found myself wanting to learn more about Grace and Jacob’s parents. There are also time-skips that feel rushed, and they take away immediacy from the Cho's experiences and distanced me somewhat from their story. Jacob’s storyline was all over the place. I understand that many sections from his story were intentionally unclear, however, I still found most of his storyline very underwhelming in that he doesn’t come across as rounded a character as Grace. Maybe I would have preferred it if within his chapters we could have delved more into his sexuality or at least if we’d been given more glimpses of his personality. Besides his ability to see ghosts, and his propensity for awkwardness, we don’t learn much about him. At least we see Grace interact with different people (from her parents to her friends and colleagues) whereas Jacob’s chapters are mostly about him feeling unwell and being sort of possessed. This fantastical element didn’t really work for me. This grandfather's character was poorly developed and served more as a plot device. Maybe if the story had also included chapters exclusively centred on his story, maybe then I would have found his ghostly presence more ‘convincing’...
The relationship between Grace and Jacob also left me wanting for the majority of the book. He doesn't really think much about her (or his parents for the matter) as he is too busy being possessed or possibly hallucinating stuff. Grace is angry at him, sure. But I would have liked it more if she'd been shown to think about him more, or at least of their relationship in the past. The glimpses we do get about their bond prior Jacob leaving for Seoul were kind of unsatisfying, and I was rather annoyed by how Jacob's sexuality is framed in her chapters.
Still, in the latter half of the novel, we do get more of them together. While the last pages were a bit meh (to me, fart humor is just not that funny) I found the novel's final act to be far more poignant and cathartic than the previous acts. Without resorting to sentimentalism Han presents us with some truly moving moments.
So, Nuclear Family was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I would recommend it to fans of family dramas or readers who are looking for a story exploring uneasy family dynamics and generational & cultural differences as well as failure, guilt, and reconciliation.
Even if I wasn't blown away by Nuclear Family I am looking forward to reading whatever Han writes next.
Nuclear Family is a family drama characterized by a gritty realism & tragicomedy tone, that will definitely appeal to fans of dysfunctional families such as the ones you can find in books such as Kirstin Valdez Quade's The Five Wounds or, series like Shameless, or films such as Everything Everywhere All at Once . While I believe that Joseph Han is a promising author, structurally and thematically Nuclear Family felt a bit all over the place, and the elements of magical realism were at best, ineffectual, and at worst, a mere gimmick. Still, there were some truly heart-rendering moments, especially towards the end, and the sense of place is consistently strong. I also appreciated how ambivalent the characters were and the fraught, yet sometimes playful, dynamics they have with one another.
The narrative uses multiple perspectives and a nonlinear timeline to recount the events leading to and the aftermath of the novel’s ‘inciting incident’, that is Jacob Cho attempting and failing to cross the Korean demilitarized zone. The Cho's are a Korean American family based in Hawai'i who run several restaurants. While their daughter, Grace, a college student with a penchant for weed, still works for them, their son Jacob has gone to become an English teacher in Seoul. One day, Grace and her father see on the news a video showing Jacob’s failed attempt to cross the border to North Korea. Confused, angry, and scared the Cho are unable to get in contact with Jacob as he is being detained by the South Korean government. While the sections taking place in Hawai'i focus on the weeks and months after this incident, the chapters centred on Jacob's attempt to give us an insight into the circumstances that led him to do this. We learn more of his childhood in Hawai'i, where he was often made to feel like an outsider, and that he is fairly repressed when it comes to his sexuality and desires. Once in Seoul Jacob’s portions of the narrative acquire a feverish quality, as scenes and sequences of events are presented to us in fragments. He seems affiliated with a mysterious malaise, one that results in rashes and a general sense of fatigue. His sense of alienation is exacerbated in Seoul as although he is seen as Korean, he doesn’t speak the language fluently and has American mannerisms that once again lead him to feel like an ‘oddity’. Additionally, he is being stalked by the ghost of his grandfather who is intent on possessing him. Interrupting his chapters are the ones revolving around the rest of his family, in particular Grace. The Cho’s reputation is in tatters after Jacob’s botched attempt is televised, and the restaurants are hard hit. Their regular customers begin eating elsewhere, while their neighbours and the members of their church distance themselves from them, seeming to delight in gossiping about the Cho’s ‘fall’ and spreading false rumours about them (that they are spies, turncoats etc.). Grace, now more than ever resentful of her parents and her brother, as well as the ‘special’ treatment he was given by them growing up & in adulthood, tries to smoke away from her problems.
While I appreciated the realism of the dialogues we do get, I found myself wishing for more. A lot of the ones we get are either of bantery & argumentative nature or of a stoned & confused variety. Sure, they could be entertaining and authentic but I would have liked for more scenes where we get to ‘hear’ the characters interacting with one another, especially in those more emotional & dramatic moments.
Han’s multivalent perspectives do not always work out, and we get snippets following characters who do not really add much to the Cho’s narratives. I wish the narrative would have instead exclusively focused on the Cho’s, as I found myself wanting to learn more about Grace and Jacob’s parents. There are also time-skips that feel rushed, and they take away immediacy from the Cho's experiences and distanced me somewhat from their story. Jacob’s storyline was all over the place. I understand that many sections from his story were intentionally unclear, however, I still found most of his storyline very underwhelming in that he doesn’t come across as rounded a character as Grace. Maybe I would have preferred it if within his chapters we could have delved more into his sexuality or at least if we’d been given more glimpses of his personality. Besides his ability to see ghosts, and his propensity for awkwardness, we don’t learn much about him. At least we see Grace interact with different people (from her parents to her friends and colleagues) whereas Jacob’s chapters are mostly about him feeling unwell and being sort of possessed. This fantastical element didn’t really work for me. This grandfather's character was poorly developed and served more as a plot device. Maybe if the story had also included chapters exclusively centred on his story, maybe then I would have found his ghostly presence more ‘convincing’...
The relationship between Grace and Jacob also left me wanting for the majority of the book. He doesn't really think much about her (or his parents for the matter) as he is too busy being possessed or possibly hallucinating stuff. Grace is angry at him, sure. But I would have liked it more if she'd been shown to think about him more, or at least of their relationship in the past. The glimpses we do get about their bond prior Jacob leaving for Seoul were kind of unsatisfying, and I was rather annoyed by how Jacob's sexuality is framed in her chapters.
Still, in the latter half of the novel, we do get more of them together. While the last pages were a bit meh (to me, fart humor is just not that funny) I found the novel's final act to be far more poignant and cathartic than the previous acts. Without resorting to sentimentalism Han presents us with some truly moving moments.
So, Nuclear Family was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I would recommend it to fans of family dramas or readers who are looking for a story exploring uneasy family dynamics and generational & cultural differences as well as failure, guilt, and reconciliation.
Even if I wasn't blown away by Nuclear Family I am looking forward to reading whatever Han writes next.
September 19, 2022
Thanks to the Mayor of Flavortown, Cho's Delicatessens are thriving in Honolulu. Or at least they were. When the Cho's eldest Jacob heads to South Korea to teach English he manages to get himself possessed by the ghost of his dead grandfather who uses his body to faceplant himself trying to run across the DMZ into North Korea. Viewed worldwide, people stop coming to the deli, the Chos tainted by the mere whiff of a connection to Kim Jong-un and North Korea. Grace meanwhile is barely dealing beneath a persistent cloud of weed. All this before the 2018 false missile alert that sent the island into panic.
Amidst all that, this is an exploration into second generation immigrant isolation, questioning one's own sexuality, notions of community, reunification, nations subjugated by outsiders, separation and reconciliation. At least I think so - I felt unbalanced throughout as if I couldn't quite get a solid footing - as discombobulated as Jacob reeling under the thrall of Baik Tae-woo, the King Fool.
Amidst all that, this is an exploration into second generation immigrant isolation, questioning one's own sexuality, notions of community, reunification, nations subjugated by outsiders, separation and reconciliation. At least I think so - I felt unbalanced throughout as if I couldn't quite get a solid footing - as discombobulated as Jacob reeling under the thrall of Baik Tae-woo, the King Fool.
November 26, 2022
I’m so sorry Joseph Han, but I just couldn’t connect with your book. :(
There’s some really good material in here about Korean family life and culture, but the writing just didn’t support the ideas unfortunately. And I did try… I really wanted to like this book.
I felt the characters were not nearly well-rounded enough, and there was too much superfluous dialogue.
I also felt the book was trying to head into Jonathan Safran Foer territory, but unfortunately, for me, the technical skill wasn’t there.
I am pleased to read though that so many people have read and loved this book. So definitely do not judge it just on what I think, give it a chance for yourself.
There’s some really good material in here about Korean family life and culture, but the writing just didn’t support the ideas unfortunately. And I did try… I really wanted to like this book.
I felt the characters were not nearly well-rounded enough, and there was too much superfluous dialogue.
I also felt the book was trying to head into Jonathan Safran Foer territory, but unfortunately, for me, the technical skill wasn’t there.
I am pleased to read though that so many people have read and loved this book. So definitely do not judge it just on what I think, give it a chance for yourself.
July 5, 2022
This was not for me. You know the ball was dropped when the author had a great concept in a ghost inhabiting his grandson but then spent most of the book talking about the snacks said grandson's sister was eating while high.
I was not down for the visual poetry approach. There was zero depth in the characters. As the reader you miss out on a lot of the action. There are weird chapters where you have no clue why you're reading that perspective. I just couldn't figure what the point was.
I was optimistic at the start but by the end there really is only 1 star to award.
I was not down for the visual poetry approach. There was zero depth in the characters. As the reader you miss out on a lot of the action. There are weird chapters where you have no clue why you're reading that perspective. I just couldn't figure what the point was.
I was optimistic at the start but by the end there really is only 1 star to award.
May 31, 2022
This unfortunately was a DNF at around 34%. I honestly tried numerous times to listen and truly engage in this and it just didn't evoke anything in me. I was bored and the story inspired nothing emotionally for me to attach to any of these characters. I read a few other reviews looking for something that would propel me forward and didn't find it. One reviewer said it was hilarious which I found no humor in this, it was extremely dry, or maybe I just didn't understand the punchline, either way I couldn't push on. It's not very often I give up on an approved NetGalley request because I truly respect and thank the publishers/authors for providing me with ARC, but this wasn't a positive captivating experience for me.
May 17, 2022
If this doesn’t win a shit ton of awards I’d be seriously surprised! This was amazing! Took me forever cause I was so absorbed in it all!!!
September 27, 2023
It is not typical to find a story that focuses on the months leading up to the 2018 nuclear missile false alarm by North Korea. There are two main storylines, one involves a Korean American family running several restaurants in Hawai'i. The other concerns their eldest son's attempt to run across the Demilitarized Zone from South to North Korea. The Cho family’s restaurants start getting noticed after Guy Fieri visits. Daughter Grace is finishing college, working at the restaurant, and becoming addicted to drugs. Son Jacob has just moved to Seoul to teach English. After the DMZ incident, the family comes under suspicion and sales decline.
This book has an interesting premise, and I enjoyed parts of it, but the overall execution just did not work very well for me. The setup is well-done, including the family dynamics and descriptions of Hawaiian setting. I also liked the parts related to Korean history. However, it loses its way in the second half, with longs lists of items/names, redacted text (which I found puzzling and did not add to the story in any meaningful way), point or view transitions for no apparent reason, and supernatural intrusions into the storyline. I don’t regret reading it, but I am also not enthusiastic about it.
This book has an interesting premise, and I enjoyed parts of it, but the overall execution just did not work very well for me. The setup is well-done, including the family dynamics and descriptions of Hawaiian setting. I also liked the parts related to Korean history. However, it loses its way in the second half, with longs lists of items/names, redacted text (which I found puzzling and did not add to the story in any meaningful way), point or view transitions for no apparent reason, and supernatural intrusions into the storyline. I don’t regret reading it, but I am also not enthusiastic about it.
March 13, 2022
A complex and intricate portrait of a truly dysfunctional family. A Korean American family, living in Hawai'i, the parents own a number of fast plate restaurants. Jacob, the son, goes to Korea, and is soon shot, attempting to cross into North Korea. What no one knows is, that he's been inhabited by the ghost of his dead grandfather who desperately wants to go home. The generational trauma of Korea at war, colonization of Korea and Hawai'i and the division of a country impacts families in so many different ways as this family seeks to belong. At times, tensions rise, broken by truly funny moments, this author is one to watch.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
August 12, 2022
I always thought that nuclear family means a family composed of parents and children in one home. Joseph Han describes all the relatives of this one main family, the Cho’s. There is a chapter for aunts, uncles, cousins, I lost track of who, or how many. The story had so much promise for me as the narrator is a ghost. He’s talking and I’m enjoying what he has to say, and THEN all sorts of other stuff happens, too many people crowding my airwaves. The writing is quite good so it pains me to say I do not recommend this story because the characters were flat with no real interior voices, thoughts, or opinions. As Jeff Bridges says in The Big Lebowski, “it’s my opinion, man.”
April 6, 2022
Joseph Han crashes onto the literary scene with this wildly original magical realist / political satire / family comedy that piles together a stoner gal in Hawaii, her straight arrow brother, cranky deli-owner parents, and the spirit of their dead Korean grandfather on an afterlife mission of cultural healing. Smart, funny, sad, bawdy, sweet and sour; if this book were pizza it would be a hot, delicious ham and pineapple.
June 18, 2022
4⭐️ bc I can see the technique and execution of this novel make this a well written book and also quite thought-provoking. However, 2.5⭐️ for my actual enjoyment of the book - which is usually my main way of rating so I wanted to clarify. Very “literary” in my opinion if that means anything to help people decide if they want to read it.
September 28, 2023
A darkly humorous family saga on separation, generational trauma, and memory. Through one estranged family navigating a shocking event, we see the ways in which we hide ourselves from one another, the ways in which hurts large and small are passed down, the necessary pain of remembering not just our own past, but the past of our ancestors. Funny at times and reflective at others, Nuclear Family is a modern day ghost story that is both literal and figurative; there are so many things that haunt us, our memories, expectations of others, longings, regrets, the lingering of who came before us. A heartfelt examination of family and joining the past to present.
December 9, 2021
This luminous narrative is set in the months leading up to the 2018 nuclear missile false alarm, a Korean American family living in Hawaii faces the fallout of their eldest son's attempt to run across the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea.
It grabbed me when the author of The Descendants, Kaui Hart Hemmings, said it was "fresh, inventive, and at times, a hilarious novel."
The novel is the culmination of a lifetime in diaspora, raised by his grandparents in Hawaii while feeling the separation from his parents in South Korea.
Galley borrowed from the publisher.
It grabbed me when the author of The Descendants, Kaui Hart Hemmings, said it was "fresh, inventive, and at times, a hilarious novel."
The novel is the culmination of a lifetime in diaspora, raised by his grandparents in Hawaii while feeling the separation from his parents in South Korea.
Galley borrowed from the publisher.
July 23, 2022
Interesting premise fails on technique
A promising premise but aspects of the story telling need to be rethought and edited. Grace’s character is just annoying and tiresome to read. The last quarter of the book completely shifted in writing style and tone as if the author changed voice. Overall I am disappointed as this could have been an amazing book but ended up leaving me just wanting to finish and move on to a better written book.
A promising premise but aspects of the story telling need to be rethought and edited. Grace’s character is just annoying and tiresome to read. The last quarter of the book completely shifted in writing style and tone as if the author changed voice. Overall I am disappointed as this could have been an amazing book but ended up leaving me just wanting to finish and move on to a better written book.
Read
July 5, 2022DNF’ing this one at 54%, I can’t get into it
June 5, 2022
A book about North Korea AND it has a gorgeous, colorful cover? You can immediately count me in.
The Cho family runs a beloved Korean restaurant in Hawaii that becomes even more successful after Guy Fieri himself visits. However a video of their son Jacob trying to cross from South to North Korea through the demilitarized zone goes viral, and everything starts to spiral out of control. What the family doesn't realize though is that Jacob is "possessed" by the spirit of their long dead (and kinda terrible, honestly) grandfather who wants to find his family in North Korea that he left behind. These events ultimately lead up to the false alarm missile alert that everyone received in Hawaii in 2018.
This book is CHOCK FULL of story. You've got the magical realism of the ghost of the selfish, dead grandfather trying to take over Jacob's body. You've got escalating tensions between North and South Korea during a volatile American presidency. You've got native Hawaiian history and stories. You've even got a "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" storyline with Guy Fieri! You've got the complicated multi-generational family dynamic. And perhaps most frightening - the mistaken phone notifications that everyone in Hawaii received in 2018, thinking they were all about to be destroyed by a North Korean missile? I can't even imagine.
I listened to this book and thought it had a great narrator. I did find that around the 2/3rds mark I found myself day-dreaming and having to rewind now and then. So while there are some slower sections, this is still a fantastic book.
Han does such a great job of conveying the sense of loss that so many Koreans had after the country was separated between the North and South. Families were just split, never to see each other ever again. Also, this book doesn't shy away from considering America's implications in the terrible events of Korean history, which I had never even considered.
This book is fantastic, y'all and consider this a warning: You WILL get hungry at all the food descriptions and have undeniable cravings for Korean and Hawaiian dishes.
The Cho family runs a beloved Korean restaurant in Hawaii that becomes even more successful after Guy Fieri himself visits. However a video of their son Jacob trying to cross from South to North Korea through the demilitarized zone goes viral, and everything starts to spiral out of control. What the family doesn't realize though is that Jacob is "possessed" by the spirit of their long dead (and kinda terrible, honestly) grandfather who wants to find his family in North Korea that he left behind. These events ultimately lead up to the false alarm missile alert that everyone received in Hawaii in 2018.
This book is CHOCK FULL of story. You've got the magical realism of the ghost of the selfish, dead grandfather trying to take over Jacob's body. You've got escalating tensions between North and South Korea during a volatile American presidency. You've got native Hawaiian history and stories. You've even got a "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" storyline with Guy Fieri! You've got the complicated multi-generational family dynamic. And perhaps most frightening - the mistaken phone notifications that everyone in Hawaii received in 2018, thinking they were all about to be destroyed by a North Korean missile? I can't even imagine.
I listened to this book and thought it had a great narrator. I did find that around the 2/3rds mark I found myself day-dreaming and having to rewind now and then. So while there are some slower sections, this is still a fantastic book.
Han does such a great job of conveying the sense of loss that so many Koreans had after the country was separated between the North and South. Families were just split, never to see each other ever again. Also, this book doesn't shy away from considering America's implications in the terrible events of Korean history, which I had never even considered.
This book is fantastic, y'all and consider this a warning: You WILL get hungry at all the food descriptions and have undeniable cravings for Korean and Hawaiian dishes.
July 3, 2022
This was a fresh read. The premise is certainly innovative: the idea of a ghost exiled in South Korea and wanting to return to North Korea.
Han is a good writer--funny, perceptive, smart, and insightful.
I had never understood complaints about books that had multiple perspectives; such formats hadn't bothered me. But here I feel that it led to a choppy reading experience. Yes, it provided differing views etc but that exacerbated a type of emotional flatness.
Han is on a soapbox and his points are valid and at times intriguing. And while reading about this, I immediately recognized that Hawai'i is to the US as Ukraine is to Russia. That soapbox gets to be tiresome when Han lists things... long lists that I soon skipped. Oh, the chapters named "Locals" is one huge soliloquy--interesting but too long on the said soapbox.
I'm curious what Han writes next--I'll keep an eye out for his future titles. This one seemed to be chock full of statements he needed to make. That need, at times, overshadows or weighs down the story itself. I think he tried to jam too much in at times.
A few quotes:
...Umma knew what it meant to live with an absence. To wait for someone who would never return, uncertain whether they were ever there to begin with....
...No matter what they talked about, the sighs and silences they heard they most, both taking a moment to think about how to say they missed someone, in their next breath, without saying just that. Because saying they missed someone in Korean meant I wish I could see you, a kind of defeat when they couldn't.
...until Jacob let himself stop right at the doorway. A hand melted into his lower back, indented; he felt the need like an ache, a long held bruise....
She expected this day would come: when she would no longer have to look after this man, who made any home they lived in as grand as his shouting, which in turn made it necessary for her to become small by way of hiding in other rooms, small by way of attention to what she held in her hands--a needle, a spoon, a knife, the Bible....
Here's an interview where I enjoyed him (but did not enjoy Crystal). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpuTH...
Han is a good writer--funny, perceptive, smart, and insightful.
I had never understood complaints about books that had multiple perspectives; such formats hadn't bothered me. But here I feel that it led to a choppy reading experience. Yes, it provided differing views etc but that exacerbated a type of emotional flatness.
Han is on a soapbox and his points are valid and at times intriguing. And while reading about this, I immediately recognized that Hawai'i is to the US as Ukraine is to Russia. That soapbox gets to be tiresome when Han lists things... long lists that I soon skipped. Oh, the chapters named "Locals" is one huge soliloquy--interesting but too long on the said soapbox.
I'm curious what Han writes next--I'll keep an eye out for his future titles. This one seemed to be chock full of statements he needed to make. That need, at times, overshadows or weighs down the story itself. I think he tried to jam too much in at times.
A few quotes:
...Umma knew what it meant to live with an absence. To wait for someone who would never return, uncertain whether they were ever there to begin with....
...No matter what they talked about, the sighs and silences they heard they most, both taking a moment to think about how to say they missed someone, in their next breath, without saying just that. Because saying they missed someone in Korean meant I wish I could see you, a kind of defeat when they couldn't.
...until Jacob let himself stop right at the doorway. A hand melted into his lower back, indented; he felt the need like an ache, a long held bruise....
She expected this day would come: when she would no longer have to look after this man, who made any home they lived in as grand as his shouting, which in turn made it necessary for her to become small by way of hiding in other rooms, small by way of attention to what she held in her hands--a needle, a spoon, a knife, the Bible....
Here's an interview where I enjoyed him (but did not enjoy Crystal). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpuTH...
June 28, 2022
The description of this book was appealing: “Things are looking up for Mr. and Mrs. Cho. Their dream of franchising their Korean plate lunch restaurants across Hawai’i seems within reach after a visit from Guy Fieri boosts the profile of Cho’s Delicatessen. Their daughter, Grace, is busy finishing her senior year of college and working for her parents, while her older brother, Jacob, just moved to Seoul to teach English.”
As the story begins, Jacob is possessed by the ghost of his grandfather, which ghost tries to drag Jacob across the demilitarized zone. Jacob is captured at the border (between North and South Korea), much to the shame of the family in Hawai’i.
The book just didn’t deliver for me. I was on the edge of invested in the story, but never got all the way there. I sped read to get it finished.
The design of the book was also weird. Text breaks were marked by squiggles (I understand the official name of those squiggles is dingbats) that looked like loose hairs—not the best look. The text included other strange devices (faint type repeating the phrase “let us wait a little longer” for half a page, and several pages of “King Fool” in an “artful” arrangement) neither of which added anything to the story, at least not that I could appreciate.
In fact, the entire book was assembled upside down vis-a-vis the cover. An altogether strange reading experience.
As the story begins, Jacob is possessed by the ghost of his grandfather, which ghost tries to drag Jacob across the demilitarized zone. Jacob is captured at the border (between North and South Korea), much to the shame of the family in Hawai’i.
The book just didn’t deliver for me. I was on the edge of invested in the story, but never got all the way there. I sped read to get it finished.
The design of the book was also weird. Text breaks were marked by squiggles (I understand the official name of those squiggles is dingbats) that looked like loose hairs—not the best look. The text included other strange devices (faint type repeating the phrase “let us wait a little longer” for half a page, and several pages of “King Fool” in an “artful” arrangement) neither of which added anything to the story, at least not that I could appreciate.
In fact, the entire book was assembled upside down vis-a-vis the cover. An altogether strange reading experience.
July 14, 2022
I wanted to love this book just based on the plot: a Korean-American from Hawaii travels to Seoul, Korea to teach. His dead grandfather is a ghost hanging around the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea and is trying to figure out how to cross into North Korea to "visit" family left behind.
I liked the book until 50% through and then it got really confusing with multiple narrative styles, too many characters, and redacted text and images that didn't make sense to me. I was really lost but finished it anyway to see how it ended.
I liked the book until 50% through and then it got really confusing with multiple narrative styles, too many characters, and redacted text and images that didn't make sense to me. I was really lost but finished it anyway to see how it ended.
May 14, 2023
2.5
I'll preface this by saying that this was definitely not my cup of tea. I had a very difficult time trying to connect to any part of this story. I came in with high hopes and was unfortunately very let down. I was hoping to be one of the people who enjoyed this book but lol that is notttttt the case.
This book is basically one of the main things I love to hate about the typical formula for kdramas....There's the story part of it that's all well and good, a little ridiculous and unbelievable but able to be followed. Then there's the weird fantastical element that comes out of nowhere and has questionable impact on the actual course of the story (ex. she sees ghosts but when she touches him she doesn't, he sees the future exclusively with images of her, here: he sees ghosts and is weirdly possessed by his grandfather). Reading this I just found myself asking 'why' to so many elements of the plot and also so many chapters that seemed to hold so little bearing on the overall story. (I do not need an entire chapter of listing the foods Grace craves when she's high.) It felt like the only connecting thread between the two main storylines - the Korea based side and the Hawaii based side - was the fact that the characters were related and had history with each other. Otherwise it feels like two separate stories with attempts to pull them together that have the effect of cameos or easter eggs.
It is evident the characters have issues. But the way they are introduced/explored is very much trauma dumping and then zero growth or development of any kind. The characters in general were as shallow as a kiddy pool and entirely predictable. I found myself unsympathetic toward them because they had so little depth it was difficult to imagine them as more than words on a page.
The two-sided story and constantly shifting POV was already disorienting (and annoying) enough to distract from the story, but the addition of weird artistic elements such as an entire two pages featuring a line of text with "DMZ" repeated, passages describing the sister's drug use, four pages dedicated to the words "king fool", and blacked out text just had me rolling my eyes and being unable to take this story seriously. It was like the author midway through decided to switch to some kind of visual poetry instead of literary fiction. It would've been better if there was a consistent style throughout but the amount of artistic passages with questionable impact on the plot is definitely saturated in the last third of the book. Without all the weird frills and fantastical element I probably would have enjoyed this story much more. Unless this was the intended impact I am left highly confused and unenthused by this book.
I'll preface this by saying that this was definitely not my cup of tea. I had a very difficult time trying to connect to any part of this story. I came in with high hopes and was unfortunately very let down. I was hoping to be one of the people who enjoyed this book but lol that is notttttt the case.
This book is basically one of the main things I love to hate about the typical formula for kdramas....There's the story part of it that's all well and good, a little ridiculous and unbelievable but able to be followed. Then there's the weird fantastical element that comes out of nowhere and has questionable impact on the actual course of the story (ex. she sees ghosts but when she touches him she doesn't, he sees the future exclusively with images of her, here: he sees ghosts and is weirdly possessed by his grandfather). Reading this I just found myself asking 'why' to so many elements of the plot and also so many chapters that seemed to hold so little bearing on the overall story. (I do not need an entire chapter of listing the foods Grace craves when she's high.) It felt like the only connecting thread between the two main storylines - the Korea based side and the Hawaii based side - was the fact that the characters were related and had history with each other. Otherwise it feels like two separate stories with attempts to pull them together that have the effect of cameos or easter eggs.
It is evident the characters have issues. But the way they are introduced/explored is very much trauma dumping and then zero growth or development of any kind. The characters in general were as shallow as a kiddy pool and entirely predictable. I found myself unsympathetic toward them because they had so little depth it was difficult to imagine them as more than words on a page.
The two-sided story and constantly shifting POV was already disorienting (and annoying) enough to distract from the story, but the addition of weird artistic elements such as an entire two pages featuring a line of text with "DMZ" repeated, passages describing the sister's drug use, four pages dedicated to the words "king fool", and blacked out text just had me rolling my eyes and being unable to take this story seriously. It was like the author midway through decided to switch to some kind of visual poetry instead of literary fiction. It would've been better if there was a consistent style throughout but the amount of artistic passages with questionable impact on the plot is definitely saturated in the last third of the book. Without all the weird frills and fantastical element I probably would have enjoyed this story much more. Unless this was the intended impact I am left highly confused and unenthused by this book.
May 30, 2022
The Cho family is at the beginning of hard times when their son goes to South Korea to teach English, only to be tackled at the DMZ trying to cross into North Korea. What follows is the story of this family. The events leading to the attempt, and the fallout back home. With themes of colonialization, family connection, the myth of the model citizen, the loss of connection to identity as immigrants, and the ever present struggle the Koreas face, and that's only scratching the surface of what Han was able to delve into in Nuclear Family. Oh also there's ghosts.
This book was such a joy to read in every way. The way lines in Korean weren't always translated, how references to historic events were never explained, and how quickly and easily certain ideas were conveyed. Leaving it up to the reader to understand the reference or not.
The way a quick off handed remark about an insta profile or a college class gives me every detail I need to know about certain characters. How the history of Korea was present and constant through the entire book, from ghosts who understood Japanese, to students who protested in the south. It was amazing to read it all and understand the references or occasional Korean dialogue,. It's also amazing to know there will be someone who reads this book and says "I don't understand that reference," for them to search it and learn something new about this country that so many people think they understand, but which is continually learning to survive as separate halves of a whole.
The references to American imperialism are also constant and never subtle, but always appropriate and well phrased. They"re always well examined and painful.
This book was both painful and refreshing. It was celebratory and informative. And it was such a beautiful exploration of family.
This book was such a joy to read in every way. The way lines in Korean weren't always translated, how references to historic events were never explained, and how quickly and easily certain ideas were conveyed. Leaving it up to the reader to understand the reference or not.
The way a quick off handed remark about an insta profile or a college class gives me every detail I need to know about certain characters. How the history of Korea was present and constant through the entire book, from ghosts who understood Japanese, to students who protested in the south. It was amazing to read it all and understand the references or occasional Korean dialogue,. It's also amazing to know there will be someone who reads this book and says "I don't understand that reference," for them to search it and learn something new about this country that so many people think they understand, but which is continually learning to survive as separate halves of a whole.
The references to American imperialism are also constant and never subtle, but always appropriate and well phrased. They"re always well examined and painful.
This book was both painful and refreshing. It was celebratory and informative. And it was such a beautiful exploration of family.
May 23, 2022
I received a copy of Nuclear Family by Joseph Han from Counterpoint Press in exchange for an honest review.
I was so intrigued by the synopsis of this book when I first read about it that I was very happy when I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The synopsis (in my words): a young Korean American man from Hawaii tries to run into North Korea at the DMZ - because he is possessed by his grandfather - and the consequences reaches all the way to Hawaii where his family lives. Like - how is that not such an intriguing synopsis? Lots of themes there that pulled me in - immigration to America, the colonization of Hawaii, the separation of the two Koreas and the people and families who were torn apart by it.
My thoughts on the book after reading it:
- Like I mentioned, I think that this is such an interesting story and perspective to be told from. The author, like Jacob in the story, is Korean having immigrated to the US. They live in Hawaii which is lands taken from the people who belong to the land. And as Koreans, they understand the effects and impacts of land being used in a political sense.
- I liked the fantastical idea that the wall between South Korea and North Korea continues to exist even for the dead. That it is upheld by what is happening in the world of the living. And it's absolutely heartbreaking to see families continue to be separated and torn apart.
- Grace and Jacob's struggle as Asian Americans is one that resonates - their relationship with one another, their parents, and the place they live and have trouble feeling like they belong.
- The chapters in the books switch perspectives between so many different characters - which I enjoyed and also found confusing at times. It gave the story more depth, while at times, I would be thinking, "Who's this now?"
- Moments between Jacob and his grandfather, Taewoo - the one trying to possess him - were told in such a surreal and fragmented way that really brought the possession to life on the pages. There's a great quote in the book that really helped me understand the meaning/metaphor of the grandfather possessing the grandson - "The boy was merely a vessel for his wishes, like how all sons, and grandsons, ought to be." Just, so on point.
Overall, Nuclear Family was an enjoyable read for me and explores family, identity, immigration, living on colonized land, and multigenerational trauma and experience.
I was so intrigued by the synopsis of this book when I first read about it that I was very happy when I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The synopsis (in my words): a young Korean American man from Hawaii tries to run into North Korea at the DMZ - because he is possessed by his grandfather - and the consequences reaches all the way to Hawaii where his family lives. Like - how is that not such an intriguing synopsis? Lots of themes there that pulled me in - immigration to America, the colonization of Hawaii, the separation of the two Koreas and the people and families who were torn apart by it.
My thoughts on the book after reading it:
- Like I mentioned, I think that this is such an interesting story and perspective to be told from. The author, like Jacob in the story, is Korean having immigrated to the US. They live in Hawaii which is lands taken from the people who belong to the land. And as Koreans, they understand the effects and impacts of land being used in a political sense.
- I liked the fantastical idea that the wall between South Korea and North Korea continues to exist even for the dead. That it is upheld by what is happening in the world of the living. And it's absolutely heartbreaking to see families continue to be separated and torn apart.
- Grace and Jacob's struggle as Asian Americans is one that resonates - their relationship with one another, their parents, and the place they live and have trouble feeling like they belong.
- The chapters in the books switch perspectives between so many different characters - which I enjoyed and also found confusing at times. It gave the story more depth, while at times, I would be thinking, "Who's this now?"
- Moments between Jacob and his grandfather, Taewoo - the one trying to possess him - were told in such a surreal and fragmented way that really brought the possession to life on the pages. There's a great quote in the book that really helped me understand the meaning/metaphor of the grandfather possessing the grandson - "The boy was merely a vessel for his wishes, like how all sons, and grandsons, ought to be." Just, so on point.
Overall, Nuclear Family was an enjoyable read for me and explores family, identity, immigration, living on colonized land, and multigenerational trauma and experience.
June 2, 2022
Rounded to 3.5 stars.
CONTENT WARNING: drug use, racism
I was very intrigued by this book for so many reasons. I had absolutely no idea about the false missile crisis in Hawaii, and while I've visited there and had a relative who lived there, I don't know nearly enough about the culture, especially of Koreans who have made their home there. In the time I spent in Hawaii, it was an incredibly beautiful and diverse place, and was truly a melting pot of different peoples and cultures in the best possible way, despite all of the many issues that have occurred there.
The story centers around one specific family of Korean immigrants who have made their home in Hawaii. I received an audiobook copy, and I couldn't help but think that it was a bit disjointed in this format, and might have been easier for me to follow in a printed format, since the POV shifts between characters frequently, and I often struggled to understand who was experiencing what.
There are elements of historical fiction, magical realism, and humor all rolled into one in this story, and I found it much easier to connect with Grace's more linear storyline than the others, especially Jacob's. Once he goes to Korea, it was even more choppy, and I struggled to follow exactly what was going on with him, especially as his POV becomes divided between his own and that of his deceased grandfather.
I think one of the most intriguing aspects of this story for me was the experience of Koreans in Hawaii, which isn't something I've come across yet. Seeing how the Cho family adapted to their surroundings and made a successful business was fascinating, although it was painful to see it fall apart in the wake of their son's famous attempt to cross the DMZ, as well as watching Grace completely fall apart.
However, instead of feeling as though the book got stronger as it went on, it started to include segments of redacted text, which made me feel further distanced from the story. This one had a lot of potential and strength, but ultimately I had a difficult time connecting with the second half of the book.
CONTENT WARNING: drug use, racism
I was very intrigued by this book for so many reasons. I had absolutely no idea about the false missile crisis in Hawaii, and while I've visited there and had a relative who lived there, I don't know nearly enough about the culture, especially of Koreans who have made their home there. In the time I spent in Hawaii, it was an incredibly beautiful and diverse place, and was truly a melting pot of different peoples and cultures in the best possible way, despite all of the many issues that have occurred there.
The story centers around one specific family of Korean immigrants who have made their home in Hawaii. I received an audiobook copy, and I couldn't help but think that it was a bit disjointed in this format, and might have been easier for me to follow in a printed format, since the POV shifts between characters frequently, and I often struggled to understand who was experiencing what.
There are elements of historical fiction, magical realism, and humor all rolled into one in this story, and I found it much easier to connect with Grace's more linear storyline than the others, especially Jacob's. Once he goes to Korea, it was even more choppy, and I struggled to follow exactly what was going on with him, especially as his POV becomes divided between his own and that of his deceased grandfather.
I think one of the most intriguing aspects of this story for me was the experience of Koreans in Hawaii, which isn't something I've come across yet. Seeing how the Cho family adapted to their surroundings and made a successful business was fascinating, although it was painful to see it fall apart in the wake of their son's famous attempt to cross the DMZ, as well as watching Grace completely fall apart.
However, instead of feeling as though the book got stronger as it went on, it started to include segments of redacted text, which made me feel further distanced from the story. This one had a lot of potential and strength, but ultimately I had a difficult time connecting with the second half of the book.
June 14, 2022
3.5 rounding up to 4 because Korean yeah!
I have mixed feelings about this book: on the one hand in some places the language is beautiful and the story is about the permanent struggle of being the child of immigrant parents everywhere.
On the other, it was quite odd and I felt like my worst nightmares about being Korean and growing up away from it all came to life. No an easy read, not a fun one, but still a good one though.
I have mixed feelings about this book: on the one hand in some places the language is beautiful and the story is about the permanent struggle of being the child of immigrant parents everywhere.
On the other, it was quite odd and I felt like my worst nightmares about being Korean and growing up away from it all came to life. No an easy read, not a fun one, but still a good one though.
July 17, 2022
OOF, I loved this book so much. I mentioned in a previous post that this one might be polarizing. I think it’ll either be you love it or you don’t get it. And if you don’t get it, that’s fine because it probably wasn’t written for you.
It was written for children of immigrants who haven’t seen their homeland and families in decades; who work seven days a week to provide a future for their kids and to fulfill a promise to themselves; who swallow thick foreign words every day just so they can dream peacefully in their native tongue at night, who find themselves split in ways they cannot name—their painful past in one country and their tenuous future in another.
In NUCLEAR FAMILY, Han explores the generational trauma and grief set against the backdrop of colonized land—Hawaii and South Korea (yes, South Korea is an independent nation but with the largest overseas US military base, some would beg to differ). This grief that stems from a country divided by colonizers is brought to life by a literal ghost named Tae Woo, who cannot cross the border to North Korea, where he is from. Spirit in the south, but heart in the north, he is split, incomplete and restless.. His sorrow and rage become a physical manifestation when he possesses Jacob, his grandson, and uses his body to attempt crossing the DMZ. Like his grandfather, Jacob also finds himself divided, disengaged and distanced from his life and family. A perfect vessel for Tae Woo, the possession becomes almost a reprieve for Jacob until it doesn’t. Surrender is always easy in the moment, until you realize that suffering is boundless—as a person and a nation.
The book is brimming with Han’s examination of feeling split, being in-between, divided, absent, longing, yearning to be whole and seen. A queer man who hasn’t come out to his family, running from the traditional Korean expectations of a first-born (heterosexual) son. Korean diaspora living in Hawaii, not really Koreans and not really Americans. Families separated by an invisible line set by foreigners, who turn into ghosts unable to cross even in death. Tae Woo’s chapter at the end of the book provides a beautiful and heartbreaking illustration of the Korean consciousness affected by Western imperialism. It obliterated me. I wept openly and loudly. And I began to wonder…
Why do I, as a gyopo, feel the weight of this division so heavily? It seems even more so than the Koreans living in South Korea, especially now in their current (conservative) political climate. Is it because the Korean diaspora, living outside of our native land, feel displaced? And is that displacement passed on to future generations, leaving behind a yearning to belong? Maybe it’s because a reunified Korea means a reconciliation, an understanding, of our parents’ and grandparents’ pain. Maybe it’s because a reunified Korean could mean the distance and emptiness we feel as disasporic Koreans is reparable, temporary.
I joined @aaww_nyc’s event with the author and his book (highly recommend checking it out). And during the Q&Q, the author was asked about han (한) and intergenerational trauma. His response was that while intergenerational trauma for Koreans is deeply rooted in han, there is also an abundance of love. And that is exactly what I got out of this book. Even as a Korean who was not born in Korea, I felt the love, compassion and fierce affection that is deeply rooted in the Korean people, that is deeply rooted in me.
When I say this book wasn’t written for those that didn’t get it, what I meant to say is.. this book was written for me and for everyone who look like me. There is no pandering to the white gaze here, only black almond eyes staring back at the ugliness of our home divided.
It was written for children of immigrants who haven’t seen their homeland and families in decades; who work seven days a week to provide a future for their kids and to fulfill a promise to themselves; who swallow thick foreign words every day just so they can dream peacefully in their native tongue at night, who find themselves split in ways they cannot name—their painful past in one country and their tenuous future in another.
In NUCLEAR FAMILY, Han explores the generational trauma and grief set against the backdrop of colonized land—Hawaii and South Korea (yes, South Korea is an independent nation but with the largest overseas US military base, some would beg to differ). This grief that stems from a country divided by colonizers is brought to life by a literal ghost named Tae Woo, who cannot cross the border to North Korea, where he is from. Spirit in the south, but heart in the north, he is split, incomplete and restless.. His sorrow and rage become a physical manifestation when he possesses Jacob, his grandson, and uses his body to attempt crossing the DMZ. Like his grandfather, Jacob also finds himself divided, disengaged and distanced from his life and family. A perfect vessel for Tae Woo, the possession becomes almost a reprieve for Jacob until it doesn’t. Surrender is always easy in the moment, until you realize that suffering is boundless—as a person and a nation.
The book is brimming with Han’s examination of feeling split, being in-between, divided, absent, longing, yearning to be whole and seen. A queer man who hasn’t come out to his family, running from the traditional Korean expectations of a first-born (heterosexual) son. Korean diaspora living in Hawaii, not really Koreans and not really Americans. Families separated by an invisible line set by foreigners, who turn into ghosts unable to cross even in death. Tae Woo’s chapter at the end of the book provides a beautiful and heartbreaking illustration of the Korean consciousness affected by Western imperialism. It obliterated me. I wept openly and loudly. And I began to wonder…
Why do I, as a gyopo, feel the weight of this division so heavily? It seems even more so than the Koreans living in South Korea, especially now in their current (conservative) political climate. Is it because the Korean diaspora, living outside of our native land, feel displaced? And is that displacement passed on to future generations, leaving behind a yearning to belong? Maybe it’s because a reunified Korea means a reconciliation, an understanding, of our parents’ and grandparents’ pain. Maybe it’s because a reunified Korean could mean the distance and emptiness we feel as disasporic Koreans is reparable, temporary.
I joined @aaww_nyc’s event with the author and his book (highly recommend checking it out). And during the Q&Q, the author was asked about han (한) and intergenerational trauma. His response was that while intergenerational trauma for Koreans is deeply rooted in han, there is also an abundance of love. And that is exactly what I got out of this book. Even as a Korean who was not born in Korea, I felt the love, compassion and fierce affection that is deeply rooted in the Korean people, that is deeply rooted in me.
When I say this book wasn’t written for those that didn’t get it, what I meant to say is.. this book was written for me and for everyone who look like me. There is no pandering to the white gaze here, only black almond eyes staring back at the ugliness of our home divided.
April 22, 2024
To anyone reading this book: I would recommend my friends’ podcast Sibliography! I left this book feeling a little confused — I really wanted to like it, I loved certain elements, and I struggled to connect with pieces. Arthur and Cam helped me wade through my complicated thoughts about a complex and unique book! This is a high three for me: I recommend it because I would love to talk about it more!
July 27, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge audio for my gifted audiobook, and Counterpoint Press for my finished copy!
The premise of this book had me intrigued immediately – I've always loved learning from and reading non-fiction titles books on North Korea. Throw in a Korean restaurant and Hawai'i? Count me in.
This was a truly unique read. Covering a vast array of topics from multi-generational family complications, the 2018 nuclear missile false alarm, Korean history and families torn apart by the separation, the colonization of Hawai'i, to name a few.
I will say the ending was a little slower for me, especially because I was listening on audiobook and I found myself having to rewind to grasp some of the chapters, but overall I enjoyed the narration and the premise of this story. Joseph's writing is wonderful and I look forward to more stories!
Also, some parts of the audiobook are "redacted" and I compared it to the physical copy and they also exist there!
The premise of this book had me intrigued immediately – I've always loved learning from and reading non-fiction titles books on North Korea. Throw in a Korean restaurant and Hawai'i? Count me in.
This was a truly unique read. Covering a vast array of topics from multi-generational family complications, the 2018 nuclear missile false alarm, Korean history and families torn apart by the separation, the colonization of Hawai'i, to name a few.
I will say the ending was a little slower for me, especially because I was listening on audiobook and I found myself having to rewind to grasp some of the chapters, but overall I enjoyed the narration and the premise of this story. Joseph's writing is wonderful and I look forward to more stories!
Also, some parts of the audiobook are "redacted" and I compared it to the physical copy and they also exist there!
August 4, 2025
I felt weirdly engaged with this story. I like to go into books knowing nothing, so when I found out there's a weird ghost haunting aspect, I thought it added an unnecessary supernatural element to an otherwise grounded story. But the ghosts and their representation of generational trauma and the lingering tragic effects of Korea being torn in two really highlight these historical truths without being too blunt an instrument over the reader's head
The narrative switching characters with each chapter was chaotic, but did a good job at showing how vast the range of people's experiences was, each bit adding to the tapestry of experience. It was difficult to tell how each person fit in the picture though. "Is this chapter about Grace's stoner friend, how does he fit into this narrative?"
I had some trouble following the different Korean terms. I wasn't always sure what role different family members had to them. At least I learned ttongchim is the Korean word for kancho
I really liked the representation of Jacob and Grace's sibling relationship. Even though they spend most of the book apart, their need for each other and the rest of their family is a big driving force in the story
The narrative switching characters with each chapter was chaotic, but did a good job at showing how vast the range of people's experiences was, each bit adding to the tapestry of experience. It was difficult to tell how each person fit in the picture though. "Is this chapter about Grace's stoner friend, how does he fit into this narrative?"
I had some trouble following the different Korean terms. I wasn't always sure what role different family members had to them. At least I learned ttongchim is the Korean word for kancho
I really liked the representation of Jacob and Grace's sibling relationship. Even though they spend most of the book apart, their need for each other and the rest of their family is a big driving force in the story
June 20, 2022
This book was a train wreck disaster. I don't think it even knew what it wanted to be.
I know it sounds interesting... but don't read it... read these amazing books instead "The Evening Hero" by Marie Myung-Ok Lee or "Crying in H Mart" by Michelle Zauner. These books handle the subject of a Korean-American Identity with more skill, wit, and clarity. If you're interested in reading more about the DMZ try "DMZ Colony" a book of collected poems, prose, photographs, and drawings by Don Mee Choi.
I know it sounds interesting... but don't read it... read these amazing books instead "The Evening Hero" by Marie Myung-Ok Lee or "Crying in H Mart" by Michelle Zauner. These books handle the subject of a Korean-American Identity with more skill, wit, and clarity. If you're interested in reading more about the DMZ try "DMZ Colony" a book of collected poems, prose, photographs, and drawings by Don Mee Choi.
June 16, 2022
Not my favorite! A dysfunctional immigrant family from So Korea who move to Hawaii and run restaurants they hope to franchise. Their dreams and world falls apart when their adult son, who had moved to So Korea to teach English, is arrested for trying to cross the DMZ. The struggles of immigrant families, multi generational trauma, “possession by ghost of grandparent, the struggle to separate from the nuclear family and strike out on one’s own path are the novel threads.
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