Taken captive by Lisa See's Haenyeo saga!
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
What can I say? I am once more blown away by a Lisa See novel.
See exceeded my expectations with this epic narrative centered around the female divers of Jeju Island, Korea. Set from the 1930's on at the time of the Japanese Occupation and later under the United States care-taking forces.
Told across time from the viewpoint of an older woman, Young-sook as she grapples with the twists her life has taken over these years, confronting her successes, failings and betrayals.
Her friendship with Mi-ja, the daughter of a collaborator and the breakdown of that closeness, leaves us with Young-Sook's anger which is hard bitten and understandable. Her inability to forgive is tangible.
Amongst the brightest moments are the scenes of the haenyeo (the women divers) collective as they commence diving accompanied by their rituals, patter and traditional comments.
The picture of Young-Sook and Mi-ja making rubbings of things to remember is just delightful, with moments of humor, joy and sorrow.
Another funny side is the popularity of the story of Heidi amongst the Jeju Islanders. The dark side is the massacres of the islanders by both Japanese and US troops. Both atrocious and both shameful.
A magnificent heartfelt story that begins with two young girls who become friends, whose lives are entwined for years, who face the worst, causing them to cease any comminication and then finally redemption that comes from a surprising quarter in an unexpected way. The treatment of the Haenyeo by various occupying governments and the Korean government, putting men in charge of them is a travesty against their culture and traditions. And the struggle to keep those teams and the culture of the Haenyeo alive in face of an ever changing and encroaching dispirit worldview is the challenge all indigenous populations face, and the answers are few.
The author's notes are extensive and well worth a read, demonstrating See's attention to the historical and traditional aspects surrounding the Island of Jeju and in particular the culture of the Haenyo.
A NetGalley ARC
*****
See exceeded my expectations with this epic narrative centered around the female divers of Jeju Island, Korea. Set from the 1930's on at the time of the Japanese Occupation and later under the United States care-taking forces.
Told across time from the viewpoint of an older woman, Young-sook as she grapples with the twists her life has taken over these years, confronting her successes, failings and betrayals.
Her friendship with Mi-ja, the daughter of a collaborator and the breakdown of that closeness, leaves us with Young-Sook's anger which is hard bitten and understandable. Her inability to forgive is tangible.
Amongst the brightest moments are the scenes of the haenyeo (the women divers) collective as they commence diving accompanied by their rituals, patter and traditional comments.
The picture of Young-Sook and Mi-ja making rubbings of things to remember is just delightful, with moments of humor, joy and sorrow.
Another funny side is the popularity of the story of Heidi amongst the Jeju Islanders. The dark side is the massacres of the islanders by both Japanese and US troops. Both atrocious and both shameful.
A magnificent heartfelt story that begins with two young girls who become friends, whose lives are entwined for years, who face the worst, causing them to cease any comminication and then finally redemption that comes from a surprising quarter in an unexpected way. The treatment of the Haenyeo by various occupying governments and the Korean government, putting men in charge of them is a travesty against their culture and traditions. And the struggle to keep those teams and the culture of the Haenyeo alive in face of an ever changing and encroaching dispirit worldview is the challenge all indigenous populations face, and the answers are few.
The author's notes are extensive and well worth a read, demonstrating See's attention to the historical and traditional aspects surrounding the Island of Jeju and in particular the culture of the Haenyo.
A NetGalley ARC
*****
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