Park Row
The Last Story of Mina Lee: A Reese's Book Club Pick (Original)
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A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Riveting and unconventional, The Last Story of Mina Lee traces the far-reaching consequences of secrets in the lives of a Korean immigrant mother and her daughter
Margot Lee's mother is ignoring her calls. Margot can’t understand why, until she makes a surprise trip home to Koreatown, LA, and finds that her mother has suspiciously died. Determined to discover the truth, Margot unravels her single mother’s past as a Korean War orphan and an undocumented immigrant, only to realize how little she truly knew about her mother, Mina.
Thirty years earlier, Mina Lee steps off a plane to take a chance on a new life in America. Stacking shelves at a Korean grocery store, the last thing she expects is to fall in love. But that moment leads to repercussions for Mina that echo through the decades, leading up to the truth of what happened the night of her death.
Told through the intimate lens of a mother and daughter who have struggled all their lives to understand each other, The Last Story of Mina Lee is a powerful and exquisitely woven debut novel that explores identity, family, secrets, and what it truly means to belong.
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“Painful, joyous... A story that cries out to be told.” —Los Angeles Times
“Kim is a brilliant new voice in American fiction.” —Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
“Suspenseful and deeply felt.” —Chloe Benjamin, author of The Immortalists
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780778310174
EAN:
9780778310174
Binding:
Hardcover
Pages:
384
Authors:
Nancy Jooyoun Kim
Publisher:
Park Row
Published Date: 2020-01-09
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Coming from a Korean American background, this book hit hard. Highly recommend. I read it on a flight overseas and I couldn’t put it down.
This book is so topical now with all the anti-immigrant hysteria promulgated by our president and his followers. I'm so glad I read this, a clear eyed story of the immigrant world and experience. There is so much courage, pain and hard work, and a beautiful and heart wrenching story not to be forgotten.
This is a great book. I feel extremely alone at times, and find it helpful to read something deep and well written in which the main character is also feeling lonely on some level. This fit and even exceeded the bill. The main character is so very lonely and vulnerable that it is achingly sorrowful. I found myself being incredibly moved over the plight of the American immigrant as well. This book will move you, and it's descriptive yet succinct language will easily keep you reading until the last page.
With so much in the news about illegal immigrants today, it is interesting to see the country from their perspective with all the hardships, trials, lose and fears as well as all the freedom and opportunities. The overwhelming feeling of loneliness and inability to adjust to a new country with foreign language, food, and traditions. Lots to discuss in a book club.
A good book showing the immigrant story of Mina Lee. The story alternates between her Daughter's perspective and Mina's. I enjoyed the book and could feel the characters emotions.
