This summer, I resolved to read a lot more than I have been. And lucky for me, my sister Jieun surprised me by sending me this lovely book a month ago. It's 560 pages so it took me a while to get through, but it was very interesting. I wouldn't say it was the best book I've read, but certainly very interesting than other other book written by Korean-American author. I think part of the reason I couldn't like the book was because I really didn't like its heroine, Casey Han. Her values, personality, her looks, and her attitude in life is everything that I am not. She's a Korean-American who does not embrace her heritage, confused and betrayed by anglo-centric societal values, and overcompensating it with designer duds that she cannot possibly afford on her measly salary. I also felt really wronged about how the book portrayed her first-generation parents, they were so one-dimensional and author made sure nothing positive happened to them.
That being said, I thought it was very interesting to portray these characters completely away from its stereotypes. It was a very bold, complicated, and appalling at times how low a person can fall from grace, both financially and emotionally. But in the end, the message brings a gleamer of hope because at least the heroine, very representative of her "who-am-I-what-the-hell-am-I-doing-with-my-life" Generation X, finally understands who she is as a person.
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