THE KINSHIP OF SECRETS by Eugenia Kim is a unique look at immigration and assimilation in
American society. Kim tells the story of
two sisters. Miran, adopted after
being abandoned by her mother, was a
sickly baby and is brought to the United States by her immigrant parents, Najin
and Calvin Cho. Intending to return
after a few years, they have left their year-old biological daughter, Inja, in
Seoul with her maternal grandparents and uncle. Instead the Korean War occurs
and the family is separated for well over a decade. Kim explains in an author’s
note that she based the novel partly on her own family’s experiences,
especially that of an older sister, and she uses alternating chapters to allow readers
to experience the emotions of both daughters, eventually reuniting them. The differences
in attitudes towards family members, dress, food, and language are all explored. Plus, Kim addresses “how emptiness could feel so heavy” and the range of feelings (bewilderment,
resentment, loyalty, guilt, sacrifice and love) of children, parents and
grandparents: “The comfort of being home, her Korean home, came from fulfilling
the drive to belong. But the drive also heightened the pain of division when a
single small thing marked one as different, such as Inja having a mother, but
not having a mother; for Uncle, having her as a daughter who was not his
daughter; for Miran, being Korean, yet not being Korean; and for her parents,
having the eldest who was not the firstborn blood child.”
THE KINSHIP OF SECRETS, a LibraryReads selection, received a
starred review from Booklist and will be a popular addition to our Junior
Theme selections like Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club.
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