152. The Picture Bride

The Picture Bride. Lee Geum-yi. Translated by An Seonjae. 2020/2022. 320 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: "Miss Willow," The Pusan Ajimae said, "You'll be eighteen next year, won't you? What about going to Powa and getting married?" At that, the eyes of Willow and her mother, Mrs. Yun, grew large. 

Premise/plot: Willow, our heroine, and two others--who become through the years as dear as sisters--travel to Hawaii as picture brides in 1918. These Korean brides will have A LOT of adjustments to make. Not that life was super-easy-going and perfect at home in their Korean village, but, they were sold a fairy tale--literally. A fairy tale it wasn't. Not the land. Not the opportunities. Not the husbands. This is Willow's story--for the most part--but it is also a story of how she tried again [and again] to find a community that would truly be supportive. It is a story of the struggle of a wife and mother. Definitely not a fairy tale with a happily ever after ending.

My thoughts: I found this one so compelling--for the most part. I enjoyed Willow's perspective. I thought the characters, the setting, the story were all well done. I did not personally love the ending. I'll try to explain. I felt it was disjointed. The jump in time of eighteen or so years was just rough. In the last chapter, the characters all suddenly have American-ized names. So you don't know really what is going on and who-is-who. Also there are so many more names to keep track of since the family has apparently expanded. Still, so much is NOT known of that gap in time. And the narrator has changed from Willow to Pearl [her daughter]. It just felt out of sorts. This is just my own feelings about the ending, of course.

 

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