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THE KINSHIP OF SECRETS

Eugenia Kim

From the author of The Calligrapher's Daughter comes the riveting story of two sisters, one raised in the United States, the other in South Korea, and the family that bound them together even as the Korean War kept them apart.

In 1948 Najin and Calvin Cho, with their young daughter Miran, travel from South Korea to the United States in search of new opportunities. Wary of the challenges they know will face them, Najin and Calvin make the difficult decision to leave their other daughter, Inja, behind with their extended family; soon, they hope, they will return to her.

But then war breaks out in Korea, and there is no end in sight to the separation. Miran grows up in prosperous American suburbia, under the shadow of the daughter left behind, as Inja grapples in her war-torn land with ties to a family she doesn't remember. Najin and Calvin desperately seek a reunion with Inja, but are the bonds of love strong enough to reconnect their family over distance, time, and war? And as deep family secrets are revealed, will everything they long for be upended?

Told through the alternating perspectives of the distanced sisters, and inspired by a true story, The Kinship of Secrets explores the cruelty of war, the power of hope, and what it means to be a sister.

Eugenia Kim's debut novel, The Calligrapher's Daughter, won the 2009 Borders Original Voices Award, was shortlisted for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and was Best Historical Novel and Critic's Pick by The Washington Post. Her stories have appeared in Asia Literary Review, Washington City Paper,Eclectic Grace: Fiction by Washington Area Women, and elsewhere. A Bennington College MFA graduate, Kim teaches Fairfield University's MFA Creative Writing Program.
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Published 2018-11-01 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Comments

Author's article regarding her visit to Korea with her sister, who is the subject of the novel Read more...

This finely wrought novel from [Eugenia] Kim reflects Kim's sharp insight into relationships. This is a stirring novel about family and the sacrifices made to keep it whole.

Eugenia Kim's KINSHIP OF SECRETS is a beautiful allegory of loss and recovery. Through the parallel growth of two separated sisters, Kim bears witness to the fall and rise of nation and its resilient and generous people. KINSHIP OF SECRETS is a gorgeous achievement. —Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko and Free Food for Millionaires

Eugenia Kim talks about her book and the current situation in North and South Korea on the BBC World Series show Read more...

UK: Bloomsbury

...Kim's heartfelt story (...) will greatly appeal to readers who enjoy the multicultural novels of Lisa See and Amy Tan, stories that enlighten as well as entertain. (starred review)

Kim is a true storyteller, and her latest work is engaging throughout. Readers who enjoy family sagas by Lisa See and Jamie Ford will appreciate this one.