Catherine Chung
Fiction
This book is depressing. Let’s just get that out of the way first. But it’s good. Really good.
Forgotten Country is about Janie, a Korean-America who learns that her father is dying of cancer. A year ago, her sister took off and exiled herself from Janie and their parents. Now she must persuade Hannah to join them in Korea, where they wait for their father to get better.
I vaguely remember reading the review for this book and it mentioned something about a missing sister, which immediately interested me because any books about sisterly relationships interest me. So I was a little disappointed when I started reading and realized the sister plot took a backseat to the father dying. Fair enough, dying should trump dysfunctional sibling dynamics. But I wanted more between Hannah and Janie. There weren’t enough conversations or confrontations. That’s very true to life, I suppose, but I couldn’t help feeling like something was missing. Ms. Chung’s writing is glorious, though: descriptive and beautiful.
I wish the same could be said for Hannah and Janie. They were not very likeable. Yes, they both had issues, understandable issues, but they annoyed me. I never liked them at the same time: I'd side with one during one fight then side with the other during another fight.
Nothing funny happened in this book and no characters made me laugh, so I should not have liked Forgotten Country. But I did. That is a testament to Catherine Chung. Will I read her next book? Yes, I think I will.
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