White Chrysanthemum

Written by Mary Lynn Bracht

Narrated by Greta Jung

For fans of Lisa Wingate’s Before We Were Yours and Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, a deeply moving novel that follows two Korean sisters separated by World War II.

Korea, 1943. Hana has lived her entire life under Japanese occupation. As a haenyeo, a female diver of the sea, she enjoys an independence that few other Koreans can still claim. Until the day Hana saves her younger sister from a Japanese soldier and is herself captured and transported to Manchuria. There she is forced to become a “comfort woman” in a Japanese military brothel. But haenyeo are women of power and strength. She will find her way home.

South Korea, 2011. Emi has spent more than sixty years trying to forget the sacrifice her sister made, but she must confront the past to discover peace. Seeing the healing of her children and her country, can Emi move beyond the legacy of war to find forgiveness?

Suspenseful, hopeful, and ultimately redemptive, White Chrysanthemum tells a story of two sisters whose love for each other is strong enough to triumph over the grim evils of war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Audio
• Release date: Jan 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9780525497660

Reviews for White Chrysanthemum

[daumari · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Accidentally inhaled this in one bedtime reading sitting. The title refers to the flowers of mourning in Korea, as this is a tale of tragedy, viewed through the past as it was happening to Hana, the older sister, and from a contemporary point of view as Emi, the younger sister, nears the end of her life but is determined to find out what happened to Hana.

It's upsetting that it wasn't until 1991 that survivors began to speak about their "comfort women" experiences, and that part of why this was largely buried from the public mind was 50 years of purity culture shame. A riveting story, and as the author notes at the end, a reminder that war atrocities on women still continue to this day.

[ASF1984 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In 1943, Korea is occupied by the Japanese and two sisters growing up within the Haenyeo community on Jeju Island are violently separated. Throughout the novel, we learn what happened to each of them and how they tried to survive with the hope of reuniting someday. A tremendous, harsh, and very current story. Women who suffer, abused women, damaged women, degraded women, women who survive in war. Highly recommended. ? (Translated from Spanish)

[siok-76276 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hana and Emi are sisters separated by the former's act of courage and sacrifice. Hana thought she spared Emi from the ravages of being a comfort woman but Emi led a life of guilt and shame and could never fully focus on the present. Towards the end of her life, she found peace when she found her sister in the form of a commemorative statue. The author also revealed at the end of the book what happened to Hana. I am sure this is not the author's intention, but I can't help thinking that their story is an illustration that our best intentions may not end up being the best and may make things worst. How would Hana feel if she knew that her sacrifice had ended up making Emi guilty and unhappy for most of her life?

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is during WWII, and 16-year old Hana is a haenyeo with her mother in he water on Jeju Island in Korea when she is stolen from the beach in an effort to protect her younger sister from the soldier Hana spotted. She is taken with other young girls to a brothel in Manchuria to “service” the soldiers (these girls/women are later known as “comfort women”). In 2011, an older woman, Emi, is still haenyeo, but has two middle-aged children in Seoul. Emi has kept plenty of secrets from her children about her life when she was younger.

I was not prepared for the amount of violence and rape. I must have known that would be the case when I added it to my tbr, but often, between the time of adding a book to my tbr and actually reading it, I forget what the book is about. I only remembered it being about haenyeo (women divers in Korea). That being said, although I learned about haenyeo in Lisa See’s book, I didn’t know about “comfort women”; the two books have a different focus.

I often like one storyline more than the other in these dual timeline books, but although Hana’s story is the more jarring and powerful of the two (I often “like” those better), I think Emi’s story gave me a bit of a break from Hana’s abuse. Oddly, although I often don’t like unrealistic endings, this one didn’t bother me (and the author explains in her note why she ended it this way). Overall, I thought this was very good.

[lorisbook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Korea is under Japanese Occupation and young women are in danger of capture. If captured they are transported to Manchuria and end up servicing the Japanese Army as 'Comfort' women.

From a young age, Hana's mother would state to her, " Look for your sister after each dive. Never forget, if you see her, you are safe."

The whole situation of Hana watching the soldier along the bank, from the water, was riveting. Hana distracts the soldier and saves her sister. But, she is transported to Manchuria and forced to be sex slave.

This harrowing story offers Hana's life beginning in WWII and Emi 2011.

This book was well written and yet horrific. I have many reservations about it. I seldom walk away from a read but I had to multiple times during this.

I do believe 'White Chrysanthemum' will be a topic of many book club discussions.

[ValeGomez24 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful!! It’s a book I didn't know until I saw it in the Libro's World group proposed for a joint reading, and the truth is that until I started reading it, I couldn't imagine what was hidden within it.

All the pain, the human misery, the humiliations, the evil of war, a war I also didn't know about, I had no idea of everything narrated, but it's clear that the author is very well documented. And it makes you want to know more about these topics.

On one hand, the story of Hana who in 1943 is kidnapped by Japanese soldiers to be turned into a comfort woman, and on the other, the story of Emi in 2011. Both stories are narrated in a beautiful way, but that doesn't make them any less painful and sad. The book keeps your heart in a fist.

The characters are very well defined although at first, I got a little mixed up with the names of the secondary characters, probably because I wasn't used to Asian names.

I can't say much more without giving away too much of the plot, although it doesn't really matter; it’s a book that has to be read, that reflects the cruelty of wars on women. It doesn't talk about war in general but how it affects people, their more human side and also their more cruel side. (Translated from Spanish)

[jarabetica · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

January 2023 Book 13 ?????

I have learned more about history from the books I have read throughout my life than what I taught in class. White Chrysanthemum is one of those books that delves into the hidden history, the problems and hardships faced by the inhabitants of Jeju, a small island south of South Korea, invaded by Japan and forced to lose its identity, language, writing, dances, and songs; even its Korean inhabitants lost their names. They lost their children who were forcibly taken to fight for Japan, and their daughters were kidnapped and turned into sex slaves for the soldiers, a fact not acknowledged.

White Chrysanthemum is not a comfortable book; it is one of those books that you suffer through while reading. You put yourself in Hana's shoes because you quickly empathize with the protagonist, a 16-year-old girl living in Jeju in 1943. She belongs to the Haenyeo, the free women who provide for their own sustenance and do not depend on a man to survive, diving deep into the sea to find food that they sell in the market, a profession passed down from mothers to daughters, where it is a great honor to belong to this curious occupation even at an old age.

The action begins when Hana, after coming up for air from a dive, sees a Japanese soldier lurking near Emi, her beloved younger sister. Without thinking of herself, she saves her sister, but she is captured and taken from her homeland to a cruel fate, becoming a sex slave for the Japanese army in combat. From that point on, we enter a book in which you sometimes have to stop reading because you cannot fathom the extent of human malice and how much a victim of absolute cruelty can endure.

In the book, we have two timelines and two protagonists: Hana in 1943 and what she has to endure in her captivity, and Emi in the present, now an old woman, reflecting on her sister who disappeared in childhood. In such cases, the victim is not only the one who suffers the abduction; the family and its moral consequences also endure extreme hardship.

It is one of those books you can't stop reading, absolutely recommended.

As an important note, the book mentions that nearly 200,000 women were captured as sex slaves in South Korea by Japan, and today only 46 of those women are still alive. (Translated from Spanish)

[MonteAquino · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It is one of the harshest novels I have read in a long time. Disgust, indignation, hatred, sorrow, and an infinite sadness are provoked by the reading of this book, whose title refers to the flower that symbolizes grief, pain, and mourning in Asian culture.
In the 1940s, while Europe was collapsing and fighting against the Nazi invasion, in the Asian continent, the Japanese were invading and exterminating their neighbors, swollen with a pompous and belligerent attitude. Like the Germans, their leaders wanted to expand their borders at the cost of others' suffering. They subjugated Korea (which at that time was not divided) among other territories and prohibited any manifestation of its culture and language.
The Koreans learned, the hard way, to live with their heads down, to disguise their traditions, and to hide their daughters.
On the island of Jeju, women were the ones who harvested seafood, spending much time submerged in the sea. The haenyeos, as they were called, were proud of their humble yet respected profession.
Hana is a sixteen-year-old teenager who dives and contributes to the family economy while taking care of her nine-year-old sister, Emi. One morning, a Japanese soldier arrives at the beach, and Hana intervenes to save her sister. He kidnaps her and takes her to a train with other young girls. It is unknown what happens to the girls that are kidnapped. No one has ever returned. But it is hinted at.
Hana will become a comfort woman, a woman for the use and pleasure of Japanese soldiers. She will rebel against her horrific life, a life without hope. She will witness and be part of terrible tragedies. Years later, her sister Emi, whose life will also not be easy, will search for her.
Thousands of girls were used by the Japanese as if they were disposable objects. Very few survived, and those who did lived in hiding out of shame.
In 1992, a group of women began to protest and demand their history. They wanted the truth to come to light and claimed that their story be known and an apology be issued. The Korean government inaugurated a statue in their honor. Japan requested its removal. Even today they continue to seek justice and an apology that does not come.
White Chrysanthemum is the story of one of these girls, and I swear I was tempted to put the book down in its early chapters. The fact that it was a group read, being able to discuss it with the group, and not leaving Hana helpless, accompanying her to the end, made me finish reading it, but if I had known... (Translated from Spanish)

[Pili Torres · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brutal!!. First book by this South Korean author. With simple language that captivates you from the first page, it tells the story of two sisters separated since childhood, Hana and Emi. A hard narrative, inspired by real events, even though it is a work of fiction. "Haenyeo" women, masters in diving, tasked with maintaining their home, a tradition passed down from mothers to daughters generation after generation. And from there emerges this novel that I couldn't continue discussing without revealing something about the plot, and for that, there's already the synopsis. ? (Translated from Spanish)

[marizarod · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is a very powerful and heartbreaking story that talks about one of the thousands of women kidnapped to serve as prostitutes for the Japanese army. It speaks of the pain and anguish of a family. Highly recommended. (Translated from Spanish)

[Yisnabook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story is set in two timelines, present and past, each told by two sisters living during the Japanese occupation in Korea, Hana and Emi, who belong to an ancient lineage of divers known as haenyeo, earning their living by diving in the depths of Jeju Island.

It is a reading that pays tribute to all the women and families who have been victims of war crimes, who have lost their homes, families, and their own identity. It speaks of the scars that never leave you when your soul has been stolen.

I started the book on page 308 with the author's note to gain a better context of what I was about to read, and then I followed the timeline and subsequently began the first chapter; it seems like a way to understand the political and social moment in which the novel is set.

I began suffering with Hana, which is perhaps the story that might capture your attention the most. However, as the book progresses, I can say that Emi's story is endearing and equally painful.

It is a reading that I highly recommend. (Translated from Spanish)

[Aurinka · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hana lives on Jeju Island and is a haenyeo (woman of the sea in Korean) just like her mother, her grandmother, and her little sister will also be. They free dive to fish and feed their families, a tradition passed down from generation to generation. She is 16 years old and has just celebrated her coming-of-age ritual; she is a happy girl living a simple life with her family. One day, she sees a Japanese soldier approaching the shore where her little sister is guarding the day's catch. Hana swims to save her, but she will be captured and taken along with thousands of girls and women to the brothels that the Japanese army has for its soldiers. A harsh story, because of the truth of what it recounts, narrated in two timelines, 1943 and 2011. With simple but moving prose that cuts through you in the face of such injustice and horror committed.

This novel is a tribute to all the girls and women who were abducted and used as sex slaves by the Japanese army during World War II. Euphemistically referred to as "comfort women." It is estimated that there were about 200,000, although some historians believe the number is nearly double. They deserve to not be forgotten and for their story to be known. Even today, they await an apology from the Japanese government, which downplays the issue by saying that they were prostitutes who went of their own accord and were paid. (Translated from Spanish)

[EVIDAURRE · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A truly powerful story, full of devastating moments that keep hammering in your mind. It seems like fiction, but this is based on real events, which adds an extra layer for the reader, making them wonder how these women endured so much. At least that was my experience every time I had to read the harsh story of Hana and Emi.
In a context where Korea is under Japanese occupation, Hana and her sister suffer from their actions and are subjected to a scenario where they must follow the cruel orders of the most powerful.
The sad and inhumane environment that the first must endure becomes a stake that deeply pierces the second sister over the years. Emi's melancholy and suffering are no less significant, as they are essential to understand her pain throughout the years and how it influenced the person who tells us part of the story.
A plot that feels raw, narrated from two perspectives, written painfully, particularly due to the described environment where the girls were kidnapped and sexually enslaved. It is a harsh tale, but the quality of the story merits a chance.

⚠️P.S.: IF YOU LIKED MY REVIEW OR ANY OTHER USER'S, THE LIKE GOES IN THE HEART ABOVE; NEXT TO WHERE IT SAYS "DID YOU LIKE THIS REVIEW?". OR IF IN DOUBT, IN BOTH. THANK YOU. (Translated from Spanish)

[pabloZL · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In this, her first book, Mary Lynn Bracht conveys pain drawn directly from a moment in history that must not be forgotten.

During World War II, Korea lives under Japanese rule which imposes significant repression on the culture and rights of its inhabitants (They aren't even allowed to speak in their own language). Under that regime, Korean girls and women are taken, without warning, by Japanese soldiers and forcibly taken to the front lines to become part of the so-called "comfort women," who were sexually used by soldiers at the front. They believed it was their "right" as soldiers for risking their lives for the Emperor, and that it would help them achieve victory in the war. These women were repeatedly raped. Some of them until their bodies could take no more, and they were thrown into a common grave. Because of this, many families lived without knowing their final whereabouts.

These terrible historical facts are the foundation of "White Chrysanthemum." A story where it is impossible not to be moved and feel empathy for the protagonists. You witness heartbreaking moments generated by the abuse and lack of humanity that arise in times of war. It is striking to witness the wounds inflicted on the souls of the victims, and that "inner shame" accompanies them for life. (Unjust shame, by the way). Reading the story left me not indifferent; on the contrary, it gave me moments to reflect and want to learn more about that part of history that I was unaware of.

Although the narrative is fictional, Mary Lynn Bracht seeks to highlight and deliver a real message, condemning the acts committed by the Japanese army during World War II and paying homage to the thousands of "comfort women" who endured these crimes and continue to suffer to this day. Japan does not fully acknowledge or rather tries to downplay the acts committed by its soldiers and authorities, which is regrettable.

A book that I am definitely grateful to have read.

OCTOBER-2021 (Translated from Spanish)

[Jacqui · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Recommendation! Recommendation!

Today I have a book that truly shatters your little heart into a thousand pieces, and the harshest part is that it is based on true events...

?Book: White Chrysanthemum
?Author: @marylynnbracht
?Publisher: @harpercollinsmx
?Review:

<< For the nights that seem to stretch like shadows of the profound and that mark the light >>

?This book tells us the story of Hanna, who makes a sacrifice of love to protect her younger sister Emi from being kidnapped by Japanese soldiers in 1943 on Jeju Island.

?After this, it will take us by the hand with interspersed chapters about Hanna's life after being stripped of her freedom and everything she suffers in this process, along with Emi, who finds herself in 2011 as a mother of two children, never having gotten over the sudden disappearance of her older sister.

<< No tragedy is too much to bear, and never forget the ones that fight for you. >>

?You can't imagine the anger, frustration, and helplessness you feel while reading this book when you discover everything these little girls go through, who are never the same after such unimaginable events. ??

?It is a recommendation because without a doubt it is something we all need to know, and above all, to raise our voices for the little ones who did not live their childhoods like any other girl and especially for those who never received justice for the crimes of which they were victims. (Translated from Spanish)

[MagalyProcopio · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story is told in two timelines (1943 and 2011) by two sisters who were separated. Hanna is kidnapped by a soldier while trying to protect her sister, and her fate is sexual exploitation. Emie will have to live with loss, guilt, shame, and a forced marriage.

A heartbreaking story that unfortunately many women have lived and continue to live. (Translated from Spanish)

[Covita09 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A story that moves between Korea in 1943 and South Korea in 2011. It tells the tale of two sisters separated by the Japanese invasion of Korea and the subsequent war that divided the country in two. The brutalities of the Japanese during the period of occupation and war that they inflicted on women. Historians estimate that nearly 200,000 women were captured to be used as sex slaves for the soldiers and officers fighting on the front lines. Korean women today have not even received an official apology from the Japanese government. Very harsh, but very instructive. (Translated from Spanish)

[scot2-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book. I haven't read anything about Korea during the Japanese occupation. I had heard of comfort women but had not read anything in depth about them. This book was so sad; the World war and then the ensuing Korean war disrupted the lives of two young Korean sisters and their family. I must read more about this subject

[mbmackay · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A first novel by a writer with a good future. Deals with an awful topic - sexual slavery by the Japanese military in WW2, but manages to deliver a highly readable tale in spite of the content.
I knew much a the broad issue of the so-called "comfort women", but the book provided additional information - for example the 2015 agreement between Japan and South Korea includes a provision to never speak of the issue again. Amazing. Appalling.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher.*

Like the best historical fiction, this book combines little-known aspects of history and culture with world-changing events. The novel tells the story of a young Korean haenyeo woman (she's from a tradition of women who dive in the sea for fish to make a living) who is captured by a Japanese soldier and becomes a "comfort woman" in Japanese-controlled Manchuria. I knew abstractly of the "comfort women" who served in a forced prostitution to the Japanese army during the WWII-era, but this book brought home the reality of what this actually meant. This book also grappled with the long-term consequences and what should be done to remember and make retribution for what happened to these women.

[janarose1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hana, a Korean female diver, sacrifices everything to save her little sister from a Japanese soldier. Taking her place, Hana is captured and sent to a brothel to live as a comfort woman. 70 years later, Emi, Hana's little sister, takes part in a demonstration, demanding that the Japanese government acknowledge the atrocities that happened in Korea under Japanese occupation. When Emi see's a newly revealed statue of a comfort woman, she instantly knows that it is her sister.

This was a fascinating, and heartbreaking story. The writing style itself was beautifully written, conveying the devastation that both sisters felt. This is definitely one of the best books that I've read in 2017 and I look forward to reading more from this author.

[debkrenzer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5 Stars

Wow! This was definitely an eye opening read. Not only was it very interesting, poignant and moving, it was based on a real tragedy. I had absolutely no idea that "comfort women" had existed. Estimates of over 200,000 women were kidnapped from their homes & families and brought to brothels where they were brutalized, humiliated and made to service soldiers. Sometimes, 15 to 20 men a day. Estimates are many of these women were never seen again.

My heart ached for Hana and Emiko. The atrocities they suffered were severe and totally animal like.

The author did a great job in portraying these women. I enjoyed my time with them, meanwhile, my heart going out to them.

A beautifully written story about a horrible, horrible atrocity.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[slevyr26 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dear Ms. Bracht, thank you for this story.

My heart is totally broken. This book covers a lesser-known piece of history that I never knew existed but that I am so glad I have been made aware of. The story of innocent girls who were stolen from their homes without warning to "service" Japanese soldiers during their country's occupation of Korea before/during/after World War II is so so so important.

You know exactly what I mean by "service." What you may not know is the brutality and utter inhumanity that came along with this servicing. Girls like Hana and Keiko and what may possibly be hundreds of thousands of other Korean (among other ethnic and regional groups) girls and women were treated as sub-humans. Their feelings and their wants, their mental, physical and emotional states all meant absolutely nothing to anyone once they were forcibly removed from their homes and their families. They were treated as less than nothing, all for the sake of Japanese soldiers who wanted one last "comfort" before going to the front lines to fight in the war.

You will get chills reading this and not the good kind. You will be horrified by the crimes committed by these monsters upon these young girls, some not even teenagers. I won't forget Hana or Emi any time soon. I won't forget their pain and their sacrifices, simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their spirits will stay with me and will remind me of their struggles. They will be recognized and remembered, even if the Japanese and Korean governments refuse to speak their names and their truths.

Thank you to the publishers for an opportunity to read this book in advance. Thank you Mary Lynn Bracht for writing this incredibly important book.

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a harrowing story of two Korean sisters under the Japanese occupation. Hana is a haenyeo, one of the female divers like her mother on their beautiful island of Jeju. The divers enjoy an independence that other Koreans do not. They catch their own food and are allowed to sell the surplus in the market. Hana has a younger sister, Emi who waits on the shore keeping the birds from eating their catch. Their mother entrusts Hana with the safety of her little sister at all times. They live a happy and productive life in spite of the occupation until one day as Hana comes up from under the sea, she sees a Japanese soldier heading towards the beach where Emi sits. To save her little sister, Hana swims quickly ashore and attracts the attention of the soldier while telling her sister to stay quiet and hidden. Hana is captured and transported to Manchuria and forced to become a "comfort woman" to the Japanese soldiers...at age 16. As we read about this, we are also reading in the present time about Emi. She has spent more than sixty years living with the guilt over her sister's sacrifice. The lives of both sisters are both heroic, tragic and completely spellbinding. I read this book in one sitting last night. The author's notes are not to be missed. She explains the history behind the story telling us that between 50,000 and 200,000 of South Korean women were kidnapped and forced to become comfort women to the Japanese army. Most of the time their parents did not know what happened to them. The history of these "comfort women" was unknown until 1991 when one brave woman, Kim Hak-sun told her story and filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government. A book not to be missed.

[fredreeca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I do not know where to start…this book is amazing!

Hana is a female diver of the sea. One day when she is coming up from a dive, she notices Japanese soldiers heading for her little sister who is on the beach. Hana does everything in her power to save her sister, Emi. And she does, but at the cost of her freedom. Hana is captured and forced to become a “comfort girl” for the Japanese army.

First off, let’s touch base with what is a “comfort girl”. As a blogger we are told not to quote a book unless we compare to the final copy. I have not compared this but I am quoting this anyway. This is a comfort girl “Ten hours a day, six days a week, she services soldiers. She is raped by 20 men a day”. Hana was only 16!

This is a tragic, heart wrenching story. It really takes you through an emotional roller coaster from the very first chapter. I was captivated all the way till the end. The novel is told by Hana during the occupation in the 1940s and also by Emi during present day. This is a tale of love and tragedy shared by two sisters. This is NOT TO BE MISSED! Read this TODAY!

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a book with very hard to read subject matter. It is a beautiful book and an ugly book,and a book based on historical truisms. It is also about historical events of which I had no knowledge.

Hana comes from a long line of strong women who are called haenyo, they dive for a living, capturing the bottom feeders of sea creatures, which will be sold at the market. Emi, her younger sister, still not a strong enough swimmer, stays on shore to guard the catch. The Japanese are the occupiers of South Korea, and the women have been warned about these men, never to be found alone. When she sees her younger sister about to become a victim, Hana does the only thing possible, drawing their eyes from her sister and on to herself. A beautiful act of unselfish love.

Forced to endure sex as a comfort women, to the Japanese, though in her case it is a particular enemy, Morimoto, who will become her keeper and enslaver. The book alternates between the fate of Hana and other women, and Emi, now in her seventies. She still dives, freer in the water than on land with her aged body, and the life she now leads. A story that is both poignant and horrifying, but told very well.

The authors note explains the history behind the story. Between 50,000 and 200,000 of South Korean women were kidnapped and forced to become comfort women to the Japanese army. Most times their parents did not know what happened to them, their fate unknown. I loved both these women, Hana, her strength of character and Emi, who seeks closure. As I said some scenes are hard to read, they are graphic, but they happened. Are in fact still happening to women of many nations. Why is it that men wage war, and women left behind pay the price? What the men went through is acknowledged, we now understand PTSD and other effects of war, though I admit I find even their treatment subpar. What women have gone through is little talked about, if they are lucky enough to return home their family is often too embarrassed to talk and often hide what happened. A guilty shame. So books like this are important. They force us to see and feel for those lost in the shadows.

ARC from Edelweiss.

[alekee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author lets us get up close and personal with two sisters, Hana and Emi, and when the story begins they live a good life in South Korea. Their mother and Hana are female divers in the local sea, and earn a living capturing the fresh seafood.
All this ideal life comes to a tragic end when Hana is taken by the Japanese, and life as she knew it ceases to exist. The author then takes us into the realities of war and human sex slaves, the part of war that tends to be swept under rug.
We later learn how Emi has been affected her whole life from growing up from the innocent four-year-old, to an elderly woman. Through it all she continues to search for her missing sister.
We soon learn the meaning of the title of the book, and why they are
A story that needs to be told, and with the people we will remember, and dark time in history, and we hope not to be repeated.

I received this book through Net Galley and Penguin Group Putman Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.

[lauriebrown54 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In 1943, sixteen year old Hana is happy with her life as a newly fledged haenyeo woman, free diving for abalone, urchins, oysters, and more in the waters of Jeju, a small island off by what is now South Korea. All her life, Korea has been under Japanese occupation. Her people are required to speak Japanese and obey the Japanese soldiers. It’s a hard life, but her family is happy.

Then one day as she is swimming in to the shore, she sees a Japanese soldier making his way down the beach, where her little sister sits, watching their catch, hidden by some large rocks. It’s only a matter of minutes before he discovers Emi, and young girls are frequently taken by the soldiers, taken to be ‘comfort women’ in military run brothels. Hana runs to the beach, allowing herself to be taken instead. Thus begins her life in hell; life as a sex slave, raped over and over again by Japanese soldiers in a tiny room from which she’s rarely allowed out of.

The story alternates point of views between Hana as she strives to find a way to escape, and Emi, in 2011, who has never forgotten her sister and has never stopped looking for her. Her life, too, has been miserable; Korea’s constant state of occupation and war has not made life easy for anyone. Now she comes to Seoul, to see her grown children and to attend a Wednesday Demonstration- the weekly protest aimed at getting justice from Japan for the sex slave business they were in. She comes, hoping against hope to see her sister. Her children have no idea that their aunt was a sex slave; it shocks them when Emi finally tells them.

The story is, frankly, horrific. But while this volume is fiction, these things really happened to the people of Korea- and the other countries that were under Japanese occupation during this period. The book is really hard to read, because of the subject matter and the verisimilitude of the scenes of sexual violence, but it’s so well written that I just couldn’t put it down. My heart ached for Hana, and for Emi, too. Excellent book, five stars, but could be very triggering for victims of sexual violence.