Wait for Me

By An Na

A teen pretends to be a perfect daughter, but her reality is far darker, in this penetrating look at identity and finding yourself amidst parents’ dreams for you, by Printz Award–winning novelist An Na.

Mina seems like the perfect daughter. Straight A student. Bound for Harvard. Helps out at her family’s dry cleaning store. Takes care of her hearing-impaired little sister. She is her parents’ pride and joy. From the outside, Mina is doing everything right. On the inside, Mina knows the truth. Her perfect-daughter life is a lie. And it isn’t until she meets someone to whom she cannot lie that she’s willing to consider what the truth might mean, and what it will cost. Because Ysrael, the young migrant worker who dreams of becoming a musician and who comes to work for her family, asks Mina the one question that scares her the most: What does she actually want?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Release date: Sep 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781481442442

An Na

An Na was born in Korea and grew up in San Diego, California. A former middle school English and history teacher, she is the critically acclaimed author of The Fold, Wait for Me, the National Book Award finalist and Printz Award–winning novel A Step from Heaven, and The Place Between Breaths. She lives in Vermont.

Book preview

prologue

SHE WALKS ALONE IN the rain. The faded pink pajama bottoms and oversized T-shirt clinging to her small frame, heavy with the weight of water. Her breath breaks inside her chest in an upward heave that strangles a cry escaping from her throat. Gulps of air. Her shoulders rising and falling. How much time has passed? She presses the heel of her hand against the tears that blur her vision. Though her chest still throbs, demanding air, she begins to run again. Looks down at her feet and urges them to fly faster, skim across the pavement.

The city, a dusty camouflage of grays punctuated with dots of colors from traffic lights and swirling neon signs, stretches awake in the early-morning drizzle. In the distance there is the slam of metal gates being pushed aside, revealing cluttered storefronts and display windows. The heartbeat of the city thickens with the heat of summer rising as steam from the streets, with the noise of cars speeding across the freeway, with the multitude of voices and languages rising up to greet each other. The day begins, yet all Suna can see is the memory of a face framed by night. A face so familiar, so loved, she can name each imperfection, each mark as though they are her own.

Suna runs forward without a glance, without a thought. To the car rounding the curve of the freeway off-ramp. The road slick with oil and rain. She pumps her arms and wills herself into the light.

mina

I FOUND HER SLEEPING on the couch, her body curled to one side, her head lodged against the faded green armrest. I pushed her damp bangs off her forehead and whispered in her good ear. Suna.

She stirred in her sleep, an arm flung up over her head. Her stuffed dog peeked out from under her neck.

Suna. I dangled her hearing aid in front of her, letting it bump against her forehead. Her eyes remained closed. I gently shook her shoulder. Suna, wake up.

Her eyes fluttered and then finally opened. She looked blankly into my face for a moment before a smile skimmed across her lips.

Hi, Uhn-nee, she said and rubbed the sleep from her eyes using the back of her hand, fingers curled like a baby. If only she knew how young she looked when she did that, she would have stopped instantly. She was always protesting that she wasn’t a baby anymore, this sister of mine. Certainly a baby couldn’t start middle school. She had been certain that the summer would work magic. Make her grow in all the right places. And here it was the beginning of August and my old training bra was still in the dresser.

Suna sat up and moved to one side so that I could sit down. I kicked out my legs to rest them on the coffee table and dropped the hearing aid into her lap. In a practiced gesture, Suna held her hair back with one hand and dropped her chin as she hooked the larger molded plastic amplifier behind her ear and inserted the smaller piece into the canal. She smoothed her hair back over her ear.

I’m going to chain you to your bed if you don’t stop sleepwalking, I joked even as I thought seriously about taking her to the doctor at the clinic. The sleepwalking had been kind of funny at first, but when it didn’t stop, it started to freak me out. Sometimes if I caught her as she was getting out of bed, she seemed completely awake. Eyes open and everything.

Did Uhmma and Apa leave already? Suna asked. She glanced behind her to the kitchen as though expecting them to be eating.

A long time ago, I said and checked my watch. Seven a.m. Come on. I stood up. It’s late. Uhmma’s gonna be pissed if we don’t hurry up.

A dry cleaning business set time by the rising sun. And there were never enough hands. With the business so slow the last few years, there wasn’t money to hire employees. Uhmma and Apa relied on us, and mostly me, to help out at every opportunity. Before school, after school, during vacations and summers.

As Suna and I walked toward the car, I could almost see the tiny waves of heat trapped inside, ready to bake us alive. As soon as we opened the doors, the hot air poured out, pooling around our legs. Suna and I furiously rolled down the windows and adjusted the beach towels that kept the backs of our thighs from being scorched by the hot vinyl. I tossed my ponytail over one shoulder and jammed the key into the ignition.

Wait, Uhn-nee! Suna shouted.

I sighed and slouched in my seat. Suna closed her eyes and began to mutter, talking to the car she had named Sally. The white Nissan Sentra was older than God, but Suna believed it just needed some coaxing.

Okay, Suna said after a minute.

Sally said she’d work for us today? I asked and smiled.

I told her I’d wash her windows if she was good. Suna quickly patted the burning-hot dashboard, then blew on her hand. She treated the car like a pet, rewarding it when everything ran smoothly, gently chiding when we had to take it in for service. It all started the day she learned that plants responded to music and talking. No matter how much I tried to reason with her, she continued talking to the car.

I turned the ignition and held my breath. These last few days had been so odd. What with the Santa Ana winds starting up so early in the middle of summer instead of the fall, Suna sleepwalking, the washing machines breaking down. Everything felt off balance.

Sally sputtered to life, her guttural engine barely catching. One more day. Already the sweat pooled behind my knees and trickled down my calves. I turned on the radio and eased out of the parking space, slowly driving over the three speed bumps that led out of the apartment complex, then turned onto the main street.

El Cajon Boulevard. Six lanes of black asphalt stretching far into the horizon, shimmering with waves of heat. Strip malls lined up on either side with their garish painted signs. A song about summer came on. Something about soaking up the sun. What a joke. But I started to sing along. Loud as I could until Suna broke into laughter. It always amazed me how music could take me to another place. It didn’t matter if I was at church singing in the chorus about God or jamming to the radio or listening to my CDs. Even the most insipid song had something. A beat, a melody, that lone bass holding everything together. But when a song was right, when everything fell together, each note, each rise and dip of the voice filled me with a sense of yearning. A vastness. The sensation of flight seeping into my skin until I was skimming through the air, the music holding me aloft.

Red light. Even this early on a summer day, the migrant workers stood on the corners, waiting for work. For a pickup truck to slow down and stop, a pale arm reaching out the window, motioning for two or three to hop in back. I didn’t understand how they could stand to be dressed in those plaid button-down long-sleeve shirts and jeans. Weren’t they dying in all those clothes? The light turned green and I sped past.

I flipped on the right turn signal, eased the car into the parking lot of one of the strip malls. I could see Uhmma through the glass walls of the dry cleaners. She was at the front, looking through the cash register.

Damn. I stepped on the brake. What is she doing?

I turned the wheel too quickly, making Sally squeal in protest, and parked in the alley behind Uhmma and Apa’s van.

Suna turned in her seat to look at me.

I sat still for a moment and stared at the open back door of the dry cleaners. What were the chances? What was the worst Uhmma could do? There was plenty, but would she even know from looking at the receipts? I had been the only one to handle them since the beginning of summer. I cursed under my breath. I should have doctored them yesterday. It was too late now.

Come on, I said, and Suna and I stepped out of the car and walked toward the dry cleaners. Even in this heat, walking into the store was like stepping from the clouds straight into hell.

suna

SUNA STICKS HER ARM out the window, pushing her hand through the hot air as the car speeds down the street. Her hand dives down, then up, down, up, a roller-coaster ride, a kite on the beach. The wind whips back her shoulder-length hair, making her smile at the way it flies around her head as though disconnected from her body. Suna hears her sister singing and though Mina is but an arm’s reach away, Mina’s voice must travel oceans before Suna can register the voice she knows like it is her own. It has always been like this. Since she was a baby. And even with the hearing aid, the sounds of the world filter into her mind tinny and light as a wind chime swinging in a breeze.

Suna closes her eyes, tries to guess which store they are going to pass next. Tan to Tan, she whispers to herself and opens her eyes. Two stores too early. They are only at Oriental Nails II. She closes her eyes to try again. Red light. Open.

He sits at the bus bench. Not on the seat, but on top of the backrest, his feet splayed out on the bench, elbows on his knees, shoulders hunched forward, hands clasped in front. She can’t quite see his eyes, his cap is pulled down too low. But she notices a scar the size of half an orange etched just to the right of his chin. Like a crescent moon, Suna thinks.

Moon says something out of the corner of his lips. The man next to him shakes his head no, then says something to make Moon smile, his scar flattening, stretching until it almost seems like a dimple. Maybe it is the sound of their radio or the way Suna’s arm is draped out the window, but Moon lifts his eyes. To the street. To the car. For her. Suna freezes, unable to look away. Caught in his gaze. In the lightning-flash smile breaking across his face. He nods hello. Green light.

Suna closes her eyes and tries to recapture the moment. She holds his face like a point of light suspended against the darkness.

From across the oceans, Suna hears her older sister’s voice, senses Mina sitting up straighter. And then he is gone. Lost to the day. Suna returns for Mina.

mina

I BRACED MYSELF FOR Uhmma’s anger, walking quickly through the back of the store, dodging all the plastic-wrapped clothes suspended from the conveyor belt, and headed straight for the problem.

Hi, Uhmma, I

Reviews for Wait for Me

[jessika.c · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Trigger warning for RapeMIna is in her senior year of high school. She's worked too hard to build an image that her mother can be proud of for it to crumble to pieces because of a boy that she refuses to allow to seduce her. All her mother wants is for her to apply to Harvard and get a good job so she won't have to marry a poor man that runs a dry cleaning business, like her father. Unfortunately for Mina, her grades are so pitiful that she probably couldn't go to a University. To get away from under her mother's thumb she had recruited the help of a boy that she knew her mother would approve of and who would do anything she wanted him to do because of how he felt for her. When things went too far, Mina had to resort to other ways and start stealing from her family's business to save up for a time when she could move away. She feels guilty at the thought of leaving her almost deaf little sister Suna but she has dreams that can't be followed under her strict Korean mother's gaze. Suna sees a Mexican boy with a beautiful moon scar that finds employment in her family's dry cleaning business and watches as he and her sister look at each other with an intensity that makes her feel things she had never felt before. The writing was so good I kept reading because I was moved by the great descriptions. The plot itself was kind of a letdown. After reading the author's note at the end I can totally tell it was because she wasn't really sure what kind of story she wanted to write after her debut novel that apparently was a big hit (I'm looking to read that one soon). This book was a little all over the place with a touch of family themes, finding oneself, following your dreams, ableism, racism among POCs, it was a little too much with no real impact for any of them. I felt like none of these things got resolved or that Mina actually learned anything from them because the ending was so vague and open-ended I felt empty after finishing.

[bohemiangirl35 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Mina, a teenaged daughter of Korean immigrant parents, is living a lie to please her mother. She is lying about her grades which are not good enough to get into Harvard and stealing money from the family's dry cleaning business. Umma pressures Mina to be perfect, to wear the right clothes, get the best grades so she can get into the best school, get the best job, meet the best husband, have the best family and of course, the best life. Mina feels smothered since her whole life is school, studying, and working at the dry cleaners. Her one escape is listening to her CDs in the closet. Mina's parents hire a Mexican teenager Ysrale to do the heavy work after her father throws out his back. Her mother doesn't trust him because he's not Korean, but her father likes him. Suna has a crush on him and Mina begins a relationship with him. He urges Mina to think for herself and live for herself. The relationship builds overnight and Mina starts skipping study sessions to be with Ysrale and takes Suna with her.The book is typical teen angst. None of the characters are fully developed and they all seem like props or background noise to Mina's self-absorbed thoughts.

[phong96_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Wait for Me" by An Na illustrate family comes before anything else. In the beginning, the protagonist struggle to go school and work at her family dry cleaner store. In the middle, the protagonist meet a young Mexican men that came to fix one of the broken dry cleaner. The protagonist and the young men soon had feeling for each other so they went out. In the end, the young men had to go to San Francisco to follow his dream playing music. The protagonist waas suppose to come along but she turn back and went back home with her family.

[escondidolibrary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Mina and Suna are Korean American sisters that work at their parents' dry cleaning business in San Diego. Mina's mother thinks she's headed for Harvard, but her grades haven't been good for years and she's stressed out about telling her mother that Harvard is out of the question. Then a sensitive young man comes to work at the dry cleaning business and Mina finally starts to face up to her future.

[catnelson_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As her senior year in high school approaches, Mina yearns to find her own path in life but working at the family business, taking care of her little sister, and dealing with her mother's impossible expectations are as stifling as the southern California heat, until she falls in love with a man who offers a way out

[mysteena · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

If I were a teenager, I'd probably enjoy this book a lot more. I guess I'm too cynical when it comes to love nowadays to enjoy the swooning and the "wait for me" aspect of the book. However, I did feel that the relationship between the sisters, and the mother, was very interesting and enlightening. I probably won't read another one of her books.

[jenniferthomp75 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thoughtful tale of adolescence and what happens when you start making your own decisions.Mina is a Korean-American high school junior who has successfully tricked her overbearing, strict mom into thinking she's doing well in school. Mina's secret is held by Jonothan, an old family friend whom Mina wants to avoid at all costs.Mina's chapters alternate with her younger sister Suma, who is hearing-impaired and mostly ignored by her parents.Tough love, immigrant experiences, choosing your own path and romance are weaved together by Na, who somehow makes even the most complicated stories seem so simple.Although it's not as poignant and beautiful as "A Step From Heaven," it's a story that will intrigue teens who are forging their own way in life.

[jantinore_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I thought it was okay, the writing style is very good.

[gbjefferso · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Classic conflict of girl falls in love with boy mom hates. The approach was unique as the story toggles back and forth between Suna and Mina's, two sheltered Korean sisters, take on the events leading up to Mina falling in love with an migrant worker and revealing the truth to her mother--she's not going to Harvard and she hasn't lived up to her mother's dreams. Good read for provoking discussion on parent vs. child expectations, abuse (there was a hint of child neglect on the part of the mother) and race relations.

[arieldean · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book because it was about racism but for the first time, that I've read, it wasn't black and white people. It was interesting to see racism with another culture. Mina is a high school student who is trapped in her lies. Her mother believes she has good grades and that she is headed to Harvard. This is far from true but Mina is too afraid to let down her mother's high standards. Most Asians are seen as very intelligent and always making good grades so this is a contrast. Mina also has a hearing impaired sister named Suna. Every chapter switches between the two sisters and the difference is evident. Mina has longer, more developed chapters while Suna's chapters are a little hard to understand and short. Ysrael is a Mexican who Mina falls in love with which is forbidden because he's not Asian. This book is good for high-schools because it is given from two different views which is quite intriguing.

[shifrack00 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Felt like I was reading underwater. Lyrical description, especially of Suna's scenes, but sparse dialogue and a lot of backstory is never really explained. An interesting journey, but I would have liked more clarity all the way through.

[srogel1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had mixed feelings about this book. I chose to read this book because I didn’t know the author and the reviews on the back such as “mesmerizing…at times wrenching, at times triumphant and consistently absorbing… Fluid, lyrical language…” caught my attention. When I began to read the book, I was confused on what was going on because there wasn’t a lot of background knowledge explicitly stated. It was also hard to get involved with the book and the characters until the plot started to thicken when Ysrael was introduced into the story. The inner conflict of Mina was the main concept of the storyline, but I personally would have liked to hear from Apa’s perspective as well as more from Suna. However, once the story picked up I really enjoyed it and had a hard time putting the book down! It was a classic teen angst love story but it was interesting to see the cultural aspect integrated into the story as well. I feel that only older students (high school) should read this book because of the inappropriate content such as the sexual innuendos, public displays of affection and explicit language. Also, the ending of this book is not clear whatsoever. It states that “Suna runs forward without a glance, without a thought. To the car rounding the curve of the freeway off-ramp. The road slick with oil and rain. She pumps her arms and wills herself into the light. Suna steps off the curb.” From this statement and the rest of the book (few pages) the author is not explicit in what actually happened to Suna and Mina. I feel that this “conflict” definitely needs to be resolved for the reader’s sake so they aren’t wondering and trying to interpret such a dramatic and horrific event on their own.

[edspicer_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While I would never say that we have an over abundance of books that deal with racism, I will say that this is only book I know of that deals with racism in which there are no Black or White characters. When a Mexican guitar playing teen comes to work in her family’s business, Mina faces several difficult challenges. Mina lies about her grades so that Uhma (her mother) will really believe that she will attend Harvard. Mina lies about many things. She lies about boys and sex. She is lying so much that she is finding it increasingly difficult to figure out who she is, let alone who she wants to be. One truth, however, in Mina’s life is her hearing impaired sister, Suni. Mina struggles with the often-conflicting pulls of her Korean culture, her family, and her personal identity. Students will enjoy this book because the story works. Teachers will appreciate this book because it is a good example of how form serves function. Mina, who can hear, speaks in long, first person passages. Suni, who is hearing impaired, speaks in very short, third person passages that are not always instantly understood. Readers should also appreciate the fact that this book makes it clear that racism is not a term that applies exclusively to Black and White students. Recommended for all high school libraries and mature middle school students.