Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

What We Kept to Ourselves: A Novel
What We Kept to Ourselves: A Novel
What We Kept to Ourselves: A Novel
Ebook441 pages6 hours

What We Kept to Ourselves: A Novel

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

This timely and surprising novel about a family’s search for answers following the disappearance of their mother from the New York Times bestselling author Nancy Jooyoun Kim explores “immigration, identity, love, and loss. A gorgeous, thrilling read” (Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author).

1999: The Kim family is struggling to move on after their mother, Sunny, vanished a year ago. Sixty-one-year-old John Kim feels more isolated from his grown children than ever before. But one evening, their fragile lives are further upended when John finds the body of a stranger in the backyard, carrying a letter to Sunny, leaving the family with more questions than ever.

1977: Sunny is pregnant and has just moved to Los Angeles from Korea with her aloof and often-absent husband. America is not turning out the way she had dreamed it to be, and the loneliness and isolation are broken only by a fateful encounter at a bus stop. The unexpected connection spans the decades and echoes into the family’s lives in the present as they uncover devastating secrets that put not only everything they thought they knew about their mother but their very lives at risk.

Both “an intricately crafted mystery and a heart-wrenching family saga” (Michelle Min Sterling, New York Times bestselling author), What We Kept to Ourselves masterfully explores what it means to dream in America.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherAtria Books
Release dateOct 10, 2023
ISBN9781668004845
Author

Nancy Jooyoun Kim

Nancy Jooyoun Kim is the New York Times bestselling author of What We Kept to Ourselves and The Last Story of Mina Lee, a Reese’s Book Club pick. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Related to What We Kept to Ourselves

Related ebooks

Asian American Fiction For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for What We Kept to Ourselves

Rating: 3.5833333 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

6 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    What We Kept to Ourselves - Nancy Jooyoun Kim

    ebook_preview_excerpt.html}K#ɑU \t -#&RX$7jpip7VpwC'3Mxy署#d/Ẍɯy_/~_UwC:qfK_8;s_v%̻yq9M{Ckbcw<^v]]va2.4">~wwm2-7W;pi^]tClx)O] #.=~\4i<4q/=knBwΩ]>/={?~Q*q1CZݧ ~q1MJ8kwس3h[|Ò:Z|˻机vd',e溹mj/34c_LxI~rn=]sy9>|9`;bsrOw\t3D眚~|&\ϙuAz..j+H==۰@Aponv鰘)4Wag8^b<w<1Th%~Jvy6eEԁ_ i|6qj8u2m [1/'|"nᣳ>Mqw])P!(V;/9SƢ=+l@&H *Dz4 8{,W:wSsA'`0g{ avcQY %OETP3q}Heo&V35]EL})谖+]647۷Ȋ/jjrWh47F~i(}ܘPiOEJ S&PSL璸͎k68<]csSJx7ۙ8_s=ucx/-q.$ńy  ښ+W3󆟱7Ld}]0`> cKv6`+h[m!mL߻S⇿ ezzer{cZ0U?Mή#-K-Tp?~ ~'z^.Sa/zfx`a<-Z,;[;ęvX=/p(IW`hF=jqAk]7󦓭K(Gp : TYܲ<)䐴*&sRkZ&jL{F&I*)ۄ}P6~dSƦƐjx3].hr6£AV:E|P|0/~ LnL˭b4O;B0!pl˜/n\´L[˔WߌxLsʞusXz+C l,0՟67>9Ѱ袏r@qhBFwWLv5C>:NѕMz~-za$KUV9F&-E,6Q9SZb[H s8TsYJof9a6+HfP E31sD%vxpBt8cO&w5Weħ t|Ha cP|f\Yf bIS'3!U {~ .ę5>0`8.pK$jş}\u|1]8!|L~rߩ,Bx,!bTs7g GmYE`an>nŎ59I PI*yT|͈ᄸ4i|,ߨǿ,g;EX w)H<5c+ZrƸ i3@T{FŨ& ꪰ3Vn<'dHx>s"uP`(ծ{ Zt4Prwo-4"J}tLoe= f 7>]yyF@%<aGF$l( vtM y5RX&:NWw6"W Ui 9 y_ r6.#R WcF7Np:5ܧbotn =f dnR8:y8K[ϱׯvQQQlR\zNaY:B? Km-c"_~y t*YH]Sa;@C4>hHh|{\{;3RҲ%Ռ(4sqت]lug~;b8UlNrQTVF~w'YڗAp%Y*>8D\4 q®.)wr۔A{{&=1CH_=e5 b3p"@:awΧ1\Xt,ΡZ]-TVW.:lH:,{$~$b&y|dPhyd*=ϡ\=46K'"wҔN! 6\ə9 {)czo˧uBj}a [ZódѾhyt,FtCw5p[C >H$ wcdPg* HP,j%UA,8u1cqo>Dg.q̎1pP#4ZFd-! #r<'b.<6CvP3T'RD25xt?wg7 }T8H_W4/Th‡, qFI_ePhNNRkDtP6OTp3-62eJuQle(xƮYQ$ Tdey=/!.(Y_$as@o7#Bvx(GIe!g]pS 0_s7Qk^\ .OW)Cma)Ĕ;FG*&C*y)d ACaR7.i"]<beIf^(yx 5&u.w*k96d~: x9Ύ֏oCzN2ΰrB]Y%-l.r  *xb!?ԯH1 ڔ`)ޣR '^SIO~k$;xn+_fΤEq$XԨ>I^"sPiY&U UK Un_u~&1;UqVqJyJ>6eJ8O® Ѵ󒦩$uRte8D'&{ȊܵOmە"o!S5?"'dva5J}LVگQsKoE6 M2Kx~ޞgeF /,DՐpXX0˰{6T q>Aa7wHp݊EP x)wa h a0.0 WxrFxl|O35AƍyȻr iHDs2S8 ʊ6^~m[_Xe 4Hƽ~_>΋X9=:lɍ_ga!9#|1Sduo24L}L!2?p*@T0ڌ ip&6=;|Y}sj7,3*Y+Yu$ Mp`N](VXPҧrHjo#i2ܬR2{R pY_ NIr囊j.ouQӂmR١wَq, IUa!=nQT5ޥ'&SJ \b0W^fy+4 Q1تϛu!oք޴LOjL[!楴T_u㍋'TCk&كY ͚%V8*1&͋TUU`D[rdNQ!X~lffZE%=q R nfx?rW*am _mR?DHb@"iSCw\,JښX +oB)Y%aԢK$CeG V蘿+Ur q9Jݣ؆M)ɸ.]Ӧt!0LŞQF\Oĉ|[x 7cZWy\|WMDy/O/q >8D -!{;ՓTs _ǿCDS8tl!!f3'UwXFM<9_15 #l[w+K5,'ZKo5O3LIZG^?= ށzYyN(u=dEnY,hNIƈe3ks^k'U7"(r8{[tN'mҕ\;qOh SH@/w(`*%r⍢]~ݱvVL{HhdjLUVCm}M#Y,:Fn?xQOmjS(-X剏A䬙I0Zzcx~Ctir-*}!4&'ǒIFn;-y>Q#m(ŝY8?pd ; θ0^hw0?1Xn]+J>g"|ԤkK=wdHa]XJ>$\yL9lZF 6RG@1S@Ayr779*ZgN¸X ͚Bf)k>53KPe'>OU&iHwk-}@v!$o3&fdL(.kd7|`SYu ăn=2#ndq4VuWvLuAL2̏|Ihρ\3w?f_ɚ̪[$agHf|W,+'3'POU) `҆Ԙ!=ҦU{:H\nY+eg~o 졤Pi6 Le,ҌsNSW>(y:ʀ<#o:51rrU]Ae0_Џ=62b) e!z>~HY3;]llPBju-Р>>LHy?]O?_q!fIaiG =mz!uĜfN2H W^ْu_(g^ Ou *03 1=}^3dyn7_RG7%=^xLMW4#[6z0:}ID͛ra/Q<)\i2djN#dG J°4BkL&nFk"fJP0Mu) \a\:̹WMug_:*+Z}!G3H}ZTv]G\{F:ن:zF4l 9MR!Zc|QiTLp7M2/x@ŧ鸹L:sVL|͕بw N?cy"lZ+E.Yo:?Xl w:iB&f!o=z_>ZDƤ1Q0yTIP@ZŗI&l89T\$lA 9".tŰc y^dJh"oϟ6Ȱ_8r(ocIZ!j[RjJӺT* I-jJ_w·xSPXx m ;u0#%!u,V +>*pK")6.w~u I%V_wz؁] |RdDCclľRا`הUacfVo5F7&gm&m:f~]@U!:mk/aL}&C3Yo syz9+WB( :80!5KX!9)-&c@j*ot=a;SUϰA=[ w>a.RlZn6vŻ~cDP4AtGh4I9CN}zSG8H.eyV~E[X#Ӳ޸6"݋ ^݌>@;ƧgM.@nkX}ģP^ѽs01bNbz]+\ιu fitu&v ctmW:E!1$O%f|DLYaBl/ɘso _-a^HV~r~]HPhB2]tk}[#T2u; 90HJA NhHBfQ<$pB4}Gul~L̸fo&.nox%Vv5 TL9xda\K ˅=oH#Բ*;S`!GN<$ٚ~:7iN 07f·àt~Hh^m_˾YNKi>z\m!6T26xqj9v5_m$kRG0xS2?'V@+6$lOl+|-LbDVC5~ظ3 N,h #ѱ- WcsMMygᥚSE[e Ms[@w]2< d9_mm:{X_@־f=n ^yVDr'(,؆-U$zf&ʴE> fӔ],{^;X"CeȤztnDѤR3Y2WtI'ay9:i)K& rNcf" Kt,f딫 0yֱl\2T XݴN{}t=L.ڋ"k=f{Nˀ?{TߪaaΛs Ax}@ShULfbW}vQBW7#,tE,3vvد+Zh}ԛzpR09,*R$q AJ}+÷ns-l_җ bSyzI)ւoP8Ѱvs>u 1%K(۞i#èUyJ * 3s7E`2,1 jc; e_4f^B6oREI ֛=xЛ51>o 164?+?_d4@ì|MŸ0(|B~v.CoԐ2v[G$E"3uLͪYeD<@|U}p*E$qߌW\n$T44G>ɽVjAbh6De~y2o,a\f2yrs&M?^bL5yV더NЄOrى [s٦'U7`[IEMn,fXjڌu薘ՙ!֛>e3~gT2b`KUI Ā$FO<`8?0:d͜8c W@ǁf  9zlg3^/`SZ#݃M@F&`>8It1cSBf{ wΏXJ``F-X8-v+a/3/tZue;l|lWRSA1&:x_X,Eʼ.o5{ORU+W8zw4Y,eN2ч* g;>+_`LQBWe7,?G/sPVS֦c6׆cz9m/:ћ$k9 /cTF*op'D.A}&7-os9FݽKeY5\gR"!zQmڼO˱_1:R2 k ɕ_z KqX1q,\Wx}XWmcD~XõλADlk+~/%>y~p_d)kG[3B 1d [u7{noܾ4Fc;€0 &#q׷"zUK .ncޛnEhl cEliסLmw 5feJ=ʬtWj*|!}}Cw12Q8~4"GyלN..Fx{Z0p=\L휃;Cf6~VDvSODic>f_#-kӵ0=|;?x^o⛳-^e\ r8[] @jˣ~-3Bf3^8mS:/e&4fs踸jl(>,G: +M̻EQMe$ߞصtk42̰/)D}ɱjޏ/Sg-G_6m4i } 3ssm^0[<;}yZFzIyJ}/J[6Z,Gn'vH:S܉R>~ i}+z>4jiҔr̅$lR&B\n޽ɮL:Q1 *Q53q)9,ì4PPB#2Q|9S-y+޻2J l䫢=nP"gڎ|x%{shA=z40,3>QT2D/G`+g.: R}v>3d,546Gںq(&p rޥ |)vܺ™=6҈ھƤy}ӒaeeL 2@h:q`)R<.jv5^KrM7Ʌ(A|;22Rły9u"sB,B~.T:ĽfT v >voju:uR3?48:vt}ѲBg'C"|jࣙ?v@S7|GP1c*u*Y'2֒#I/@ 6 }Y#U#&5I/}HԎ ܂AgŃ-`"1M0lc ԪtN~hmv:3S^higx;}NA`E֯Ea^ZFk#yP1So?,^N?Ç ,$ |9U֜1M-[ 'df,bʲ΃_N@U\~T^oTw>PqWm[[{ݭ_fȅ
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1