Monday, December 20, 2021

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

 
First Line: An old woman sits on the beach, a cushion strapped to her bottom, sorting algae that's washed ashore.
 
When orphaned Mi-ja, daughter of a Japanese collaborator, shows up, Young-sook's mother takes the girl under her wing against the wishes of Young-sook's grandmother. There on the Korean island of Jeju, the women in Young-sook's family are haenyeo-- divers who make their living from what they harvest from the sea. 
 
Young-sook and Mi-ja become the best of friends, as close as sisters, and together they learn to dive and to experience the Japanese occupation of their island, of World War II, and the Korean War and its aftermath. Their lives encompass everything, from the deepest sorrow to profound joy, and-- ultimately-- to the horror that will rip them apart.
 
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Spanning the decades from 1930 to 2010, The Island of Sea Women is a fascinating story of the women sea divers living on the Korean island of Jeju-- women who are now rightfully considered a cultural heritage treasure. On Jeju, these divers (haenyeo) are the heads of their households. Their men take care of the children, cook, and sit under trees and gossip while the haenyeo are the breadwinners. I couldn't get enough of the depiction of their culture. What they ate. What they believed. (For example, the word for grandmother in their language also means goddess.) What they wore. And--most importantly-- their diving. These women had no modern diving equipment. They braved incredibly cold temperatures; their hearing would become damaged from the water pressure during their dives. Possibly the two most profound things I learned is how they looked out for each other and how they carefully farmed both land (dry fields) and sea (wet fields), ensuring that neither would ever be stripped of its bounty and destroyed. 

Where The Island of Sea Women fell slightly--ever so slightly-- flat for me was in the story of the friendship between Young-sook and Mi-ja. It was a bit soap-opera-ish because it was clear from the beginning that the friendship between the two was not as magical as it was advertised. When something truly horrific occurs on Jeju, Young-sook holds Mi-ja responsible and refuses to have anything else to do with her. She closes her eyes and ears to any attempts Mi-ja or her family members make to try to tell her the truth. Honestly, I wanted to shake a little sense into her.

But regardless of how I felt about Young-sook, nothing could keep me from reading this book to the very last word. The haenyeo culture of Korea is incredible, and Lisa See enriched my world by telling me about it.

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
eISBN: 9781501154874
Scribner © 2019
eBook, 383 pages
 
Historical Fiction, Standalone
Rating: A
Source: Purchased from Amazon.

14 comments:

  1. I know so little about these women, Cathy, and it sounds as though the book gives some real insight into their lives. It sounds, too, as though the focus is on the people and their culture, etc., rather than on the larger events around them. That can work really well if it's done effectively, and it sounds as though it is here. What a fascinating look at another place and way of life!

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  2. This is on my TBR, thanks for sharing your thoughts

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  3. I loved this book. Glad you did, too.

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  4. I loved this book as well and actually placed into the hands of a new friend this week and told her to try it. Hope she loves it too! Such an informative and touching story.

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  5. This sounds like a fascinating book, Cathy! Glad you read it to the end.

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    1. I'm glad no one tried to stop me from reading it! LOL

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  6. I've read books by this author not this one though. I was glad to read the review. Thanks

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  7. I really like the cover of this one; it doesn't look like every other book out there. The cultural aspects and historical setting are so interesting that I'm tempted to find this one despite the weaknesses you describe in the plot itself.

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    1. Sam, I think it's well worth reading just for the look into the haenyeo culture alone.

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