August 2024: “The Island of Sea Women” by Lisa See

Jul 25

Spoiler-Free Story Blurb

Young-sook is the first daughter of a haenyeo—a proud line of female divers on the Korean island of Jeju—and is set to be the future leader of her village’s diving collective, like her mother before her. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator—Koreans who work for or alongside the Imperial Japanese—and is ostracized and mistrusted by almost everyone on Jeju Island. They meet as young girls when Young-sook and her mother catch Mi-ja stealing food from their garden. Instead of punishing the starving little girl, Young-sook’s mother treats her with compassion. The girls become friends when Mi-ja’s quick thinking saves them from the wrath of a group of Imperial Japanese soldiers. Young-sook and Mi-ja become sisters as they train and become haenyeo together.

Young-sook and Mi-ja belong to a generation of Koreans born into a time of Imperial Japanese control. By the time they reach adulthood and start families of their own in the 1940s, the political landscape of Korea moves from the Japanese colonial period to the Division of Korea into north and south. The end of WWII should have opened the path for a time of peace. But that is not what was in store for the people of Jeju Island. And Young-sook and Mi-ja’s friendship and trust in each other is put to a heartbreaking and devastating test in 1948 in what would become known as the Jeju Uprising, or the Bukchon Massacre.

The Island of Sea Women follows the path of Young-sook and Mi-ja’s friendship from the 1930s to 2008, decades of Korea being witness to the Japanese colonial period (ending with Imperial Japan’s surrender to Allied Forces in 1945, ending WWII), the Division of Korea along the 38th parallel (with territories north of the parallel placed under USSR administration and territories to the south placed under administration of the United States Army), the Korean War (1950-1953), and into modern times. It is a simultaneously mesmerizing and devastating piece of historical fiction that brings to the surface the lived experiences of a community not talked about often enough.

Important Trigger Warning for The Island of Sea Women

The Island of Sea Women contains a couple scenes of near drownings and complete drownings as well as many scenes detailing wartime violence, domestic violence, and sexual assault. These themes are essential to the plot. If these are themes that cause you distress or discomfort in any way, then please make sure to take necessary steps to prepare and protect yourself before and after reading this book.

Discussion Questions

What could forgiveness look like after decades of colonial rule and war?
How did generational trauma manifest for Young-sook and Mi-ja?
Does social survival in post-war communities explain or justify refusals to address trauma?

Click on the book cover image to see what people are saying about The Island of Sea Women on Goodreads. Visit the Fiction bookshelf to read my review of The Island of Sea Women.

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