{"product_id":"the-mermaid-from-jeju-isbn-9781643859545","title":"The Mermaid from Jeju","description":"\u003cb\u003eA POPSUGAR Best Book of December 2020\u003cbr\u003eAn AMAZON Editors Pick December 2020\u003cbr\u003eA SHE READS Best Historical Fiction Novel Winter 2021\u003cbr\u003eA BUSTLE Most Anticipated Winter 2021 Read\u003cbr\u003eA LIBRO.FM Influencer Pick, December 2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInspired by true events on Korea's Jeju Island, Sumi Hahn's \"entrancing [debut] novel, brimming with lyricism and magic\" (Jennifer Rosner, \u003ci\u003eThe Yellow Bird Sings\u003c\/i\u003e) explores what it means to truly love in the wake of devastation.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the aftermath of World War II, Goh Junja is a girl just coming into her own. She is the latest successful deep sea diver in a family of strong haenyeo. Confident she is a woman now, Junja urges her mother to allow her to make the Goh family's annual trip to Mt. Halla, where they trade abalone and other sea delicacies for pork. Junja, a sea village girl, has never been to the mountains, where it smells like mushrooms and earth. While there, she falls in love with a mountain boy Yang Suwol, who rescues her after a particularly harrowing journey. But when Junja returns one day later, it is just in time to see her mother take her last breath, beaten by the waves during a dive she was taking in Junja's place.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSpiraling in grief, Junja sees her younger siblings sent to live with their estranged father. Everywhere she turns, Junja is haunted by the loss of her mother, from the meticulously tended herb garden that has now begun to sprout weeds, to the field where their bed sheets are beaten. She has only her grandmother and herself. But the world moves on without Junja.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe political climate is perilous. Still reeling from Japan's forced withdrawal from the peninsula, Korea is forced to accommodate the rapid establishment of US troops. Junja's canny grandmother, who lived through the Japanese invasion that led to Korea's occupation understands the signs of danger all too well. When Suwol is arrested for working with and harboring communists, and the perils of post-WWII overtake her homelands, Junja must learn to navigate a tumultuous world unlike anything she's ever known.\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Mermaid from Jeju\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA POPSUGAR Best Book of December 2020\u003cbr\u003eAn AMAZON Editors Pick December 2020\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA SHE READS Best Historical Fiction Novel Winter 2021\u003cbr\u003eA BUSTLE Most Anticipated Winter 2021 Read\u003cbr\u003eA LIBRO.FM Influencer Pick, December 2020 \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A poetic rumination on grief and wartime.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e—POPSUGAR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Through poetic prose, Junja's journey through love and loss is deftly navigated.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eE! Entertainment\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A transporting masterpiece.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hahn brilliantly carries the reader through Junja’s life...[and] masterfully captures the devastating effects of loss and grief.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A poignant, original book about women’s strength, the human cost of war, and how people come to terms with painful memories . . . satisfying and meaningful.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eHistorical Novels Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A rich, complex, utterly absorbing novel, the kind of book to get lost in.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Times-Picayune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hahn creates a world alive with dreams, with gods, with tradition, and the richness of a rural Korean culture.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eNew York Journal of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A deftly scripted novel from beginning to end…[Hahn exhibits] a genuine flair for originality and a distinctive style of narrative storytelling.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eMidwest Book Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A searing story of grief, love, fate, and fascinating post-WWII Korean history, woven with poetic finesse. A soaring, inspiring debut that left me breathless.\" \u003cbr\u003e—Kristin Harmel, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Lost Names\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[Hahn's] poetic and powerful prose makes us believe in magic and reconfirms the transformative power of storytelling.”\u003cbr\u003e —Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Mountains Sing\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Both vivid and introspective, a touching meditation on the bonds of family and the importance of place.”\u003cbr\u003e —Olivia Hawker, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Ragged Edge of Night\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An entrancing novel, brimming with lyricism and magic.”\u003cbr\u003e —Jennifer Rosner, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Yellow Bird Sings\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Original, luminous and lyrical…\u003ci\u003eThe Mermaid from Jeju\u003c\/i\u003e is a precious pearl of a book. We need to hear more voices, like Sumi Hahn’s, that shed light on little-known pockets of history in literature.”\u003cbr\u003e —Kirsty Manning, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Song of the Jade Lily\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A poignant portrait of love, family, and sacrifice...Haunted me long after I finished the last page.”\u003cbr\u003e —Alan Hlad, international and \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of\u003ci\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Long Flight Home\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A riveting, heartfelt tale that bears witness to the suffering of those who struggled to survive a tumultuous time in the history of South Korea.”\u003cbr\u003e —Amita Trasi, international bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Color of Our Sky\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hahn is a masterful storyteller...The result is a book that will stay with you.”\u003cbr\u003e —Karin Tanabe, author of \u003ci\u003eA Hundred Suns\u003c\/i\u003eSumi Hahn was born in Korea and immigrated to the United States when she was a year old. A former English teacher, she got her Bachelor's in English literature from Harvard University and her Master's from UC Berkeley. She was a columnist for the Times Picayune in New Orleans and has written on food and music for various publications in Seattle. Sumi and her family now live in New Zealand but divide their time between Korea and New Zealand. \u003ci\u003eThe Mermaid from Jeju\u003c\/i\u003e is her first novel.","brand":"Alcove Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302902583525,"sku":"NP9781643859545","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781643859545.jpg?v=1767740481","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-mermaid-from-jeju-isbn-9781643859545","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}