Publication
Soho Press (2003), 280 p.
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Description
A "powerful novel" about a young boy and the effect of the Korean War on his family and his rural village (Chattanooga Times). In a mountain village in Korea, 1950, the memory of the Japanese occupation has just begun to fade. Then, the farmers hear that the army led by the great General "Megado"--MacArthur--has landed at Inchon. As soldiers descend upon their home, a special encampment is soon set up nearby, nicknamed Texas Town. There, local women meet with the invaders--including one little boy's mother. And the fate that befalls her will change both of them forever.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Othemts
This unsettling book is set during a time that most American readers like myself will be familiar with, the Korean War (and that mostly from watching many episodes of M*A*S*H). A remote village, relatively unaffected by previous wars - including the Japanese occupation - finds itself adjacent to
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the encampment of the "World Army" of United Nations troops sent to fight the war. As the novel begins a pair of predatory soldiers scour the village and rape a young widow named Ollye. Following the lead of the village elder, none of her neighbors offer their aid or sympathy but instead ostracize her. Ollye is forced to make ends meet by joining the "Yankee Wives," local women working as prostitutes for the UN troops. Much of the novel is seen through the eyes of Ollye's son Mansik who is shamed by his mother and shunned by the other boys in the village. Yet Mansik also finds himself willing to debase himself to once again be able to accepted by the other boys. Parts of this novel strike a false note, especially the climax where Ollye confronts the villagers with a speech played up for dramatic effect, but mostly I was overwhelmed by the stark reality of the cruelty of humanity. This is a dark novel about the affect of war on community and human nature. Show Less
Language
Original language
Korean
ISBN
9781569470039
Physical description
641 p.; 9.25 inches
Pages
641