BY K.K. WONG
THIS poignant story, that spans years of struggle and hope, traces the path of one family’s determination to remain together despite war, migration and separation.
It bears witness to the fall and rise of a nation, and its resilient and traditional people.
Though a fiction, the story is inspired by the life of author Eugenia Kim’s own sister, and is derived from her own family’s story during and after the Korean War, which took place from 1950 to 1953.
The Korean War, known as ‘the forgotten war’, is considered to be the fifth deadliest conflict in human history.
The story begins with the migration of Najin and Calvin Cho from South Korea to the US in 1948 with daughter Miran, leaving behind their younger daughter Inja in the care of Najin’s brother and parents.
They had planned to return in a couple of years but it was not to be.
When war broke out in Korea, Inja had to struggle to survive in her war-torn land while trying to hold on to memories of a family she hardly remembered, while Miran grew up in the relative safety of American suburbia.
The hope had always been that Inja would go to America one day, and be reunited with her family. For years, that day seemed far away.
And when it finally arrived, it only brought more heartache and problems to the entire family.
The Kinship of Secrets is a beautifully written piece about what makes a family a family, and you will find it hard to put down. Absolutely spell-binding.
Oh, and don’t forget those tissues.
