The Picture Bride

The Picture Bride

Lee Geum-yi, translated by An Seonjae

Publication date: October 11, 2022 by Forge Books

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 3 🍷🍷🍷

Summary: 
“Your husband is a landowner,” they told her.

“Food and clothing is so plentiful, it grows on trees.”
“You will be able to go to school.”

Of the three lies the matchmaker told Willow before she left home as a picture bride in 1918, the third hurt the most. Never one to be deterred, Willow does all that she can to make the best of her unexpected circumstance. But it isn't long before her dreams for this new life are shattered, first by a husband who never wanted to marry her in the first place, and then by the escalation of the Korean independence movements, unified in goal, but divergent in action, which threaten to split the Hawaiian Korean community and divide Willow's family and friends.

Braving the rough waters of these tumultuous years, Willow forges ahead, creating new dreams through her own blood, sweat, and tears; working tirelessly toward a better life for her family and loved ones.

My Thoughts: 

I do not like being overly judgmental on translations because of my inability to read a title in its original language. With that said, in this book I questioned the simplistic descriptions. In some ways that simplicity was a revelation, as exemplified in how out of touch with the world inhabitants of Korea were. At other times I felt it slightly maddening due to wanting more. I felt that overall, the characters lacked depth. The relationships between characters just seemed to exist. There was one exception to this, Willow's friendship with Hongju. 

While overall the main character Willow infuriated me I did admire her grit and determination to make the most of her situation. After discovering that she was lied to by the matchmaker, and that her husband didn't actually want to get married, Willow did everything she could to endear herself to her father-in-law and her community. She continually struggled to stay above the political adversity brought to her doorstep through her husband's actions in support of a free Korean state. Willow forged her own destiny in ensuring that her family would be able to provide for themselves and that she would be able to offer her children better opportunities. 

The abrupt shift in point of view from Willow to her daughter Pearl was startling. There was ample justification for it but it didn't seem like the best literary course to take. Certainly continuing in Willow's POV would have made for a bulky book. Utilizing Pearl as the narrator did offer a quicker way to summarize the remainder of Willow's life events up until the present day. 

I learned so much about the fight for Korean independence and the Hawaiian Korean community in this book. It was very interesting and while depressing at times, there was much in the book that highlighted the strength and determination of the Korean people.  

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.