Song for Another Home: 'Fans of Pachinko will love this' Good Housekeeping
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By Bora Lee Reed
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‘Exceptional, immersive and evocative … full of spirit’ Buzz Magazine
‘Astonishing, huge in its scale and evocation of an unsung history’ Luke Kennard, Booker-longlisted author of Black Bag
‘Paints a heartfelt tale of wartime Korean orphanages and shanty towns’ Yangsze Choo, New York Times-bestselling author of The Fox Wife
THE STUNNING HISTORICAL NOVEL FROM A REESE’S BOOK CLUB FELLOW
1950, Pyongyang. Oksoon’s father – confident that the war is over – has left for Seoul in search of opportunity. There is nothing to do but wait, until the Chinese army attacks and forces Oksoon, her mother and her brother to flee southward themselves. But the journey is dangerous, and wartime makes enemies of even the kindest of friends.
Meanwhile, Oksoon’s cousin Junho has found uncertain refuge in a struggling orphanage near the southern coast. When the orphanage director’s rich niece arrives, harbouring a secret, Junho must choose between his duty and his dreams if they are all to survive…
What readers are saying:
‘Put this on your TBR list! 5 golden stars for me’
‘Highly recommended … as emotionally rich as it is historically illuminating’
‘An impressive debut that is a page turner’
‘Oh my heart. This is a must-read book!’
‘What Reed does brilliantly is hold the large and the intimate at once. The war is never backdrop but the story never loses sight of the small human negotiations happening inside it’
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Grateful to Profile Books and The Reading Agency for a hardback copy in return for an honest review.
This is a delightful, heartfelt story set against the backdrop of the 1950s Korean War and describes the separation of the population. Bora Lee Reid illustrates the impact of communism in the north, and the relentless struggle for territory by competing forces, heedless of the destruction caused along the way. She introduces the character of Oksoon and her family in the first instance, parted from her father and eldest brother ostensibly under the pretext of pursuing potential business opportunities in the south. “Entire households are packing up, terrified that Pyongyang might be caught in the crossfire between China and America, two monsters clashing”. The secondary status and deference of women feature: education is restricted, “girls can’t go out alone”, and “girls wait to eat”. Survival is precarious.
Juxtaposed with Oksoon is her male cousin, Junho, who, in order to avoid conscription, has run southward and sought sanctuary in an orphanage where times are tough. The incumbents are “malnourished” and “perpetually hungry”. Although hardship prevails, Junho’s innate optimism, romantic outlook and dreams for the future never desert him. On behalf of the director, he uses his English language skills to embark on a letter writing campaign to US citizens, in particular the aptly named widow, Mrs Hope Longfield. Embellishing the individual fates of the children, Junho endeavours to secure much needed funding by winning the sympathy vote of Hope, a Christian, who longed for, but has been denied motherhood.
The reader cannot help but be affected emotionally by the denouement of the tale and its plethora of fascinating, realistic personalities, so cleverly developed whether meant to be intrinsically good people or bad by nature or even somewhere in-between. A hazardous river crossing is incorporated, a less then desirable soup kitchen, a shady gambler and a prostitute. Who, moreover, can easily forget the inimitable Miss Kim, niece of the orphanage director, so pretty, proud and of wealthy noble stock, both belittled and shunned by circumstance, yet beloved by Junho.
The ethos of the Missions is threaded throughout the story, and the director refers to Corinthians when she exclaims fittingly “for our momentary light affliction worketh for us an exceeding weight of glory”. Her goal is to save the orphanage, but she is understandably sceptical of outside sincerity and influence. “Having eyes, they do not see. Having ears, they do not hear”.
Tragedy co-exists alongside love and friendship. There is self-sacrifice and much emphasis on Korean ‘jeong’, a concept which underscores profound emotional bonds and loyalty across the generations. What will ultimately happen to Oksoon and Junho? Pick up this book to find out. It is a decision that I promise you will not regret.
