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_askthebookbug 's review for:
The Last Story of Mina Lee
by Nancy Jooyoun Kim
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
• r e v i e w •
"And the whole world told women every day, If you are alone, you are no one. A woman alone is no one at all."
"But history always rose to the surface. Among the wreckage, the dead floated to the top." - Nancy Jooyoun Kim.
You can never truly know someone. Humans are capable of playing different roles, carrying it out carefully without them never having to collide. The Last Story of Mina Lee is one such tale of a mother-daughter duo, both walking on eggshells and painting different images of each other without ever realising their true nature. To Margot, her mother's life appears to be tepid, one that revolves only around work. Growing up as a Korean in America, Margot often rebelled against her mother to the extent of not fully learning Korean. Mina on the other hand, knows the struggle of being an immigrant and wishes her daughter to live a life free of poverty. The two never get along too well and the guilt overwhelms Margot when she finds her mother dead in the middle of their living room. What appears to be a natural death has deeper secrets that unfurls with each chapter.
Set in Koreatown, Los Angeles, Kim takes us on a journey of women who struggle to stay afloat in a hostile environment. With each clue, Margot discovers a different side of her mother but the grief of not being able to talk to her leaves her crumpled. Mina's life was one full of hurdles but what Margot never realised that there was love in it too. This revelation shocks her. To imagine her mother in the arms of a man. As Margot sets about uncovering the truth behind her mother's death, Kim walks us through Mina's past, one that is full of secrets. Kim writes about how difficult lives were for women without men back in the late 80s, of racism and lack of safety. A seemingly normal story about a woman's history turns into a murder mystery as well. This was where the book lacked luster for me. It almost felt like Kim decided to wrap up the story in a hurry. Mina's story was one that possessed potential but unfortunately didn't quite work out in the end. Albeit I wouldn't recommend this, it is in no way a terrible read.
4.1/5.
"And the whole world told women every day, If you are alone, you are no one. A woman alone is no one at all."
"But history always rose to the surface. Among the wreckage, the dead floated to the top." - Nancy Jooyoun Kim.
You can never truly know someone. Humans are capable of playing different roles, carrying it out carefully without them never having to collide. The Last Story of Mina Lee is one such tale of a mother-daughter duo, both walking on eggshells and painting different images of each other without ever realising their true nature. To Margot, her mother's life appears to be tepid, one that revolves only around work. Growing up as a Korean in America, Margot often rebelled against her mother to the extent of not fully learning Korean. Mina on the other hand, knows the struggle of being an immigrant and wishes her daughter to live a life free of poverty. The two never get along too well and the guilt overwhelms Margot when she finds her mother dead in the middle of their living room. What appears to be a natural death has deeper secrets that unfurls with each chapter.
Set in Koreatown, Los Angeles, Kim takes us on a journey of women who struggle to stay afloat in a hostile environment. With each clue, Margot discovers a different side of her mother but the grief of not being able to talk to her leaves her crumpled. Mina's life was one full of hurdles but what Margot never realised that there was love in it too. This revelation shocks her. To imagine her mother in the arms of a man. As Margot sets about uncovering the truth behind her mother's death, Kim walks us through Mina's past, one that is full of secrets. Kim writes about how difficult lives were for women without men back in the late 80s, of racism and lack of safety. A seemingly normal story about a woman's history turns into a murder mystery as well. This was where the book lacked luster for me. It almost felt like Kim decided to wrap up the story in a hurry. Mina's story was one that possessed potential but unfortunately didn't quite work out in the end. Albeit I wouldn't recommend this, it is in no way a terrible read.
4.1/5.