Greetings, Reader Friend!

Today I want to introduce you to Song for Another Home, the story of two cousins, a sudden evacuation, and a war most of us never learned about in school.

Why read this novel set in wartime Korea, a time and place so little known to me and many others?

Curiosity! Hoping for a good story and to learn more about Korean life during the war between North and South, I chose this recent debut novel by Bora Lee Reed.

Key background information:

• South Korea seemed to be on the verge of victory in its war with the North after capturing Pyongyang in October, 1950—so much so that General Douglas MacArthur predicted the war would end by Thanksgiving and dismissed the threat of a Chinese invasion.

• Yet on December 3rd, U.N. troops suddenly pulled out of Pyongyang, Korea, faced with the imminent, massive invasion of Chinese soldiers.

• The U.N. forces destroyed bridges and infrastructure as they left, creating a perilous situation for thousands of residents of Pyongyang desperate to evacuate.

• The locals received no advance warning of the U.N. withdrawal, so many families were permanently divided and residents fled with only what they could carry.

The novel begins just before the evacuation, following two major threads—stories of civilian cousins and their struggle to survive the war—that eventually merge late in the novel.

Both threads make clear that survival itself was not guaranteed for refugees, with many perishing as casualties of the war, starvation, disease, or frigid winter weather.

Dire circumstances constantly challenge protagonists Oksoon and Junho—can they maintain their values, or must they compromise their souls to survive?

The author’s skillful plot twists kept me from anticipating the story’s ending.

• Oksoon–the protagonist, a strong-willed daughter who chafes at cultural limits on girls, especially when she observes the greater independence given to her two older brothers; she makes great efforts to locate her father and oldest brother

• Junho—Oksoon’s cousin; when the Chinese invade, his English skills enable him to find refuge at an orphanage in Jinju

• Miss Kim—the orphanage director’s niece, she’s the educated, sophisticated new helper at the orphanage

• Oksoon’s mother—she flees Pyongyang with Oksoon and Changho to escape the Chinese invasion after U.N. forces abandon the city; she hopes to reunite with her husband and older son, but dutifully performs humble tasks to support her family

• Changho, Oksoon’s brother—Oksoon’s closest sibling and intense rival

• The Orphanage Director—a strong-willed woman who single-handedly makes decisions about the orphanage

• Captain Chung—chaplain and friend of the orphanage director; he visits and delivers supplies to the orphanage

Well-portrayed major characters, plenty of plot twists

Song for Another Home  drew me in immediately, with telling details and an engaging plot piquing my interest in a place and time I’d never explored. When the characters became refugees in their own country, I gained a new understanding of the stakes of war and the plight of innocent civilians. Above all, I’ll remember the tenacity of the Korean people in the face of war and terrible suffering. I recommend this worthy read.

• If you’d like to learn more about author Bora Lee Reed and her Korean heritage, subscribe to her Substack: boraleereed.substack.com

• For Reed’s amazing short true story about her family, check out this article: people.com

Reader, can you recommend a captivating novel or work of non-fiction about the Korean War?

Personal update: I continue to revise Lucia’s Journey, my next novel, and I’m enjoying the process of enriching the story.