-The Story of an immigrant Korean family in Northern Virginia trying to deal with changing environments, societies, languages, roles and dreams. A young girl, Ahn Joo Cho comes home from school one day to see her mother leave with her younger brother in a taxi. She and her family are still struggling to adapt to American, where her father had brought them to escape a tyrannical, abusive father in Korea. The girl is forced to grow up quick, being a buffer for both her father against the Western society but for her dreams versus her expected filial behavior. She has to come to terms with her loss of family, identity and innocence. It was decent book, one that could reflect the hardships of immigrant families not ready or able to adapt to their new surroundings. It also shows the stress placed on an already cracked marriage and what can happen as a result. It is hard to sympathize with even the main character, even if you do feel sorry for her at time. In the Banana Yoshimoto style, though the actual story covers a greater time period, it does have the snapshot feel to it. While not a standout in the genre, it is a decent read and a good first novel. ( )

Contemporary coming-of-age novel of a Korean American girl in a divorced immigrant family setting with alcoholic father, vapid mother. Evokes helpless yearning of youth.