The SurrenderedRead an essay by Chang-rae Lee here. The bestselling, award-winning writer of Native Speaker, A Gesture Life, and Aloft returns with his biggest, most ambitious novel yet: a spellbinding story of how love and war echo through an entire lifetime. With his three critically acclaimed novels, Chang-rae Lee has established himself as one of the most talented writers of contemporary literary fiction. Now, with The Surrendered, Lee has created a book that amplifies everything we've seen in his previous works, and reads like nothing else. It is a brilliant, haunting, heartbreaking story about how love and war inalterably change the lives of those they touch. June Han was only a girl when the Korean War left her orphaned; Hector Brennan was a young GI who fled the petty tragedies of his small town to serve his country. When the war ended, their lives collided at a Korean orphanage where they vied for the attentions of Sylvie Tanner, the beautiful yet deeply damaged missionary wife whose elusive love seemed to transform everything. Thirty years later and on the other side of the world, June and Hector are reunited in a plot that will force them to come to terms with the mysterious secrets of their past, and the shocking acts of love and violence that bind them together. As Lee unfurls the stunning story of June, Hector, and Sylvie, he weaves a profound meditation on the nature of heroism and sacrifice, the power of love, and the possibilities for mercy, salvation, and surrendering oneself to another. Combining the complex themes of identity and belonging of Native Speaker and A Gesture Life with the broad range, energy, and pure storytelling gifts of Aloft, Chang-rae Lee has delivered his most ambitious, exciting, and unforgettable work yet. It is a mesmerizing novel, elegantly suspenseful and deeply affecting. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - 400mom - LibraryThingI have read so much about this book, I expected to love it but I didn't. I was captivated at the beginning, when the story was about June during the Korean War. Unfortunately, the story bounces around ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - chrissie3 - LibraryThingThis being a book of historical fiction I thought I would get a little more history than I did. There is very little in this book about either the Korean War 1950-1953 or the Japanese takeover of ... Read full review
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Common terms and phrases
already answer appeared arms asked began believe body breath called chest Clines close clothes couldn’t course dark didn’t don’t door Dora drinking eyes face fact father feeling feet felt finally front girl give gone ground hair hand happened hard he’d head Hector hold inside Italy June keep kind knew least leave legs light living look mind morning mother mouth move never Nicholas night officer okay once orphanage pain perhaps play pulled pushed quickly reached rest returned Reverend road seemed shoulders showed side simply sitting sleep soldiers someone sometimes soon sound stay stepped stopped suddenly sure Sylvie talk Tanner tell things thought told took tried turned voice wait walked week window wish woman young
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Surrendered |
| Author | Chang-rae Lee |
| Publisher | Penguin, 2010 |
| ISBN | 1101185988, 9781101185988 |
| Length | 496 pages |
| Subjects | › › Fiction / Historical / General Fiction / Literary Fiction / War & Military |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |