The Island of Sea Women, Lisa See
Set on Jeju Island in Korea during turbulent twentieth century, The Island of Sea Women tells the story of the haenyeo, or the women divers who could hold their breath for long periods of time underwater and withstand freezing temperatures to catch any and all kinds of sea creatures – octopus, abalone, urchins, etc. Told from the perspective of Young-sook and her decades-long friendship with Mi-Ja, the book traverses Korea’s complicated history of colonization first by the Japanese and then by the U.S. and Russia. Young-sook’s righteous anger, heart-wrenching grief, and unending worries about the future, as well as her absolute joy when in the water, are felt so deeply and with such ease, undoubtedly attributed to See’s ability to write characters of depth. I enjoyed this book so much, not only because by reading it, I learned so much about Korean history, but also because of its portrayal of female friendship and how even words that go unspoken can be misinterpreted, often in the worst way. The level of detail and, simply put, good writing, instantly made me wonder how the Women’s Prize could have slighted See’s superb novel.
Brown Girls, Daphne Palasi Andreades
Told from a neutral third person narrator who could have been any of the characters named simply in passing, Palasi Andreades has created an “ode to girlhood,” as Raven Leilani’s blurb on the front cover praises. More than that, I would say it is an ode to Black and Brown girls and the specific things they face growing up, even in a city as diverse as New York, and Palasi Andreades lays out all that they face and more, beginning when girls are children and going right up to middle adulthood. The novel ends as the girls – now women – are in their late 20s and early 30s, and spans big topics such as misogynoir, racism, and sexism, as well as those more particular to growing up with immigrant parents and the pressures they face to live up to their expectations and dreams, and of course, those faced by all girls anywhere and everywhere, such as periods, boys, and wanting to be loved. This is a tall order for any book, but by not delving too much into character development, Palasi Andreades is able to cover all these and more in a unique way that is both universal and individual at the same time.