Book Review: The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju, are best friends who come from very different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they begin working in the sea with their village’s all-female diving collective, led by Young-sook’s mother. As the girls take up their positions as baby divers, they know they are beginning a life of excitement and responsibility—but also danger.
Despite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook find it impossible to ignore their differences. The Island of Sea Women takes place over many decades, beginning during a period of Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 1940s, followed by World War II, the Korean War, through the era of cell phones and wet suits for the women divers. Throughout this time, the residents of Jeju find themselves caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator. Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will inherit her mother’s position leading the divers in their village. Little do the two friends know that forces outside their control will push their friendship to the breaking point.
The Island of Sea Women is historical fiction about the women divers, or haenyeo, who live and work on the Korean Island of Jeju. It spans from the Japanese occupation in 1938 up through 2008. Mi-ja and Young-sook are baby divers and best friends. However, they have very different backgrounds. After they each marry, their relationship is tested in the ultimate way.
I enjoyed learning about the haenyeo (you watch can videos of them in action on YouTube) and the matriarchal society they live in. Because women’s bodies are better suited for diving, they are the breadwinners and the men are the main caregivers to the children. Everyone seems happy with this arrangement, which was refreshing.
That being said, this book is gut-wrenching. There is brutal violence in it that was hard to read. It’s one of those books where it feels weird to say I enjoyed it because so many terrible things happen in it. But I did like this book. I especially liked that it was full of strong women characters and I liked the historical aspect of it. Recommended.
