BOOK REVIEW: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

An ambitious multigenerational family saga evocative of Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth, Lee's second novel Pachinko is engaging, complex, and highly relevant to the modern immigration experience.

 
The main protagonist is Sunja, daughter of a poor Korean tenant farmer born just after the turn of the century. At first the novel strikes us as economical of description; but the bleakness of Korean life before World War II is masterfully conveyed in Lee's spare style.

After the death of her father-the untimely demise of good men being a major theme-Sunja's mother takes in boarders to make ends meet during the worsening pre-war economy. At 15, Sunja's world is turned suddenly and forever upside down by the love of a fascinating older man who is rich, powerful, and the harbinger of secrets. The child she bears him, and her prideful refusal to become his mistress are decisions that will determine not only Sunja's own fate, but that of her family for generations to come.

Lee's stoic style continues to suit her subject matter, as life in Japanese occupied Korea becomes more difficult and Sonya moves to Japan with her new husband, a frail young Christian minister who married her to save her honor. But life for a Korean immigrant in Osaka proves no easier.
Despite its starkness there is a chaotic intimacy to the story which makes it seem more personal testament, somewhat robbing it of the universal message the reader buys in for. The novel's unabashed ethnic pride also plays a role-Koreans as unfailingly steadfast in their cultural morality despite universal victimization by the Japanese. Perhaps this may be forgiven Lee given the novel's realism, but the hurried tone of the final chapters of the saga, and the bleak conclusion, leave the reader with few other takeaways. A gripping read overall.

Review first published in The Historical Novel Review

BOOK REVIEW: Heirlooms by Rachel Hall - BONUS RECIPE: Raclette Omelet with Roasted Tomatoes and Spinich

 

This volume is a treasure box of interconnected short stories tracking a saga of a Jewish family’s survival, starting in Holocaust-era France.

Beginning in 1939 St. Malo, we meet young Lise, devoted to the raising and protection of the baby of her dead sister-in-law.  She makes her way across and out of France’s occupied zone, facing the horrors and fear of wartime Europe.

Hall’s writing style is minimalist perfection, each chapter a self-contained jewel. She manages to project intense sympathy without a hint of sentimentalism, and her multi-perspective sense of pathos is rare for the genre. Even Nazi officers and abusive French police are given multiple dimensions and some level of human frailty, which only makes the facts of wartime life more starkly real. As the settings progress to Israel and America, the story resonates deeply with the modern refugee experience and seems all the more fresh and timely. Definitely a welcome and beautiful voice in wartime historical fiction. Enthusiastically recommended.

Review first published in The Historical Novel Review 


BONUS RECIPE:
Raclette Omelet with Roasted Tomatoes and Spinach

Ingredients:
Three large farm fresh eggs, room temperature
1/4 pound of good Raclette cheese, frozen, grated, and brought back to room temperature.
1/4 pound of raw spinach leaves, picked and well cleaned
One very ripe medium tomato, in 1/8" slices
Brushings of extra virgin olive oil
Pat of good unsalted Normandy or Irish butter
1/4 tsp of good Dijon mustard
Pinch of brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
One ripe mango or papaya for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place tomato slices and spinach on a large cookie sheet lines with parchment paper, brush or spray with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and lightly sprinkle just to tomatoes with the sugar. Bake for 15-20 mins (use convection if available) or until tomatoes are just caramelized but not disintegrating, and spinach is wilted.

Brush a well-seasoned omelet pan with olive oil and heat not quite to smoking over medium heat. Control your heat well, if its smoking, turn down to medium-low. Beat eggs together very well with Dijon mustard (just eggs, no milk, water etc.). Swirl pan with butter (again watch for burning or smoking of butter - this will discolor your omelet. Add eggs to pan, and as the omelet films, push toward the center of the pan with a curved wooden spoon or metal spatula, tilting the pan to run the liquid eggs over the exposed bottom at least once. Add cheese, salt and pepper to taste (be conservative, you can season again after plating). Layer spinach and tomatoes (or serve on the side, at your option). Put heat on low and cover pan for just a minute or until middle is melted and only slightly runny. Shake to loosen from pan, fold in thirds and plate.  Garnish plate with sliced mangoes/papaya for a sweet contrast. 

Pairs well with brunch cocktails, consider a good tequila.

BOOK REVIEW: HMS Prometheus by Alaric Bond. BONUS RECIPE:Samlor Kary - Cambodian Green Curry

 

Bond delivers another fast-paced, high-impact piece of Napoleonic-era naval fiction with HMS Prometheus, eighth in his Fighting Sails series.

In the western Mediterranean in 1803, Captain Sir Richard Banks races to bring his crippled ship of the line back into fighting trim in time to support Horatio Nelson’s blockade of the French. Bond paints a broader perspective than most other masters of the genre, such as Patrick O’Brian. The narrative not only unfolds through the strategic view of the commissioned officers but also draws us into the quotidian drama of midshipmen, foremast hands, and smugglers, as well as the women who were routinely present on English naval vessels of the period, but less commonly discussed. These are more than sub-plots or contextual ambiance: the shipboard sufferings of the young former prostitute, Poppy, the moral shortcomings of foremast jacks such as Bleeden, the various inner means by which each seaman and officer cope with the terrors of naval combat. Bond shows us how each humble hobnail spirals upward to determine the fortunes of war and the outcome of great sea battles.

The senior staff is not neglected, however, and one of Bond’s most masterful touches is his close portrayal of Nelson, presenting the famous admiral from his strategic genius down to the smallest details of his generous and inspiring personality.

Like all good serial fiction, the author makes it relatively easy to pick up the story and break into the book on its own merits. That said, the ending leaves the reader yearning for the next installment.

Well researched, finely written. A must-read for lovers of sea stories.

Review first published in The Historical Novel Review

BONUS RECIPE
Samlor Kary - Cambodian Green Curry

3 TBS Kroeung paste (see link below)
Two chicken breasts cut in 1 inch cubes
1 cup eggplant in 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup sweet potato in 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup cauliflower in small florets
1 medium onion cut in wedges
2 TBS fresh chopped basil for garnish
2 cups coconut milk
1 TBS sugar
1TBS fish sauce
1 tsp salt
1 cup chicken stock
2 TBS peanut oil
2 TBS crushed roasted peanuts

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add kreoung and saute until fragrant. Add onion, eggplant and sweet potato and saute 5 mins. Add cauliflower and chicken and sauté additional 5 mins. Add coconut milk, stock, fish sauce, sugar and salt.  Simmer partially covered for 20-30 mins. Garnish with crushed peanuts and basil and serve with jasmine rice.

Kroeung:
http://grantourismotravels.com/2014/11/25/khmer-yellow-kroeung-kroeung-samlor-machou-recipe/