The Kinship of Secrets

Opening at the start of the Korean War and inspired by events in the author's life, this heartfelt follow-up to Kim's highly acclaimed debut, Calligrapher's Daughter, focuses on two sisters: four-year-old Inja, who lives in Korea with her grandparents, uncle, and aunt, and her five-year-old sister, Miran, who lives with their parents in the United States. The chapters alternate between the two girls, portraying their distinct upbringings. Clearly, Inja's experiences are more unsettling as she lives through wartime and its aftermath, but Miran's perspectives as a typical young girl and later teenager seeking attention and affirmation are no less interesting. The story takes a sharp turn when arrangements are made for Inja to immigrate to the United States at age 15, and she must learn to adapt to a family from whom she's long been separated and a way of life different from what she's known.