Ann Y. K. Choi

Author Ann Y. K. Choi is a Korean-Canadian who spent her childhood in Korea before immigrating. In preparing for this novel, she revealed that she personally visited mountains, old prisons, and traces of the colonial era in Korea, stating she wanted to “learn the history my ancestors experienced with my own body.” Such efforts ensure that the scenery and atmosphere of 1920s Korea in the novel are felt not as mere reproduction, but as a living, breathing space. Through this book, North American readers encounter “Korean history” not from an outsider’s view but re-read through a Korean-Canadian lens, building a bridge of empathy between the parent generation who experienced the history and culture, and their children.