Historical Fiction

The Island of Sea Women

Author: Lisa See

Average Rating:   4.63 / 5

Trigger Warnings:

 

On the Korean island of Jeju, drawing food and wealth from the sea is a way of life. The haenyeo, an all-female diving collective, are responsible for supporting their families while the men watch the children. The Island of Sea Women follows Young-sook and Mi-ja, best friends despite their different backgrounds, as they grow from young trainees into accomplished divers. In a story that spans decades, the haenyeo way of life will weather through Japanese colonialism, World War II, the Korean War, all the way to the arrival of cellphones and modern plumbing. 

As skilled as the divers may be, the sea can be fickle and treacherous.  Circumstances where trust in each other must be absolute. Young-sook and Mi-ja’s friendship will develop a tight bond, but ultimately their differences cannot be denied. Mi-ja’s father was a Japanese collaborator, which throws suspicion on Mi-ja and her entire family. Meanwhile, Young-sook is destined to inherit her mother’s honored position as the leader of their diving collective. Their trust has withstood hundreds of dives, but soon gales outside of their control will shake their bond to its core.

The Island of Sea Women is a thought provoking tale of friendship, tradition, love and grief that highlights a part of history that has long been in the shadows.  Meticulously researched and depicted with integrity, this novel will introduce you to a very special corner of the world.

Corinna : 5/5 

This book broke my heart and put it back together. It shows the strength and resilience of women in the most hopeless and tragic conditions. It shows the power of friendship and forgiveness. It shows that there are two sides to every story and both can be equally heartbreaking. I had no previous knowledge of the island of Jeju in Korea and the history, it has such a rich culture and heritage. I appreciate the time and effort that the author put into making sure she researched Jeju and its tumultuous history. It was a difficult read at times, but so worth it.

Lydia : 5/5

I’ll be honest in saying that I was really not looking forward to reading this book. The synopsis on the back does not do the writing or the story justice.

This book ended up being one of my all-time favourites. One that I’ll recommend to a lot of people just based on the fantastic writing and the flow of the story. 

It not only teaches you something about history but does it in a way that makes you care. Trust me when I say you’ll end up crying at some point as it’s a truly heartbreaking story. 

The life of Young-Sook (although fictional) shows the real life struggle that the people faced thanks to the Korean War. I also really enjoyed reading about the role reversals in the village (women go out and provide while men watch the children). A refreshing take on the societal expectations of women and men. 

Megan : 4/5

When I picked this book up to start reading, it was nothing like I had anticipated. I was expecting a book about female divers in a matrifocal society on the island of Jeju. While that was part of the story, it wasn’t all.

See did a wonderful job of immersing her reader into the fictional story of Young-Sook. The story spans decades, often jumping back and forth between the present and the past, but it never felt as though the story was missing information, nor dragging on. Before this book, I wasn’t familiar with all of the atrocities that took place during the Korean War. While this character is fictional, See went to great lengths to study for this book, so that the horrors Young-Sook and her family went through were based on real events. What I found fascinating was the complex character development and relationships. There was a lot of focus on friendship, community, and forgiveness. By the end of the novel, it really got you thinking about your own life and the power of forgiveness.

As usual, for this type of story, I had a few good crying sessions over the circumstances the various characters found themselves in. I would definitely recommend reading this book, but maybe don’t read this one out in a public setting.

Sharaya : 4.5/5

I was not prepared mentally for this book! I thought I was getting into a lovely book about female friendships and an interesting matrifocal society – which it was – but I was not thinking about World War II or the Korean War! As a huge M*A*S*H fan, I’m a little embarrassed that it didn’t occur to me at all. 

I haven’t read many books that are set on that side of the world and I feel like I learned a lot. The culture on the island of Jeju was absolutely fascinating. It was such an interesting mix of Korean culture where bearing sons is key and men are in charge, yet the haenyeo (female divers) are held in high esteem and are the providers of the family.  It’s quite the tightrope to walk. The sections of the story pertaining to the war are quite emotional and hard to read, so have your tissues ready. Having limited exposure to the Korean War, my eyes were definitely opened and it’s hard to believe how few people are aware of the 4.3 atrocity. I especially appreciated the time See took to research those events. Everything that her characters experience is based on first and second-hand accounts of the 4.3 incident. It would be really interesting to someday visit the Jeju Museum of War History & Peace.

The book spans some 80 years and besides the war years, See also focuses on the friendship between Young-Sook and Mi-ja. I loved how their friendship changed and grew and fractured over their lifespan. There are some wonderful themes about forgiveness and how bitterness can infect so many aspects of a person’s life. It made for a really great book club discussion! I would highly recommend this book, but be warned that it’s not a light read.

To access a printable list of 10 book club questions, please click here.