There is no need for fancy mechanics or flowery language in See’s writing. The novel’s narrative is exceptionally well-wrought with complex themes of loss and forgiveness, culminating in the collection of visceral emotion in the face of impossible situations. Even so, the two maintain the closeness of sisters, until disaster strikes the island and a betrayal mars their bond forever. However, as the girls grow older, traditional obligations and political upheaval make it impossible to remain together. Their skill and mastery of this dangerous craft flourish as their friendship grows stronger. They grow up side by side, caring for one another through every hardship, all the while collecting sea creatures in their nets to sell. “The Island of Sea Women” tells the heartbreaking story of Young-Sook’s life and relationships, focusing especially on her deep friendship with her best friend Mi-ja as they train to work as haenyeo, the strong female divers and breadwinners of Jeju Island. The novel is written as a dual-narrative, alternating between the first-person details of her remarkable life as a young fishing diver in 1938 and the third-person account of her interaction with this strangely familiar family in 2008. However, when she is approached by a Korean-American family, Young-sook is forced to reflect upon her youth and the horrors of the Jeju revolts of World War II.

“The Island of Sea Women: A Novel,” by Lisa See, is a historical fiction novel that explores the life of Young-sook, now an old woman peacefully collecting seaweed on a rocky beach.

Lisa See’s new novel, “The Island of Sea Women,” whisks audiences away to the salty shores of Jeju Island, South Korea in this tender and tragic work of historical fiction.

The island of sea women a novel