Helpful Score: 1
The subject of comfort women is a great tabu, and is to the Japanese a denial non subject, like the genocide of the Armenians is to the Turks. To take it and draw a breath taking novel is no easy feat. And it is a amazingly well drawn out story that must be told, to preserve the history and to bring the unsuspecting reader full face with the ugliness of war that is written solely from the point of women. The unwilling victims no-one really thinks of much, apart of the loss of husbands and sons.
Now having said this much, I must admit that apart of the fact that this is well written, well researched book, it has some flaws. It is not based on events attached to any singular person. It is a fiction based on facts, weaved into a personal account of two sisters who never were but who tell the story of 44,000 stolen girls forced into sexual slavery, humiliation, madness and slow death.
The side story of her (saved) Korean sister, was also quite fascinating and anchored in actual events. It shed light on different aspect of the occupation, that were, very enlightening in terms of the beliefs of people as they subscribed into political ideology, and turned them onto mindless machines dispensing judgement and death, while seeing them selves as heroes and unifiers of the nation for higher noble cause.
I think that toward the end, the writer didn't know how to end the book, and forced strange, unlikely happy ending, for the main character. Ending up married into Mongolian plains herders and opium dealers. Having the Japanese soldier obsess over her, and rescue her to take her as wife was possible. But the very strange explanation of him being literally crazy about the girl because "he sent his wife to America before the war to protect them and they died of starvation in intermittent camps, was just all kinds of wrong. It would have been impossible to immigrate during the war from Japan to USA. People didn't starve in the camps. They died of violence, yes, but not starvation. What did the WW2 war had to do with the Korean annexation to Japan was never explained. (I looked it up, but if you didn't it will leave you with Whaaaaattt??!!!). The Factual flaws, and the historical inaccuracies were the anticlimactic bomb at the end. It was the undoing of the amazing storytelling through out most of the book.
Also it should be noted that it contains some graphic scenes that are not for the faint of heart. They are a necessary part of the book and do add exactly the detail for reader to understand the horrors without being too descriptive. They never cross the decency threshold. But are very hard to read. The Authors note is short and worth reading. Shedding some light on the factual (numbers and such) information of the comfort women.
Over all the book is worth reading. (I read it in one sitting). But the "twist end" about 3 chapters, are turned into a Hollywood "happy ending" weird sentimental, unrealistic mush.
Now having said this much, I must admit that apart of the fact that this is well written, well researched book, it has some flaws. It is not based on events attached to any singular person. It is a fiction based on facts, weaved into a personal account of two sisters who never were but who tell the story of 44,000 stolen girls forced into sexual slavery, humiliation, madness and slow death.
The side story of her (saved) Korean sister, was also quite fascinating and anchored in actual events. It shed light on different aspect of the occupation, that were, very enlightening in terms of the beliefs of people as they subscribed into political ideology, and turned them onto mindless machines dispensing judgement and death, while seeing them selves as heroes and unifiers of the nation for higher noble cause.
I think that toward the end, the writer didn't know how to end the book, and forced strange, unlikely happy ending, for the main character. Ending up married into Mongolian plains herders and opium dealers. Having the Japanese soldier obsess over her, and rescue her to take her as wife was possible. But the very strange explanation of him being literally crazy about the girl because "he sent his wife to America before the war to protect them and they died of starvation in intermittent camps, was just all kinds of wrong. It would have been impossible to immigrate during the war from Japan to USA. People didn't starve in the camps. They died of violence, yes, but not starvation. What did the WW2 war had to do with the Korean annexation to Japan was never explained. (I looked it up, but if you didn't it will leave you with Whaaaaattt??!!!). The Factual flaws, and the historical inaccuracies were the anticlimactic bomb at the end. It was the undoing of the amazing storytelling through out most of the book.
Also it should be noted that it contains some graphic scenes that are not for the faint of heart. They are a necessary part of the book and do add exactly the detail for reader to understand the horrors without being too descriptive. They never cross the decency threshold. But are very hard to read. The Authors note is short and worth reading. Shedding some light on the factual (numbers and such) information of the comfort women.
Over all the book is worth reading. (I read it in one sitting). But the "twist end" about 3 chapters, are turned into a Hollywood "happy ending" weird sentimental, unrealistic mush.
