And this is my husband, Jim, and my children, Clara and Scott. We’re wondering if you remember my grandmother?” Janet speaks… What does she speak exactly? It’s not Korean, but it’s not the Jeju dialect either. “Her name was Mi-ja. Her family name was Han—” At the opening of the novel in 1938, Jeju is under Japanese rule during WWII and many men are away fighting for the Japanese army or working in Japanese factories. Traditionally women have long been the divers in the family with the men spending the days looking after the children. Life is hard, with the Japanese taking much of the catch, but the women still enjoy their fishing and the companionship of the other divers as well as training young women in the art of diving.

Todo ello lo conocemos a través de dos haenyeo, dos amigas desde su infancia hasta su vejez, vemos el efecto de la ocupación japonesa en Corea, la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la llegada de los americanos, nuevas guerras, dictaduras y verdaderas masacres que van a sufrir durante muchos años en toda Corea. Learning of Korean culture, Haenyeo culture and Jeju history through the fictional tales of these two women was compelling. I loved all the knowledge that Lisa See was able to compact into this book. This was a much needed and capturing read, both vivid and empathetic. It has alighted a curiosity in me to learn more about Haenyeo culture. We are drawn into the story of Mi-ja and Young-sook who first met when they were seven years old and grew to be heart friends, sharing their deepest held secrets, their love of diving, and many adventures, including going to Russia as teenagers to dive in freezing cold waters for extra money to bring home for their families. When they are 21, a rift occurs and although they continue to be buoyed by their loving bond, the seeds of suspicion and distrust are planted. The whole time, Yu-ri continued talking, talking, talking. “My brother is very smart, and he works hard in school.” My mother may have been the head of the collective, but Do-saeng had a son who was the pride of every family in Hado. “Everyone says Jun-bu will go to Japan to study one day.”My mother knelt next to Do-saeng. Soon the rest of us were on our knees in a circle of anguish. The shaman held ritual knives in her hands from which white ribbons streamed. As she sliced through negativity, the ribbons swirled around us like swallows through the air. Her hanbok ballooned in clouds of riotous color. We chanted. We wept. Our emotions flowed from us accompanied by the cacophony of cymbals, bells, and drums played by Shaman Kim’s assistants.

I was completely drawn into the setting here to the remote Jeju Island in South Korea that is home to haenyeo “sea woman” who all are female free drivers. I was fascinated by these strong, proud women who took risks and made sacrifices to feed their families and their passion for the seaDespite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook find it impossible to ignore their differences. The Island of Sea Women takes place over many decades, beginning during a period of Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 1940s, followed by World War II, the Korean War, through the era of cell phones and wet suits for the women divers. Throughout this time, the residents of Jeju find themselves caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator. Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will inherit her mother’s position leading the divers in their village. Little do the two friends know that forces outside their control will push their friendship to the breaking point. this is such a heartfelt, if not tragic, story about two best friends and how the challenges of life work against them and their relationship.