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loriluo's review against another edition
5.0
This novel is such an incredible piece of historical fiction, and one that covers an oft-forgotten time and perspective in history.
"The Evening Hero" tells the story of Yungman Kwak, a Korean-American doctor who lives and works in Horse's Breath, a small community in Minnesota when his life is upturned after the announcement of the hospital's closing. We get to see Yungman's interactions with fellow doctors and nurses, his wife Young Ae, and his relationship with his son Einstein and Einstein's own family, including his wife (Yungman's daughter-in-law) Marni. The novel also makes numerous flashbacks to Yungman's childhood growing up in a war-torn Korea in the midst of the Korean War, and the struggles his family went through during that time and what it actually took for Yungman to attend medical school and move his life to America.
There are so many weighty and important topics Marie Myung-Ok Lee covers in this novel: racism (and not just towards Asian Americans), the treatment of immigrants, the capitalization of our healthcare systems and medical care, the ties of family and our pasts, and perhaps most importantly, the complicated and difficult history of Korea during the 20th century, as it served as the battleground between American and Russian forces and put its own people under unbelievable and impossible situations. Admittedly this is not a period in history I am knowledgeable about, but Lee offers a heart-wrenching perspective on what so many people went through during this time, and lays the foundation for the political and cultural intricacies of the present.
The novel sways between tones of pure satire and ridicule to ones of weighty seriousness and heart-breaking situations, juxtaposing the gravitas of the past to the near-hilarious events that Yungman encounters in the present. She's also crafted a host of complex and multi-layered characters that include not only Yungman, but his wife, peers, and mother that you can't help but feel for each of their individual situations. All-in-all, this novel was such a delight to read and although it's not the easiest nor lightest storyline, it is one that I will cherish and re-read in the future.
Thank you Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this novel!
"The Evening Hero" tells the story of Yungman Kwak, a Korean-American doctor who lives and works in Horse's Breath, a small community in Minnesota when his life is upturned after the announcement of the hospital's closing. We get to see Yungman's interactions with fellow doctors and nurses, his wife Young Ae, and his relationship with his son Einstein and Einstein's own family, including his wife (Yungman's daughter-in-law) Marni. The novel also makes numerous flashbacks to Yungman's childhood growing up in a war-torn Korea in the midst of the Korean War, and the struggles his family went through during that time and what it actually took for Yungman to attend medical school and move his life to America.
There are so many weighty and important topics Marie Myung-Ok Lee covers in this novel: racism (and not just towards Asian Americans), the treatment of immigrants, the capitalization of our healthcare systems and medical care, the ties of family and our pasts, and perhaps most importantly, the complicated and difficult history of Korea during the 20th century, as it served as the battleground between American and Russian forces and put its own people under unbelievable and impossible situations. Admittedly this is not a period in history I am knowledgeable about, but Lee offers a heart-wrenching perspective on what so many people went through during this time, and lays the foundation for the political and cultural intricacies of the present.
The novel sways between tones of pure satire and ridicule to ones of weighty seriousness and heart-breaking situations, juxtaposing the gravitas of the past to the near-hilarious events that Yungman encounters in the present. She's also crafted a host of complex and multi-layered characters that include not only Yungman, but his wife, peers, and mother that you can't help but feel for each of their individual situations. All-in-all, this novel was such a delight to read and although it's not the easiest nor lightest storyline, it is one that I will cherish and re-read in the future.
Thank you Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this novel!
rndecker's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
alivaster's review against another edition
I really wanted to enjoy this book, especially because the premise sounded fascinating, but after the first bunch of chapters of the book, I found myself becoming less interested and the book wasn't able to keep my interest anymore. Ultimately, after reading it over the span of three months and only make it about halfway through, I DNFed the book for now and may go back and look into it again in the future. It just wasn't working for me.
I will say that it does have a lot of Korean history and information so people may find that fascinating! The character's jumping back and forth was just jarring to me in a way that took me out of the story, but that clearly wasn't the case for the majority of readers.
Thank you to the publisher, Simon and Schuster, and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC.
I will say that it does have a lot of Korean history and information so people may find that fascinating! The character's jumping back and forth was just jarring to me in a way that took me out of the story, but that clearly wasn't the case for the majority of readers.
Thank you to the publisher, Simon and Schuster, and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC.
danamuses's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
cherrythepie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
avidreadr's review against another edition
2.0
A rare do-not-finish for me. I just didn't like it, and probably wouldn't pick it up again. Though the positive reviews make me wonder if I just didn't give it enough of a chance.
esdeecarlson's review against another edition
5.0
[This book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review]
5 stars
The Evening Hero may well be the best book I’ve read so far this year. A rich and nuanced take on feelings of ‘otherness’ after displacement, The Evening Hero provides an insider-outsider’s view into both America and Korea (North, South, past, and present).
Yungman Kwak, the novel’s titular evening hero, is a man at the twilight of his life who, in many ways, is only now properly able to start trying to live, rather than merely survive. As a small-town American doctor, his observations on and perspective of the contemporary American healthcare system is insightful, pointed, and at times satiric. As a Korean immigrant, from a village once considered southern but now in DPRK territory, his memories of the Korean War (6.25) and displaced connection to his native soil are as enlightening and edifying to a reader unfamiliar with the “Forgotten War” as they are poignantly human.
It's difficult to discuss in a review format all of the ways in which this novel succeeds. As a piece of American immigration literature, it profoundly discusses feelings of displacement, estrangement, mixed national pride, otherization, assimilation, longing, fear, and hope. As a memoiristic novel about family, it neatly interweaves Kwak’s love for and desire to honor and do right by his ancestors and family with his complicated estrangement from his living family—his total break from Korean relatives, his awkward communication barrier with his Americanized son and grandson. As a piece of historical fiction, it’s a meticulously researched account of the realities of the Korean war that places human experience before political and military overview, without ever veering into melodrama or ‘trauma porn.’ As a commentary on modern American life, it’s a pointed look at social and racial dynamics and a harshly satiric funhouse mirror of our corporatized healthcare system.
The novel is an excellent work of literary fiction, a truly engaging narrative as enjoyable as it is important.
5 stars
The Evening Hero may well be the best book I’ve read so far this year. A rich and nuanced take on feelings of ‘otherness’ after displacement, The Evening Hero provides an insider-outsider’s view into both America and Korea (North, South, past, and present).
Yungman Kwak, the novel’s titular evening hero, is a man at the twilight of his life who, in many ways, is only now properly able to start trying to live, rather than merely survive. As a small-town American doctor, his observations on and perspective of the contemporary American healthcare system is insightful, pointed, and at times satiric. As a Korean immigrant, from a village once considered southern but now in DPRK territory, his memories of the Korean War (6.25) and displaced connection to his native soil are as enlightening and edifying to a reader unfamiliar with the “Forgotten War” as they are poignantly human.
It's difficult to discuss in a review format all of the ways in which this novel succeeds. As a piece of American immigration literature, it profoundly discusses feelings of displacement, estrangement, mixed national pride, otherization, assimilation, longing, fear, and hope. As a memoiristic novel about family, it neatly interweaves Kwak’s love for and desire to honor and do right by his ancestors and family with his complicated estrangement from his living family—his total break from Korean relatives, his awkward communication barrier with his Americanized son and grandson. As a piece of historical fiction, it’s a meticulously researched account of the realities of the Korean war that places human experience before political and military overview, without ever veering into melodrama or ‘trauma porn.’ As a commentary on modern American life, it’s a pointed look at social and racial dynamics and a harshly satiric funhouse mirror of our corporatized healthcare system.
The novel is an excellent work of literary fiction, a truly engaging narrative as enjoyable as it is important.
ctlucas16's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
shelby92's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ellbutler's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War