A review by momadvice
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha

4.0

 

Drawing inspiration from the harrowing true events of the early 1990s that shook Los Angeles, this gripping crime fiction novel delves into the aftermath of the Rodney King beatings and the tragic murder of Latasha Harlins. 

While most readers will be familiar with the details of the Rodney King case, you may be unfamiliar with the murder of Latasha Harlins by a Korean convenience store clerk, evoking additional riots in the spring of 1992.

Ripped from the headlines, Latasha Harlins was an African-American girl fatally shot at age 15 by Soon Ja Du, a 49-year-old Korean-American convenience store owner. It's through this case that Cha crafts her story. 

Given two fictional perspectives through the brother of the victim and the eyes of the convenience store clerk's daughter, the author expertly crafts two moving views on racial tensions between these communities and the fallout after the crime. 

I watched and read several interviews with Cha to see how the author pulled off these two family perspectives in such a magnificent way that both challenged and immersed me in this story.  This NPR interview, in particular, was an eye-opening read on racial stereotypes and the miscarriage of justice she perceived in this heartbreaking case. 

In a concise 299 pages, Cha delivers a tautly woven story that unapologetically and unabashedly examines enduring racial tensions between the African-American and Korean-American communities during and after the LA riots. 

This Los Angeles Times Book Prize-winning novel will be a MomAdvice Book Club selection for 2024.