Marie Myung-Ok Lee

Evening Hero

Christina Pappas

It took me a few chapters to get into this book, but once I did, I was utterly engrossed. In terms of scope and scale, it reminded me of Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honorée Jeffers; though both of those books span generations and The Evening Hero focuses on just one man's life, it manages to feel almost as sweeping - and really, you could argue Dr. Yungman Kwak has lived two lives, one in Korea and one in America. 

It's sweeping, as well, in the emotions it elicits. There were times I was snort-laughing - while I would by no means recommend this to anyone seeking a "light" read, there were some sharp, delightful moments of levity. There were other times I felt enraged or heartbroken - especially the backstory of his childhood during the war, which this book taught me a lot about. (I found these parts the most engaging.) And there were times I found myself shrugging along at the absurdity of the US healthcare system, then - just like Yungman - jolting into a realization of how utterly wrong it is. You could describe it as historical fiction or contemporary satire, and you'd be right on both counts. 

My sympathies for Yungman, his wife, and (to a lesser extent) his son swung wildly throughout the first half of the book, then settled into a kind of balance by the end. I'm extremely impressed by the author's ability to write such multi-layered characters - with all their complexities, flaws, regrets, and desires (to belong, to be loved, to do better). 

This is an awesome book in the purest sense of the world. I will definitely be reading it again when it's released.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my ARC.

Evening Hero

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