An exquisite, deeply felt novel about a young woman who returns home to her Korean parents in Queens
For Grace Kim, veering off course is not an option. The daughter of immigrants in Flushing, Queens–her mother runs a deli, her father an auto repair shop–Grace understands hard work and responsibility. Far from home, she is supporting her boyfriend through Stanford medical school, and hopes for a law career, marriage, a family of her own. But when one day she is forced to confront the hard truths of the life she is building, she impulsively packs her things and drives across the country, back to Flushing.
Home, however, is different now. Grace swore she would never forgive her father after his affair, but Mr. and Mrs. Kim have never disentangled themselves. In the midst of this is Grace’s teenaged half-brother, the product of the affair: Lawrence. As Grace takes over shifts at the deli checkout, and Lawrence gets drawn into the church youth group, both of them must navigate their parents’ expectations and face their own dreams for their future.
Full of tenderness, heartbreaking insight, and the deftly observed world of the Korean-American diaspora that animated Yoon Choi’s award-winning short stories, The Book of Grace is a stirring novel about the pursuit of happiness and the mysteries of the human heart.
For Grace Kim, veering off course is not an option. The daughter of immigrants in Flushing, Queens–her mother runs a deli, her father an auto repair shop–Grace understands hard work and responsibility. Far from home, she is supporting her boyfriend through Stanford medical school, and hopes for a law career, marriage, a family of her own. But when one day she is forced to confront the hard truths of the life she is building, she impulsively packs her things and drives across the country, back to Flushing.
Home, however, is different now. Grace swore she would never forgive her father after his affair, but Mr. and Mrs. Kim have never disentangled themselves. In the midst of this is Grace’s teenaged half-brother, the product of the affair: Lawrence. As Grace takes over shifts at the deli checkout, and Lawrence gets drawn into the church youth group, both of them must navigate their parents’ expectations and face their own dreams for their future.
Full of tenderness, heartbreaking insight, and the deftly observed world of the Korean-American diaspora that animated Yoon Choi’s award-winning short stories, The Book of Grace is a stirring novel about the pursuit of happiness and the mysteries of the human heart.
Author
Yoon Choi
YOON CHOI was born in Korea and moved to the U.S. at the age of three. She has an MA from Johns Hopkins and is a former Stegner Fellow at Stanford. Her stories and essays have appeared in New England Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Narrative Magazine, and The Best American Short Stories 2018. She lives with her husband and four children in Anaheim, California.
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