Shelter
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
A masterfully crafted debut novel that asks what it means to provide for one's family and, in answer, delivers a story as riveting as it is profound.
"Gripping" New York Times
"A marvel of skill and execution" LA Times
Why should a man care for his parents when they failed to take care of him as a child?
Kyung Cho owns a house that he can't afford. His credit cards and student loan debts are spiralling out of control. Despite his promising career as a tenure-track professor, Kyung and his wife, Gillian, have always lived beyond their means. Now, their bad decisions are catching up with them, and Kyung is worried for his family's future.
A few miles away, Kyung's parents, Jin and Mae, live in the town's most exclusive neighbourhood, surrounded by the material comforts that Kyung wants so badly for his wife and son. His own childhood, however, was far from comfortable - growing up, Kyung enjoyed every imaginable privilege, but never kindness or affection. He can hardly bear to see his parents, much less ask them for help. Yet when an act of violence leaves Jin and Mae unable to live on their own, the dynamic suddenly changes, and he decides to take them in. As the safe distance between them collapses, Kyung is forced to question what it means to be a good husband, father and son, while the life he knew begins to crumble and his own anger demands to be released.
As Shelter veers swiftly towards its startling conclusion, Jung Yun leads us through dark and violent territory, where, unexpectedly, the Chos discover hope.
MORE PRAISE FOR SHELTER
"Yun explores the powerful legacy of family violence ... This family drama [is] rife with tension and unexpected ironies" Publishers Weekly
"This work should find itself on best-of lists, among major award nominations, and in eager readers' hands everywhere" Library Journal
"A powerful debut, full of thrills, secrets waiting to be discovered, and lies unwrapped" LA Review of Books
"A fluidly written debut novel that explores violence and its effects on one immigrant family ... [A] layered, sometimes surprising debut" Kirkus
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In her intense debut, Jung explores the powerful legacy of familial violence and the difficulty of finding the strength and grace to forgive. As the novel opens, Kyung Cho and his wife, Gillian, are on the verge of financial calamity: they are deep in debt, and selling their house in suburban Boston won't help their mortgage is underwater. Just when Gillian has almost convinced Kyung to swallow his pride and move in with his wealthy parents, Kyung learns that his parents have been the victims of a brutal home invasion. In an instant, Kyung must decide whether to find room in his home (and his heart) for his traumatized parents. Doing so, however, requires him to bridge the distance he's deliberately maintained from them, to overcome the resentment he bears toward his parents for his unhappy childhood and his persistent feelings of failure. As Kyung's situation grows increasingly unstable, he finds himself lapsing into familiar patterns of anger, distrust, and violence. Despite some lengthy asides, especially in the novel's first half, that threaten to drown the narrative momentum in emotional reflection, a lot happens in this family drama rife with tension and unexpected ironies. Kyung's greatest struggle, in the end, is learning how to see not only his own life but also his parents' with clarity and understanding.
