Brother's Keeper

Starred review from June 1, 2020
Lee’s urgent debut begins at the outset of the Korean War as experienced by 12-year-old Sora Pak, only daughter and eldest of three, who lives in communist North Korea. After learning that the North and South are at war, the Paks, terrified by the prospect of a continued life under communism, flee in the dark of night for the Southern city of Busan, nearly 400 miles away. A bombing soon separates Sora and her eight-year-old brother, Youngsoo, from their parents, and the children must make the unknown journey on their own. Sora’s responsibility to Youngsoo grows fraught when he becomes ill, and she fights to care for him under increasingly impossible conditions. Sora, who yearns for an education as much as she longs to be valued as an individual by her family and her culture, is a compelling and sympathetic narrator whose deep love for Youngsoo is mixed with resentment at his revered status as a son. Her anger at her beleaguered mother whom she can never please is also a source of grief. A moving, suspenseful refugee story, based loosely on the author’s mother’s experiences, the book is at heart a poignant exploration of a girl’s struggle against traditional female roles and her determination to succeed on her own terms. Ages 8–12.

Narrator Cindy Kay's soft tones fit the timidity of 12-year-old Sora, whose reserve is made worse by the world around her. Kay emphasizes the harshness of Sora's mother; the preference shown to her younger brother, Youngsoo; and the oppression of life in North Korea under the Communist regime. Kay marks how Sora's resentments turn to fear as war breaks out and the family flees to South Korea. Soon the children are separated from their parents and must travel hundreds of miles alone. Kay shows Sora's growing courage as she develops resilience to avoid capture, hunger, sickness, and cold. Tender memories of her family's survival during the Japanese occupation calm her as she dreams of fighting for her own future. S.W. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine