White Chrysanthemum - A message of hope or despair?

 

There are only two words that could perfectly summarize this book: magnificently thought-provoking!

In the month of April I had the pleasure of reading the book «White Chrysanthemum». This book addresses important and relevant topics, including the heart breaking message of how the comfort women who came fourth with their stories in 1991 were received by the public – especially by Japan. The author spares us no details of the horrendous acts happening during WW2 to the so-called comfort women or «Lilac women» of South Korea. I would highly recommend reading this if you are interested in East Asian history and historical fiction, or if you are passionate about ending modern sex slavery. This book requires no previous knowledge of Korean traditions and culture, and the author explains the words that need a translation.

White Chrysanthemum was published Mary Lynn Bracht in 2018, which makes the release about 27 years previous to the first comfort woman coming forth with her story. This shows how important and accurate the message of this book is, despite the fact that the described events happened 75 years prior to the release of the book.

The beginning of the story takes place on Jeju Island in the summer of 1943. Two sisters are at the beach with their mother, who is diving in the sea, when a Japanese soldier by the name of Morimoto approaches the girls. The oldest sister, Hana, whom as the oldest is supposed to be the protector, runs towards Morimoto in order to hide her sister from him. He takes Hana away from her family and Jeju Island, and the rest of the story describes her journey as a comfort woman to the Japanese soldiers. Fast forward to 2011, the youngest sister, Emi, knows death is approaching due to her heart condition. Emi has spent her life hiding the secret of her older sister´s cruel destiny, due to her own shame and hurt from not being able to protect her. The past years she has attended the yearly demonstrations of the comfort women, in order to find her older sister. This story follows her last journey to Seoul. Will she be able to find her sister or not? How would her family react if they were to find out about Hana? Would she be able to live with herself after opening this almost 70 year-old wound?

The plot jumps in time between the years 2011 and 1943, and throughout the war. This could be confusing and frustrating if you do not like this writing technique, but I think this only makes the plot more interesting, engaging, and it makes is so that the reader can follow two separate but intertwined lives at the same time. In addition, the story would not be nearly as engaging if the book jumped to the year 2011, and never looked back to the past events. The suspense of what is to come next in the previous story, forces the reader to rush through each chapter, in order to know what is next to come. I think the author dispositioned this book perfectly, because as the reader you want to know what is about to happen in both of the separate stories, which as mentioned makes you read each chapter as fast as possible. Furthermore, each chapter ends on a hook, which only emphasizes the previously stated.

Furhtermore, the fact that the author uses several Korean words and points out several traditions within South Korea, creates a sort of familiarity to the culture throughout the book, and gives it more of a personal touch. In other words, it makes the book sound and feel more authentic. Following this, it seems almost unimaginable that the author herself should not feel a deep familiarity and protection over the South Korean culture and tradition.

The actions that take place throughout the journey are horrenduously described. However, as much compassion as one ought to feel towards the main characters and their gruesome destiny, there is a hint of compassion and forgiveness towards several of the abusers. Some of the destinies that are intertwined in this plot not only become friends in spite of their differences in personality or power positions, but one might even feel empathy towards characters like Emi´s husband, who did have somewhat honorable intentions behind their forced marriage. At the same time, the consequences of this forced marriage, in addition to Emi´s pain from her family´s misfortune, create a barrier not only between Emi and her husband, but also between Emi and her own children.

Ultimately, the author not only describes some of the misfurtunes that happened during WW2 and further describing the consequences of the war for some individuals, but she indirectly addresses the importance of remembering this legacy and protecting the future generations from such events. In conclusion, this book is an eye-opening and challenging book to read, particularly to those of a faint heart. It touches on several important themes like human trafficking, history repeating itself, shame, love, forgiveness and revenge. This book is a perfect read to those who prefer engaging, historical fiction with an important and relevant message to modern society.