The Korean Word For Butterfly (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
The characters in this book are a couple who go to South Korea to teach and the people they encounter. The adventures they have there are bewildering rather than exciting. What I like about this book is that the author ties up the ends very nicely, and the reader knows at least in which direction each character is heading at the end of the book. I downloaded this book for free from Amazon, but it may not be free now. I don't know if it is available in hard copy or not. This book follows the story of two hapless and not-quite-sympathetic Americans who move to Korea to teach for a year. It's told from the POV of one of the Americans and two Koreans, all employed by the school. It's a quick read and held my interest, even if the writing is uneven and one of the three voices less than engaging.I'll reiterate the author's warning: the book deals heavily with abortion. If that's a trigger for you, then you probably want to give this book a pass. In fact, the focus of the book is on children and parents, and parenting/questions surrounding parenting far more than it is on the experience of teaching in or adapting to life in another country.I would have liked to learn more about the main characters. The American in particular wasn't very engaging (and the stereotypical Oregonian -- being a former one of those myself, that hit a nerve for me), so I couldn't muster any sympathy for her. Ultimately I liked the book but didn't love it.
What do You think about The Korean Word For Butterfly (2013)?
