BOOK REVIEW OF ONE THOUSAND CHESTNUT TREES BY MIRA STOUT
BY JENNIFER KLEPS
The harrowing truth of Korea’s history is uncovered in Mira Stout’s novel, One Thousand Chestnut Trees. The novel is a heart-rendering account of a young New York artist’s search for the truth about her culture’s past and her personal racial identity. Stout shares her journey of finding self-identity through exploration of her Korean heritage. The author, Mira Stout, was born in New York City and later graduated from Brown University. She has been nominated for the IMPAC award and chosen for the New York Public Library ‘Books for the New Year.’ Stout is of Irish and Korean descent and continues to work and write in London, England.
One Thousand Chestnut Trees opens a door to acceptance for second generation Korean-Americans. Her book is compelling and honest while also providing a well-rounded knowledge of Korean History. While the book is historically factual, it lacks in story line and character development; towards the end of the story it reads as more of a textbook than a novel. Stout’s use of different narrators creates chronological disorder and makes it hard to follow. The over-bearing theme of loss simultaneously captivates and devastates readers from all backgrounds.
The novel is narrated by Anna, her grandfather and her mother, creating a sense of personal tenor when describing Korea’s remarkable history. The book begins with Anne’s account of her early life growing up in New England. At the time of her childhood, Anne was one of few minorities at her school and was often subject to prejudice and bullying. Having an American father, she felt constant embarrassment of her mother and her racial background. Growing up, Anne deemed her Korean side of her merely an inconvenience and frequently attempted to blend in with her white peers. When Anna is an adolescent, her Uncle Hong-do travels to America from Korea and stays with her family. At the time, Anne has no interest in her Korean Uncle and by the time he returns home go Seoul, she realizes she missed out on learning about her family’s history as well her heritage. As a young woman, Anne moves to New York to pursue her career in Art while simultaneously working at a book store. Eventually the book store closes and Anne decides to take the chance to finally visit Korea and discover the truth behind her family’s past.
Throughout the novel, three voices are heard from. While each voice is distinct and new to American readers, they fall short of creating any sense of personality. There is little information about each character and each chapter reads quickly as if part of a class lesson. Stout gave readers a fascinating family narration of historical events without any emotional connection. Furthermore, because the book is a family narration, a distinct individual disposition is expected to make the story personal. The lack of emotion forged the idea that the story was rushed and had insufficient context. Rather than flowing and pieces together stories, the transition of narrations creates confusion among time. The book begins with Anne’s voice, then the mothers and finally the grandfather. Each character vividly describes events happening in Korean at separate time periods, forcing readers to mentally jump back and forth through eras of time. Not only is time incalculable, significant portions of time seeming to be excluded from the story. The end of the novel reads more closely to a list of experiences from a traveler rather than a search for cultural belonging and identity. Without strong character development, Stout is unsuccessful at engaging and captivating readers on a personal level of her Korean ancestry.
While Stout may have been insufficient in technical areas such as character development and grammar, she excelled in various other aspects. Anne’s journey is told from interesting perspectives, people who have lived through Korea’s tempestuous past. Anne’s voice is specifically powerful in the sense that people of mixed race, especially Asian-Americans, live within the borderlands. Which means that because are neither one race or the other, they often are rejected by both groups, leading to struggles with identity. American prejudice against mixed races often goes unvoiced by Asian-Americans in modern society. The country has been divided between black and white racial tension for so long, Asian-Americans stories go untold. Stout’s voice is a refreshing one that represents many individuals in society that struggle with social and self-acceptance. The novel gives voice to those who have been unheard and gives readers an insight on Korean heritage. An important part of world history is acknowledged in Anne’s journey, one that is difficult to access due to political reasons. Stout goes beyond revealing her quest to for her family’s history, she addresses the discovery of self-love and more importantly, herself. Stout’s book is bound to move Korean-Americans as well as all second generation Asian-Americans searching for a better understanding of their ancestors.
Though chronologically confusing and uncertain, one theme that remains evident throughout the story is loss. Whether physical, mental, or emotional loss is a present concept allowing generations to connect. Beginning with the loss of Korean unity, Anne’s family begins to fall apart. After numerous hardships, her family never loses sight of hope for the unpredictable future. However, at the end the theme of loss is reintroduced into each family member’s life to some extent. Anne’s grandfather loses his life, her mother loses connection with her family and her daughter, and Anne loses her dream of enlightenment when she finds out her family’s history is a tragic one. Despite the disappointments, Anne finds beauty in the depth of loss as she realizes the pain of her ancestors shaped who she is. Through her journey she finds a sense of cultural belonging.
It is difficult not to appreciate the author’s personal accounts of self-discovery. Stout introduces a new perspective on Korean history during the twentieth century. She stresses the importance of being educated on personal heritage to understand the world and one’s self. By learning and exploration, history that goes unknown is bound to be repeated. The historical accuracy and first-hand accounts of how Japanese occupation tore apart Korea reveal irreversible trauma. It is how Anne deals with her losses and ancestral heartache that gives hope to generations of all ethnic backgrounds. There are chronological weaknesses, lack of personality in characters and grammar is slightly unpolished. Nevertheless, the novel provides a rare and welcoming comfort into a history that has been extremely difficult to access.
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