I really enjoyed this book! I have read a couple books about the Haenyeo women in Korea and find their history so fascinating . This book didn't spend quite as much time focusing on the actual diving parts but rather the terrible events that occured on Jeju Island during the Second World War. I had no idea these events occured and found them eye opening and heartbreaking. I enjoyed the back and forth between the time periods, especially because the author put the main focus on the past, which I found the most interesting. I found myself a bit lost just over half way through the book when we focused on Junja's husband but Ms. Hahn did an excellent job tying it all together in the end.
Overall, beautifully written and one I will for sure recommend!

What a magical post WWII story of bravery, love, loss, and redemption, set among the beautiful landscape of Jeju Island off the coast of South Korea during a very tumultuous time in Jeju’s history. A story of a brave haenyeo girl and a rebel native she meets on Hallasan Mountain.

Having previously loved The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See and being somewhat familiar with this conflict, I was anxious to read this story. I was not disappointed! An amazing 5 stars for this beautifully woven mystic tale!

*Special thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Sumi Hahn for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley.

The Mermaid from Jeju isn't a fantasy novel. Instead, it's historical fiction, telling the tale of one of the divers from Jeju and her involvement during the aftermath of the war. Interspersed with legends, it follows through dual timelines that have her present as a teenager and her husband reliving his past in the future.

Junja I liked as a character. While she was still young and naive about most of the world around her, she tried to do what was right for her family. Her grandmother too was interesting, and I would dare say a stronger personality than she herself. The other part of the book, from her husband's eyes, was not quite as strong, although he was living in memory, he seemed to be a more timid person throughout his entire life. Really, the standout character was Lee; probably the bravest and cleverest, he and Junja's grandmother's intrigues were what caught my attention in this book.

I admit, I did not like the dual timelines in this one. It made the book disjointed and hard to follow at times, because I was trying to reconcile what I was learning in both with the other. And then there were just a lot of parts left out. like Junja's life in between her diving and her husband's recollections of her in America. I think there was probably a lot of character development there that was missed out on. The ending too, I re-read several times just to understand what was happened and when it merged into legend I was left feeling like I still didn't quite understand the resolution. I don't know that I'm saying this should have been a longer book; but I think there was a lot that was crammed into here and could have been explored further to leave it feeling more complete.

Nice premise, subject matter, and some intriguing characters; but a little too all over the place for me.

Review by M. Reynard 2020

𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚, 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅, 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏.

Jeju is south Korea’s ‘Island of the Gods’, but the sun has set on paradise. We begin in 1944, Goh Junja longs to be a haenyeo just like her mother and grandmother before her, women who make their living plunging into the dangerous depths of the sea, collecting it’s bountiful blessings; abalone, shells, food and pearls if they’re lucky. Their sleep is filled with sea dreams, for they are mermaids that walk the land, visiting the sea king and his maidens. On Junja’s dive, she goes too deep but the sea king spits her out alive, she is a woman now, carrying on the tradition of the haenyeo. Having survived her near-drowning she is one of them, joining the women at the shore, no longer left behind to care for her siblings at home. When her mother is worried about leaving her work of leading the women divers safely to a fellow diver who has been spooked recently, she relents and allows Junja go in her stead on her annual trip to Hallason. Tasked with delivering abalone to the pig farmer’s wife and securing their own pork (piglet) for the winter, Junja is thrilled to climb the mountain on her own. She couldn’t imagine that she would meet Yang Suwol and fall in love. While surrounded by the lush beauty of the mountain, visiting the shrine of the gods she and Suwol encounter a soldier, searching for communists. It’s a prelude of what’s about to come. Something terrible has happened at home, in a rush she arrives to be at the side of her dying mother. The sea will take her, but the mystery is far deeper.

In a day, the world they’ve lived in has changed. Her dream speaks of a future far from the island, of marriage and daughters. Soldiers are taking over, American and Korean, the mountain is no longer safe and worse, her little brother and sister will no longer live with Junja and her grandmother. The old woman is acting strangely, she has befriended a constable, but she has secrets of her own and the death of her daughter has her hungry for answers. Junja is still in the dark about her family’s true history, and grandmother can’t keep her safe forever. As the threat of political unrest burns closer, it is up to grandmother’s sharp intellect to keep Junja alive but horrors and misfortune are on the horizon. It isn’t the first time, for Japanese occupation had invaded their lives before, so long ago- demanding sacrifices that grandmother carries within her. Through cunning, she will see that Junja
doesn’t drown on land. But what will become of her, what will happen between she and Suwol when he is arrested and accused of working with communists?

Part Two it is 2001, we come to know Dr. Moon and learn what has become of Junja. Dr. Moon has carried ghosts and torments of his own, never imagining in his youth that he would one day raise daughters in a foreign land “American girls”, no longer holding to traditions or “superstitions”. He is mourning a great loss, and haunted by the voices of spirits demanding he ‘go back’- the dead will be honored. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥.” He will return to visit Korea, much to his children’s shock. “𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥.” Time is vast as an ocean.

Junja is naïve at the start of the novel, through no fault of her own, it’s for her protection that some truths are hidden but the ravages of war steals innocence and shallows lives whole, by part two we get to know her a little better but the strongest characters end up being her grandmother and Dr. Moon. The myths, legends and traditions of the haenyeo make for a beautiful, “magical saga”, that they are real is a nod to the power and strength of women. The bonds of family, their power and status as divers does feel magical but the story is dark as a fairy tale when those leaning toward communism go against the American troops establishing their presence on Jeju. Escape is the only option, if you can make it out alive. I went on to read about Jeju and it’s ‘independent spirit’ throughout history, it made for a richer understanding of what happened in this novel. This is quite a debut that feels magical, but the magic is smothered by the harsh brutalities of war and politics, turning it into heavier read.

Publication Date: November 10, 2020

Alcove Press

this was a really enjoyable read, the characters were great and I appreciated that it was based on a true story. I enjoyed going on this journey.

Unable to download this Book it keeps telling me there is an error attached to this File. I was deeply upset about this .

Simply stated: The Mermaid from Jeju is down-right magical book. Set part in present day America and part in postwar Korea, it is equal parts history lesson and fairy tale. Beautifully rendered, with language that sweeps you away to the little island of Jeju, you find yourself longing to visit the isle and its naturally rugged beauty of the past.

The book is told in two parts, with Part One being told mostly from the point of view of our leading lady Junja. The reader becomes so absorbed in the rich story telling that when reaching Part Two, which switches gears to Junja’s husband’s point of view, it is almost disorienting. But author Sumi Hahn deftly weaves the two halves of the novel together like fine embroidery, gently looping and back-stitching and connecting each character and piece of the story together into a mesmerizing tapestry.

A rock-solid debut that portends amazing things to come from Ms. Hahn. Highly-recommended, this novel is a great choice for book club readers – a tale so deeply atmospheric that it will linger well after it’s finished, much in the vein David Guterson’s Snow Falling on Cedars.

The Mermaid of Jeju is available December 8th in hardcover or Kindle, and audio CD from Alcove Press, a recently-launched imprint of Crooked Lane Books that specializes in book club fiction.

A big thank you to Sumi Hahn, Alcove Press, and NetGalley for providing a complimentary Advance Reader Copy in exchange for this honest review.

#TheMermaidFromJeju
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I have so many feelings after reading this book that I think it will not be easy to write a clear review. Don’t get me wrong, the story is amazing and intense, but so vivid that it makes you wonder what type of world we are creating for our children, full of monsters and pain. Why?
I’ll admit that I don’t know much about Korea’s past, it had always been for me a country too far to study at school or to feel related to their history. This has changed for the last few months, it’s a country that has fought for their freedom again and again, with multiple loses and pain, but has survived. This book tries to make the reader more interested in a country we don’t know much, but that we all should value and respect, they have gained it.
This is the story of a Haenyŏ, a mermaid from Jeju, how she left the country she loved to survive a war and never returned. Yes, this is not a happy book, but it is in a special way; it’s about family, love, war and survival. All of these elements are so skilfully combined in the story that is difficult to talk about one without relating it to the others.
Don’t be scared to read something that will make change your feelings/emotions toward the world, sometimes is the best way to change everything; between real facts, legends and love this is the book that will possibly change your life. Ready?

This was a beautifully written, but very tragic story about a Korean haenyeo. The fascinating haenyeo is a woman, deep sea diver in Korea. They still exist but their numbers are dwindling. I enjoyed learning some of the history of them and Korean culture in general. The author, Sumi Hahn, writes of the devastation and atrocities of war, while weaving beautiful stories of love, friendship, sacrifices, loyalty and loss.
*Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Boss for the ARC.

This was a great book that mixes war with mermaids. Wondering if a mermaid can fall in love with a human. It was interesting to see how Goh Junja and Yang Suwol relationship unfold in this story.

I loved this one and Junja ‘s story. I enjoyed learning the history of WW II through the lens of Korea. It is a masterpiece of historical fiction

I enjoyed this historical fiction and was intrigued by the history offered about what happened in Korea at the end of WWII and the Americans entered the scene. Fascinating and terrible. The story is primarily about Junja, a haenyeo (an elite group of women divers) in Jeju. The plot takes off right away as she convinces her mother she is mature enough to deliver seafood to a wealthy mountain family, a day's journey from the coast where she lives. Along the way, she meets a young man, who turns out to be the son of the wealthy family, and is smitten.
The story could coast along on this plot line, but the author only allows us to enjoy this budding love for a brief moment before the war comes crashing in. I won't spoil the plot for others, but I have to say there is a dichotomy between the first and second halves of the book that don't mesh well. The tone and style are so different that they could be written by different people. I found myself wishing the first author stayed with the book. I give the first half five stars, but the second half only three stars. I found myself disappointed in the end.

The Mermaid for Jeju by Sumi Hahn is a fascinating glimpse into another culture and way of life. Set in Korea in the aftermath of World War II , it follows the story of Junja, a young girl who is a deep sea diver like all the women in her family have been before her ,and her life during a time of dangerous political turmoil.. The book is largely set in the past but there are some chapters from the current day, told from the perspective of Junja's husband and daughters.
I found myself immersed in the story, and I was transported to another time and place. The history was fascinating , and I was intrigued by the description of the Haenyeo divers and their matriarchal society. I found the descriptions of the hardships endured by these people under Japanese occupation, and later when the Korean Nationalists ( with American support) came into power, to be heartbreaking at times.
On the downside I did find the book felt a little disjointed at times but overall this was an impressive debut.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

<i>The Mermaid From Jeju</i> is Sumi Hahn's debut novel, and it's a really strong start. The novel tells the story (through flashbacks), of a young haenyeo who comes of age during the American occupation of Korea.

Like <i>The Island of Sea Women</i>, which was quite popular last year, this novel focuses on the absolute brutal conditions the people of Jeju were subject to by Korean nationalists and American troops during the Korean War and then the trauma those who survived it faced after. The novel is beautiful but so devastating. While the main character (Junja) is a haenyeo, the practices of the group aren't really the focus of the novel or at least not as much as they were in <i>The Island of Sea Women</i>.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

This was a captivating historical fiction about a place and events that I was mostly unfamiliar with. Despite many pauses to research the history, it was a fast read. The Korean haenyeo were fascinating to read about and there were so many interesting characters. I enjoyed the chapters set in the 1940s the most because I was so much more connected to / invested in Junja compared to her husband.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the opportunity to review this book!

I will start off by saying that if you are a fan of The Island of Sea Women or Pachinko, then this would be a book worth checking out!

This book will also appeal to those who are looking for a strong historical fiction book, that is set deep within Korean culture and lore. This book was beautifully written. What I loved best about it was the way the author takes you on a journey where you see, hear, and feel how beautiful the land is. From the ocean's depths, to the top of the mountains, you learn through the characters' experiences how precious the earth is.

The story jumps back and forth between times. Starting in 2001, we see our main character, Junja, when she is older and has reached the end of her life. Almost immediately you are transported to the past when Junja is a young woman and entering into her final stage of becoming a top-ranked haenyeo like her mother and grandmother before her.

Throughout the entire story, the bond between these women is what truly makes this story wonderful. Each is strong in her own right, and yet the way they love and rely on one another is inspiring. For this reason, I enjoyed Part One of the book much more than Part Two. I loved learning about the haenyeo and how they learn to dive so deep, provide for their families, and become stronger than most men. They truly were the mermaids of Korea.

This brings us to Part Two of the book, which is where the book lost a few stars from me. We have jumped a few years, and are no longer looking through the eyes of Junja and her family as much. Part Two is much more focused on the war. Normally I wouldn't mind this aspect, but it seemed to me that the author didn't put the same kind of feeling and dedication into this part. The loss of Junja's perspective and that of her grandmother was a keen loss for me as a reader. However, the story still had its sparkling moments and I was satisfied with the end.

I will be recommending this book to personal friends and family who enjoy well written historical fiction.

What a journey this book was! This is the story of Junja, a haenyeo (an elite group of female deep sea divers) who lives on the Korean island of Jeju. It has a little of everything - action, suspense, magic, but above all - love. I was sucked in from the first chapter and how wonderful it was to have such a good book in my hands that I was sad when it became too late to finish reading.

I felt for all the characters, especially Peanut. If you enjoy historical fiction, Asian history, Korean culture, or just a great story, check this one out. You won't regret it and you'll even learn some Korean! Now I'm off to go learn more about the haenyeo.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Boss for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Mermaid from Jeju is a story of Goh Junja, one of the haenyeo (female divers or "mermaids") on the island of Jeju. The majority of this novel is set in Korea post-WWII, but some chapters take place in the early 2000s as well. This contrast in settings shows how the war (and those who occupied Korea - particularly Japan and the United States) shaped the fate of the country. This historical fiction novel is both fascinating and educational about Korean culture and history. Hahn does a fantastic job with character development and I had a really fun time reading this story. I recommend this title to both historical fiction lovers and readers who tend to keep their distance from this genre, as I think the subject matter in this story is unique and Hahn's writing is beautiful.

The Mermaid from Jeju is a work of historical fiction that reads like a fairy tale. Especially the first part of the book seems happy and carefree, like a light story for kids or teens. That soon changes when Junja’s mother dies and all kinds of events start to unfold. There is a reason Junja and her husband fled Korea after all.

This story is about a young haenyeo called Junja, a Korean female diver or, according to this book, a mermaid. Most of the story takes place in the 1940s after the war with Japan when American and Korean soldiers are ‘managing’ Jeju and searching for communists. By reading this book, you’ll learn a lot about Jeju’s cultural heritage, something it doesn’t share with the Korean mainland. Ideal if you are planning to visit Jeju Island. (You can see a diving demonstration by haenyeo at Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak on Jeju Island!)

Not every scene is from Junja’s perspective, so you don’t get to know her as well as you could have. Junja’s scheming grandmother on the other hand is a very interesting character; she and Lieutenant Lee were my favorites. Junja and Suwol are blander or maybe just younger. I also had a hard time believing Gun Joo’s love storyline; I can believe his feelings but not the girl’s. Or maybe I am simply longing for scenes with grandmother, because her character is written so well.

Overall I did enjoy the story, especially the part set in the past. At the end of the book, The Mermaid from Jeju loses some of its charm. It is a magical story (not just because of the dreams of the sea king and references to divinities) until Dr. Moon’s scenes become more prominent. I understand his role in the story, namely showing that the burden and pains of the past stay with you, but it was a less interesting storyline than the one of the past. The kut ritual didn’t add anything for me… the feelings of the living were described more strongly in other scenes. I would have loved for the past storyline to continue so that I could follow them to the mainland and later on to the USA.

So why did I give The Mermaid of Jeju four stars instead of three? Because of the magical fairy tale like prose. It takes a skilled writer to write a story with a magical vibe, without relying on actual magic use. It was just the right book for me. (Also: that feeling when you read the Korean glossary and you realize you know every term. Finally some recognition.)

Sumi Hahn was born in Korea and immigrated to the United States when she was one year old. The Mermaid from Jeju is her debut novel.

For a first novel, this was a good story overall. As historical fiction, this is not something I'd read about before (Korea, 1940's). I really wanted to know more about the Korean mermaids who were female divers. The fictional characters were well developed and I enjoyed it but it was somewhat disjointed and confusing at times.

Thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.