...heartfelt ... Though the ending seems a bit rushed, as the sisters go off to college and enter their twenties, Kim is a true storyteller, and her latest work is engaging throughout. Readers who enjoy family sagas by Lisa See and Jamie Ford will appreciate this one.
Covering such a broad span of history is an ambitious undertaking, and The Kinship of Secrets is not without its stumbles. While at times the author’s prose tells more overtly than it shows, she’s able to capture an abundance of feeling. Drawn from her own family history, Kim’s story unfolds with the weight of lived experience. Through these relationships, The Kinship of Secrets explores the meaning of love and sacrifice and how often they are one and the same.
Kim’s...second novel is a timely and moving historical saga ... [a] heartfelt story, one which will greatly appeal to readers who enjoy the multicultural novels of Lisa See and Amy Tan, stories that enlighten as well as entertain.
...this elegant though frequently sentimental novel relies on the power of family secrets to propel the reader through the sisters’ lives ... Though the novel is quiet and occasionally dense with historical exposition, it offers a valuable window into Korean history as well as to issues like immigration and assimilation that couldn’t be more relevant today.
...this is...a family with deep secrets, between parents and children and between siblings, and the way these secrets impact the characters when they are finally united reflects Kim’s sharp insight into relationships. This is a stirring novel about family and the sacrifices made to keep it whole.
