Even in normal times, women are often called upon to fake it. They play different roles and do things under the radar, or in secret, to take care of who and what they treasure.
When one's home is divided by war and its aftermath, women have to be even more cunning and ready to take advantage of any opening to survive and protect what they can. That's certainly the case of the character encountered in 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster. In this novel by Minirae Lee, a young girl born in North Korea survives an abusive father, civil war that splits her Korean country into two nations, life in North Korea near the demilitarized zone, being used as a "comfort woman" by Japanese soldiers, disguising herself as a boy to not suffer the same fate by American soldiers, and becoming a spy, a wife, a mother.
This remarkable woman is introduced by a woman working in a South Korean nursing home. She becomes the unofficial obituary writer of residents, since obits are not usually granted ordinary citizens in the papers. Interviewing old people facing death, she sees that this is a way to let them know their lives mattered, and that they will not be forgotten once they pass. She gets far more than she bargained for when she meets Mook Miran.
Miran is rooming with an Alzheimer's patient willingly and gives advice about why she's doing what she does. She questions the interviewer's question of three things to describe herself, and insists on eight. There are eight identities she has had in her life, Miran explains: Slave, escape artist, murderer, terrorist, spy, lover, and mother are seven of them. Each chapter in the novel tells a complete story about each of those seven lives.
The chapters, told out of order and sometimes by other characters, also make connections among each other. When this happens, the result can have an emotional impact. Oh! This is why she did that later on in life. Oh! This is why what happens is so meaningful to her.
Throughout the years, there is a constant battle between deceit and truth, between guarding one's heart and body, and giving of them freely. Life in North Korea, especially near the border, shows this battle daily, as one character describes what childhood teachings remained:
... my father wanted to teach me: our life, near the North Korean border, was a zero sum game -- an ongoing battle in which you could either beat or be beaten, steal or be stolen.
Miran makes the choice early to not be beaten or stolen, even though both things happen to her. But when they do, she also keeps watching for times and ways to get herself or loved ones back. The odds are against her, but Lee finds ways to keep the disbelief from losing its suspension. What happens could possibly happen.
When mutual love comes into her life, it's a balm. But as always, there is juxtaposition.
She does feel happy; she feels very anxious as well. She asks herself if she deserves this happiness. She likes to believe she does.
But this is not a simple romance. There are layers of deceit and honesty. But they all work together to create a deep relationship. The other character involved tells a child:
Sometimes ... the biggest deception of all, and the kindest there is, is to be deceived. That could mean invaluable comfort to the other, sweetheart.
Years later, the wisdom and kindness of what this character says, and has done, is proven in more than one relationship.
The way people yearn for home, and for their roots, is a major aspect of the novel. It is a poignant commentary on what the division between North and South Korea has cost individuals and families. It also speaks to the strength of the people, embodied in Miran.
This is a wise and affective novel, a story told in an effective way.
And the eighth life? It’s there for the reader to see.
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