Nuclear Family

Starred review from April 4, 2022
Han makes a smashing debut with this stunning take on identity and migration told through the multiple perspectives of a Korean American family. The story centers on Jacob Cho, who, while teaching English in South Korea, makes international headlines after attempting and failing to cross into North Korea. It turns out, though, that Jacob was possessed by the ghost of his dead grandfather, Baik Tae-woo. While Jacob is interrogated by South Korean authorities and struggles to understand what’s going on, his parents and younger sister, Grace, living in Honolulu, deal with the resulting fallout at their Korean plate lunch restaurant, which loses business and suffers from vandalism due to rumors about them possibly being North Korean spies. Grace, a senior in college, suffers from panic attacks and gets frequently stoned after Jacob’s incident, and the ghost of Baik Tae-woo is revealed to be a trickster who got Jacob to help him cross the border in order to return to the family he’d abandoned during the Korean War. The family members contend with why Jacob and Grace’s mother moved the family to Hawaii from Korea, and what drove Jacob away. Each short chapter takes readers deep into the heart of each character’s dilemmas, and while it’s heartbreaking, it’s also sharply hilarious, as with a description of television host Guy Fieri, whose airbrushed imprimatur radiates from behind the Chos’ counter: “he who has risen from flame decals, born by accident when his Camaro crashed into the Food Network.” This is a master class from a brilliant new voice.

December 1, 2022

In his debut novel, Han draws upon his life experience as a Korean American living in Hawai'i to tell the story of the Cho family. Mr. and Mrs. Cho live with their two adult children--Grace, 21, and Jacob, 25. Their life centers on the family's three Korean plate lunch restaurants, which are steadily gaining in popularity. Disenchanted with the restaurant business, Jacob moves to Seoul to teach English, where, unbeknown to the family, he becomes possessed by the spirit of his grandfather, who is desperate to return to North Korea. While in Seoul, Jacob's grandfather makes a run for North Korea and ends up getting Jacob shot in the process. The fallout from this event has dramatic repercussions for the family's business and personal lives. Listeners will appreciate actor and narrator Keong Sim's (Dead to Me, Netflix) skillful portrayal of the characters' varying degrees of English mastery as well as his authentic pronunciations of the Korean words that are sprinkled throughout. VERDICT Han's thoughtful story, which touches on the Korean War, the separation of two halves of one nation, and the colonization of Hawai'i is highly recommended. Kimchi comes, and kimchi goes, but family is forever.--Laura Trombley

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