About the Book
A young woman returns to the prairies, where she revisits her immigrant childhood and confronts a haunting guilt, in this debut novel by a brilliant new talent.
Anne Kim is a lawyer in New York, her success built on forgetting the past. When her father dies, she returns to Edmonton for the funeral and is shocked to discover he was from North Korea and left his brother behind.
As she reads the undelivered letters her father wrote to his brother about life in Canada, she is transported back to her childhood in the 1980s and 90s. She recalls the struggles her parents faced as immigrants who ran a grocery store in a rural prairie town. Anne and her brother, Charles, felt the weight of their father’s expectations: Anne was driven to excel and overachieve, whereas Charles rebelled, determined to pursue his own dreams. His rebellion created a rift that culminated in a devastating act, irrevocably shattering their family and leaving Anne overwhelmed by an inescapable guilt.
Inheritance explores the immigrant experience, the sacrifices made by both parents and children, and how trauma transfers to the next generation. As Anne journeys to the past, she emerges to finally define life on her own terms, and her story will resonate long after the final page.
About the Author :
Jane Park is a second-generation Korean Canadian writer. She is a MacDowell Fellow, and was a participant in the Banff Centre’s Writing Studio, and Diaspora Dialogues. She was born in Edmonton, Alberta, lived in New York City for over a decade, and now lives in Calgary, Alberta. Currently, she is pursuing an MFA at the University of British Columbia. Inheritance is her debut novel.
Review :
“Second-generation Korean Canadian Jane Park's gorgeous debut novel, Inheritance, achingly encapsulates an immigrant family coming to terms with their closest, yet least empathic, relationships: with each other."
"Park’s debut recounts the home life, struggles, and history of a shopkeeping Korean family that immigrates to a rural town in Alberta, Canada, making it an interesting juxtaposition to the many U.S.-set immigrant stories. Readers seeking stories about the intergenerational impacts of the Korean War and the challenges Korean immigrants faced will find Park’s novel satisfying, with its strong pacing and plotting and well-developed characters."
"Sparsely written and deeply affecting, Inheritance lingers long after the final page—a quiet, devastating meditation on guilt, parental expectations, and the lasting consequences of generational silence. As a Canadian child of immigrants, I know this book will stay with me for a long time."
“I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s about a Korean family growing up in rural Alberta in the ’90s. It made me laugh and I also got choked up a few times. Jane Park has written a well-crafted, nuanced story about a family aching to present well, expressing love through duty and atoning for past sins. Inheritance is a must-read for all children of immigrants, doubly so if you’re Korean in North America.”
“A beautiful debut. A wide-ranging meditation on the Korean immigrant experience that explores family, ambition, longing and belonging.”
"In an unforgettable debut novel, Jane Park has crafted a finely wrought family drama about the ties that bind and the horrific cost when one commits an unspeakable act. While set in the desolate plains and bustling cities of Canada, the indelible echoes of a Korea ripped apart by war and families forever torn haunt this novel. The Korean word Jeong can mean 'the ties that bind' and implies that sacrifices are required to be part of a family. But this untranslatable word also speaks to connection, the love that exists in families, the warmth and joy we foster and receive. The Kim family at the heart of Inheritance loses their homeland in more ways than one, endures harsh conditions in their adopted country, becomes unraveled by violence. And yet, they forge new bonds and weave themselves back together stronger, more resilient. With her beautifully written novel, Park reminds us that hope is precious, redemption is possible, and forgiveness is always within reach."
"With Inheritance, Jane Park peels back the familiar, exposing the unfamiliar that lies beneath. It is a novel about unearthed family secrets…secrets maybe best kept buried, but impossible to ignore. Propulsive from the start, this debut showcases one Korean Canadian family facing heartbreak, turmoil, and unspoken histories in a way that is both intimate and unforgettable. Certainly, an important contribution to Asian writing in Canada and beyond."
"Jane Park’s Inheritance is a searching and devastating portrait of a family reckoning with historical trauma, and the cost of migration and assimilation. A tender, finely observed, insightful debut."
"Jane Park's Inheritance is a powerful and gripping novel about a Korean-Canadian woman who returns to her childhood home in racist, small town Alberta, where she is forced to confront the consequences of her complicity in a decades old incident that left her family in tatters."
"Inheritance provides a riveting and realistic glimpse into the complex struggles that newcomers face in the process of rebuilding their lives, communities, and sense of self. Jane Park gifts readers with an honest and nuanced protagonist, Anne, who discovers she can only move forward by going back — to her old home, childhood memories, and family secrets. Inheritance is an authentic and layered exploration of identity, sacrifice, and healing. Compelling with an emotional clarity, Park’s debut novel balances heartbreak and hope in a poignant exploration of the realities that come with calling Canada our home."
