Island of Sea Women
BY Mercy Mwaniki
Island of Sea Women by Lisa See is set on the island of Jeju, off South Korea, during Japanese colonial rule. It tells the story of two women from different backgrounds who form a close bond, but whose choices take them through betrayal, heartbreak, strength, and forgiveness. It also immerses you in a distinctive, unforgettable culture and introduces exceptional female divers, with dramatic history shaping their lives through the 1930s, WWII, and the Korean War.
“… you are like sisters, and I expect you to take care of each other today and every day as those tied by blood would do.” My mother said, and it was as much a blessing as it was a warning. Mi-ja and Young-sook became friends after Young-sook’s mother found her stealing food in their garden. Mi-ja was not welcomed because her father had chosen to work for the Japanese and was thus labelled a traitor. After her parents died, her uncle and aunt took her in, but rather than caring for her, they mistreated her.
In that era, women were the breadwinners of the family, and fathers took care of the children. Mi-ja had no one to teach her how to dive, as that was the main way of earning money to feed the family and send the boys to school. When Young-sook’s mother took her in, she was more than grateful and did her best. The men used to fish, but when the Japanese came, they imposed higher taxes on them than on women. This is how women became the providers, not only because of lower taxes but also because they had more body fat, making them better suited to endure the cold.
In a book that portrays all forms of human cruelty, women are shown as people who had an aptitude for work, patience, strength, independence, persistence, resilience, and an understanding of suffering. A wife’s social and family duty was to bear a son who would extend her husband’s lineage. Yet, every family was grateful to have a daughter because she would always be a provider. Men spent their days taking care of the children; others drank away the money their wives earned or, at times, took another wife. The women tried to understand how they felt, “to live in a household that depends on the tail of the skirt.”
The women maintained their diving rights and would go out in the morning and return in the afternoon or late evening. They would catch abalones, octopuses, sea urchins, and sea snails, selling the best catches while feeding the rest to their families. When the Japanese invaded, they did all the wrong things:
1. Took their sons to dig caves to hide Japanese soldiers.
2. Imposed high taxes and stole from them.
3. Raped women and girls.
4. Killed anyone who resisted or even raised a question or concern.
The friendship of the two is tested throughout the story. Secrets kept, untold pain, and difficult choices led to miscommunication and misunderstanding. From going to Russia as divers to earn money even in the cold seasons, to having an arranged marriage and starting families. One married a kind, loving man who was merely a teacher but took care of her and the family. The other married a cruel man who hurt her and whose family collaborated with the Japanese. Just as Young-sook’s grandmother said, “That girl has left Hado as she arrived, the daughter of a collaborator.”
Their marriages were the last straw that broke the camel’s back. They could no longer see each other daily or make memories as they had before. The events that followed, while in the hands of the Japanese, made things worse. Their children fell in love, as they had dreamed when they were young. But things had changed, and Young-sook felt betrayed by her own daughter, thus severing ties with her. Luckily, Mi-ja’s son was the opposite of his father.
So, how do you reconcile the past and the present? What can compare to losing a mother, friends, siblings, and watching your husband and child killed before your eyes? How do you understand a traitor’s child, married to a collaborator, but who refuses to save your child and saves her own? Their entangled past became history in the present, and when reforms happened, Young-sook made it clear that nobody could understand the magnitude of what they went through.
When Mi-ja’s grandchild Clara and her mother come to deliver a message, Young-sook is conflicted. While listening to Mi-ja’s voice before she died, she remembered what Mi-ja had said when her mother died: “You are not alone. You will never be alone. You will always have me.” A promise kept till death. She understood that Mi-ja’s life was no better. Mi-ja had her own share of suffering and tried her best to protect her child and friend.
Young-sook tried to live by the words, “A good woman is a good mother.” She realized Mi-ja had tried to do the same, though with tragic results. And that is when Young-sook learns that, to understand everything is to forgive.
Island of Sea Women is a 374-page book that delves into the lives of Mi-ja and Young-sook. It introduces the reader to a totally different culture and draws them not only into the past but also into the present. This book gave me a different understanding of the colonial era, female friendships, and the unique perspective of women as breadwinners. It was a solid 8/10, probably because, apart from fully immersing me in the culture, it stirred emotions such as outrage, confusion, tears, and even excitement.
I would recommend you get yourself a copy at Textbook Centre for just 1,179 KSH, and if you need a good cry, the chapter on “Life-Giving Air” is for you.