THE STORY
Though a fictional account of people who lived over a century ago, the author of Your Paradise depicts in her characters an embodiment of lofty spirit and hope for a better tomorrow forged in pain, agony, hope, determination, and happiness. By tracing the footsteps of the early immigrants, the author casts a “vermillion” light of hope for humanity.
This literary fiction takes place when Hawaii used to be referred to as Powa in Chinese. Three men named Oh Changsuk, Choe Sanghak, and Yi Taeho leave old Korea (Chosun/Josun) and meet on a ship carrying migrants to Hawaii.
Immediately, they form a sworn brotherhood and upon arrival in Hawaii, they settle down in a plantation community named Camp 9. Changsuk, the youngest of the three, comes from a family of commoners whereas the oldest one, Sanghak, represents the last of a yangban (nobility) household. Changsuk endears and respects Sanghak, eventually learning how to read and write from Sanghak. Taeho, who has experience as a migration worker in Russia, displays street savvy tips and perspective in their new life in Hawaii.
Among the first group of immigrants from Korea is Suh Shimyoung; mother of two young girls, who set out for Camp 9 to escape her philandering husband. A progressive trailblazer, she juxtaposes her surname alongside her estranged husband’s on documents listing the names of her girls. Regarded as Unni (older sister) by women at the plantation camp, Shimyoung leads her family with willpower, determined to succeed just as much as a man.
Ambitious and skeptical of continuing his life as a plantation laborer, Changsuk starts a business in Honolulu. He asks Sanghak to join his venture, but Sanghak declines and chooses to remain at Camp 9. Unable to settle down at the camp for good, however, Sanghak, a widower, leads a carefree life drinking and gambling. At long last, though, he accepts Changsuk‘s suggestion that he find someone to marry, namely, a picture bride.
Meanwhile, Kanghee and Nayoung arrive in Hawaii, each holding a black-and-white photo of their prospective husbands. Dismayed at the actual appearance of her would-be husband, Nayoung refuses to marry Sanghak and insists on returning home. Kanghee’s excitement of meeting Changsuk, her match with whom she felt a connection from the beginning, is dampened by Nayoung’s decision. Kanghee asks Nayoung what she can do to help, Nayoung cryptically responds, “You are the one who holds the key to my fate,” hinting that Kanghee yield Changsuk to her. Since she can neither let Nayoung return home alone nor go back with her, Kanghee proposes “An exchange of partners,” a painful decision for the sake of mutual survival.
Having married Nayoung instead, Changsuk leaves for Hilo to settle down away from Kanghee, the woman intended and someone he wanted to marry. With help from many friends, he starts a hotel business that eventually becomes very successful. Changsuk feels betrayed by Kanghee, yet unable to stop longing and love her. Changsuk makes an abrupt visit to Kanghee in Honolulu with a proposal to elope with him to San Francisco saying, “I want to test my destiny once again.” Observing him, Kanghee replied with a cynical remark, “Ain’t no big deal to switch a hubby, is it?” Kanghee feels veritably conflicted.
The other central characters are not spared the bittersweet life experiences. Shimyoung and her daughter Stella, who winds up marrying Taeho the smart fellow, portray the sometimes-strained relationship between a mother and daughter. Soonre becomes a mudang (shaman priestess) after her rapist murders her husband. Kanghee and Sanghak reunite after his return from Shanghai, where he stayed to help the independence leaders.
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