To continue getting breaking news and the full stories from The Boston Globe, subscribe today.

The Boston Globe

Arts

Boston.com

Book Review

‘Forgotten Country’ by Catherine Chung

By Kathryn Lang

 |  Globe Correspondent  

  March 17, 2012

Catherine Chung’s lovely, elegiac novel is a portrait of a contemporary Korean American family’s displacement and losses. The family’s sorrows are played out against the backdrop of political upheavals in their ancestral homeland and the painful process of assimilation they faced early on in their adoptive country. The somberness of the narrative is leavened by the deftness of Chung’s storytelling and the nuanced precision with which she limns the pain and joy of familial relationships.

Stay with the story. Get full access to BostonGlobe.com for just 99¢

Unlimited access to BostonGlobe.com for only 99¢ for the first 4 weeks. You can cancel at any time.

  • The FULL story all day: Enjoy all of the high-quality, in-depth journalism in the print edition of the Boston Globe — plus breaking news that's updated 24/7.
  • A truly reader-friendly format: It's online news that looks and reads just like the newspaper — uncluttered, uninterrupted.
  • Breakthrough technology: The responsive design automatically adapts content so it always reads perfectly on the digital device of your choice.
Get started today

Free access for home delivery subscribers.

Just need to link your home delivery account; one easy step.

Link my home delivery account

BostonGlobe.comSubscriber Log In

Contact us for help