All Woman and Springtime - Softcover

Jones, B.W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1780222912 ISBN 13: 9781780222912

Publisher: Phoenix, 2013

Synopsis

Before she met Il-sun in an orphanage, Gi was a hollow husk of a girl, broken from growing up in one of North Korea's forced-labour camps. A mathematical genius, she has learned to cope with pain by retreating into a realm of numbers and calculations, an escape from both the past and present. Gi becomes enamored by the brash and radiant Il-sun, a friend she describes as "all woman and springtime." But Il-sun's pursuit of a better life imperils both girls when her suitor spirits them across the Demilitarized Zone and sells them as sex workers, first in South Korea and then in the United States.This spellbinding debut, reminiscent of Memoirs of a Geisha, depicts- with chilling accuracy-life behind North Korea's iron curtain. But for Gi and Il-sun, forced into the underworld of human trafficking, their captivity outside North Korea is far crueler than the tight control of their "Dear Leader." Tenderhearted Gi, just on the verge of womanhool, is consigned to a fate that threatens not only her body but her mind. How she and Il-sun endure, how they find a path to healing, is what drives this absorbing and exquisite novel-from an exciting young Algonquin discovery-to its perfectly imagined conclusion.

About this title

About the Author

Brandon Jones is a sculptor and musician who lives in Hawaii. ALL WOMAN AND SPRINGTIME is his first novel.

From Booklist

Debut novelist Jones conducts a compelling psychological tour of life inside the socially and politically restrictive borders of North Korea via the poignant stories of two young girls on the cusp of womanhood. Gi, a mathematical genius compelled to keep her gifts hidden, nevertheless survives the seemingly inescapable brutality and drudgery of her existence by quietly exercising the life of the mind. When Gi meets the lushly beautiful Il-sun in an orphanage, the two girls forge a strong, immutable bond. They eventually escape but are then sold into sex slavery first in South Korea and later in the U.S., and it’s not difficult to guess who will flame out and who will triumph. This tale of female friendship is distinguished by its illuminating glimpse into the arcane intricacies of both an ancient and a modern culture. Guaranteed to appeal to fans of Memoirs of a Geisha (1997) and the novels of Lisa See. --Margaret Flanagan

Edition details

• Publisher: Phoenix
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1780222912
• ISBN 13: 9781780222912
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352