Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 05/15/2023 *Starred Review* Part sequel, part companion to Lee’s debut, this story centers on Myung-gi, close friend of Sora, the protagonist of Brother’s Keeper (2020). Myung-gi is intelligent and a dreamer, due in no small part to his father, the principal of the local boy’s school. Then the Communist regime takes over North Korea, ushering in an era of social and intellectual oppression. On the eve of his family’s planned flight to the south, Myung-gi’s father is captured by soldiers loyal to Kim Il-sung. The boy blames himself for his father’s fate, as he was supposed to be keeping watch. Forced to leave their home, Myung-gi tamps down his guilt and focuses on getting his mother and sister safely to a refugee camp in Busan. Afterward, however, he enlists in the army in order to return to the north to find and free his father. Once again, Lee brings readers to the beginnings of the North Korean Communist regime. Myung-gi is an intriguing main character whose self-loathing and guilt alienate him from others. Yet, his earnest yearning to be as strong and virtuous as his absent father draws the reader in, allowing them to sympathize with his existential plight. This is an absolute must-read for those who have already read Brother’s Keeper and a heart-wrenching meditation on family bonds and the responsibilities they entail. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 05/01/2023 Gr 5 Up—Set in the 1950s, Lee's latest novel offers readers a glimpse of the brutal personal impacts of the Korean War. Myung-gi is 16—too young to go to war, and yet he's carrying a rifle, fighting in a conflict that's tearing families apart all across the country. He shouldn't be there at all. He loves books and reading, the sound of language flowing off the page, but he's come to the 38th parallel to find his father, Ahpa, who was taken by the secret police. This vivid, powerful title uses Myung-gi's story to give readers a firsthand glimpse of the political and military turmoil in mid—20th-century Korea. The book vividly captures the disorientation and longing of a young man who finds himself cut off from his home, his family, and his dreams for the future. Through flashbacks, Lee shows how her characters reassemble the pieces of their lives to create a new, more hopeful story. VERDICT This companion novel to Brother's Keeper is recommended for readers of historical fiction—particularly fiction that deals with themes of war, trauma, and disconnection.—Talea Anderson - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.