Stone Angels - by Helena Rho

Book Synopsis

In this "riveting [and] unforgettable" novel, a forty-year-old woman journeys to her cultural homeland--and uncovers a harrowing secret that makes her rethink everything she thought she knew about her mother (Jimin Han, author of The Apology).

Angelina Lee feels like she doesn't belong. Newly divorced and completely unmoored by the sudden, tragic death of her mother, she hopes studying Korean will reconnect her to her roots. But nothing about Seoul feels familiar. Further complicating matters is the resurgence of an alluring man from Angelina's past, and fellow classmate Keisuke Ono, an irritatingly good-looking Japanese American journalist who refuses to leave her alone. Angelina is reluctant to admit the true reason for her trip--trying to understand her mother's suicide. A shocking conversation with an estranged relative proves her suspicion correct: her mother had an older sister, Sunyuh, who disappeared under the Japanese occupation of Korea during WWII--a secret the family buried for over sixty years.

Angelina knows, deep down, her mother's fateful decision must be linked to Sunyuh. To find answers, Angelina embarks on a journey that takes her across oceans and continents, and challenges everything she believed about herself and her heritage. Told through the bold, determined voices of three women, this poignant family drama explores love, grief, healing, and the complicated love that exists between mothers and daughters. It's about the questions we wish we had asked lost relatives, the lives we could have lived had we made different choices, and, above all, second chances.

Review Quotes

"At turns lyrical and raw, Stone Angels is a haunting novel that will stay with the reader long past the final page, perfect for fans of Min Jin Lee's Pachinko or Jing-Jing Lee's How We Disappeared."--A.H. Kim, Author of A Good Family and Relative Strangers

"Every now and then a first novel appears that enlarges and focuses your vista on the world. Helena Rho's Stone Angels also recalibrates what you know of daughters and mothers, sisters and aunts. In its fertile understanding of what deliverance means for lives cloaked in secrecy and shame, this book gets in between your ribs. Getting it out won't be possible. And you won't want it to be."--William Giraldi, author of Hold the Dark

"Helena Rho has crafted a finely wrought, poignant story about searching--for family, history, truth, and a deeper understanding of the self. Deftly weaving between the past and present to reveal the legacy of war, Rho asks us to consider the depravity and beauty of humanity. Ultimately, Stone Angels shows us the redemptive power of love. A profound and compassionate story that will move the reader's heart and mind."--Crystal Hana Kim, author of The Stone Home and If You Leave Me

"Irresistible . . . Helena Rho gives me what I want from fiction: compassion, provocation, and characters I care about as much a she does. She understands that every story is many stories, and she handles the complex tales of violence, grief, and dire family secrets with intelligence, grace, and courage. You're not going to read many novels as powerful, honest, and authentic as this one."--John Dufresne, Author of I Don't Like Where This Is Going

"Rho expertly explores her characters' complex emotions, especially Angelina's, as she struggles to find contentment following a contentious divorce and wrestles with guilt over her inability to prevent her mother's death. Readers will savor this weighty family drama."
--Publishers Weekly

"Sharp, witty and intrepid in spite of herself, Rho's Angelina Lee is a daring character I would follow anywhere. From Seoul to Gwangju and Jejudo, Lee's search for the truth of her mother's life, and that of her mother's sister, kept me cheering her on and turning the pages. This is not a story with easy answers. In riveting prose, Rho doesn't shy away from the devastating truths about the consequences of war and subjugation, the ways we protect ourselves from what we can't be protected from in order to survive. An unforgettable story about mothers, daughters, and sisters reaching inward for solace and strength when society has failed them, ultimately triumphant in love."--Jimin Han, Author of The Apology

"Stirring, courageous, and propulsive, Helena Rho's Stone Angels features the voices and stories of three unforgettable Korean women, all survivors in their own right. A meticulously researched and powerful account of the depths of human suffering, as well as resilience and healing in the wake of unspeakable violence, Stone Angels is full of heart and soul."--Gina Chung, author of Sea Change and Green Frog

"Written with great compassion and insight, Stone Angels by Helena Rho is many things: love story, family drama, and even an illumination of a dark stain from World War II . . . At its heart are two women, separated by time, distance, history, and war, yet brought together by strength of spirit and the enduring connections of family and culture. Stone Angels is a hopeful and healing reminder that to be alive is to go searching for love."--Caroline Kim, Author of The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories

About the Author

Helena Rho is a four-time Pushcart Prize nominated writer and the author of American Seoul. A former assistant professor of pediatrics, she has practiced and taught at top ten children's hospitals: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. She earned her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of Pittsburgh. For more information, visit HelenaRho.com.