Nuclear Family: A Novel Hardcover – June 7, 2022
by Joseph Han (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 2 ratings
Hardcover
$23.40
Set in the months leading up to the 2018 nuclear missile false alarm, a Korean American family living in Hawai'i faces the fallout of their eldest son's attempt to run across the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea in this "fresh, inventive, and at times, hilarious novel" (Kaui Hart Hemmings, author of The Descendants)
Things are looking up for Mr. and Mrs. Cho. Their dream of franchising their Korean plate lunch restaurants across Hawaiʻi seems within reach after a visit from Guy Fieri boosts the profile of Cho’s Delicatessen. Their daughter, Grace, is busy finishing her senior year of college and working for her parents, while her older brother, Jacob, just moved to Seoul to teach English. But when a viral video shows Jacob trying—and failing—to cross the Korean demilitarized zone, nothing can protect the family from suspicion and the restaurant from waning sales.
No one knows that Jacob has been possessed by the ghost of his lost grandfather, who feverishly wishes to cross the divide and find the family he left behind in the north. As Jacob is detained by the South Korean government, Mr. and Mrs. Cho fear their son won’t ever be able to return home, and Grace gets more and more stoned as she negotiates her family’s undoing. Struggling with what they don’t know about themselves and one another, the Chos must confront the separations that have endured in their family for decades.
Set in the months leading up to the 2018 false missile alert in Hawaiʻi, Joseph Han’s profoundly funny and strikingly beautiful debut novel is an offering that aches with histories inherited and reunions missed, asking how we heal in the face of what we forget and who we remember.
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320 pages
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Editorial Reviews
Review
A BuzzFeed Most Anticipated Book of the Year & Book You've Got to Read this Summer
An LGBTQ Reads Most Anticipated Book
BookRiot, A Best Summer Read of 2022
The Millions, A Most Anticipated Book of the Year
Goodreads, A Most Anticipated Debut Novel of 2022
"You’d have to visit Cirque du Soleil to see someone juggle as much as Han with such effortless dexterity and tenderness . . . Rhythmic and hypnotic; it captivates from the very first page and gracefully conveys the loss and the longing the family experiences." —The New York Times Book Review
"[A] gorgeous debut." —Time
"Inventive." —A Washington Post Book to Read This Summer
"A richly imagined, era-straddling saga exploring several generations of a Korean American clan." —Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly
"Electric . . .Through a multitude of hilarious and heartbreaking perspectives, Han tells a charged story about identity, migration, and borders." —Adrienne Westenfeld, Esquire
"An entrancing, boldly satisfying debut from Joseph Han. It feels both massive, grand on a global scale, and also small and intimate; a deeply personal story of a family trying to keep their small business open when their son suddenly causes the eyes of the world to turn on them. Nuclear Family is a knock-out." —Jeffrey Masters, The Advocate, One of the Best Books of The Year
"Juggling multiple perspectives of a Korean American family with deftness and delicacy, it’s a book as side-splitting as it is heart-rending." —Chicago Review of Books
"Beautifully strange . . . Han tells a moving and specific story about [. . .] symbolic possessions—how violence possesses bodies, how history possesses the present and how a person’s stories remain alive in their descendants, even if those stories go unspoken . . . Darkly funny, delightfully surprising and with a sprinkling of unusual formatting that reveals hidden subplots, Han’s debut bears witness to the brutal realities of war and imperialism while honoring the many kinds of magic that exist in the world." —Laura Sackton, BookPage
"Such a beautiful, original book . . . It’s a gorgeous meditation on loss and memory, a painful and haunting novel about the legacies of war and the violence of separation." —Laura Sackton, Book Riot
"Han’s powerful book examines both the borders put up in the world and the ones we surround ourselves with to protect ourselves in this memorable and innovative debut" —Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful
"Tragic, funny, and strikingly ingenious, Han’s prodigious debut is a spectacular achievement. Seamlessly dovetailed into his sublime multigenerational saga are pivotal history lessons, anti-colonial denunciations, political slaps. For Korean speakers, Han’s brilliant linguistic acrobatics will prove particularly enlightening (Jeong is a homophone for jeong, something akin to empathic connection) and shrewdly entertaining." —Booklist (starred review)
“Han makes a smashing debut with this stunning take on identity and migration told through the multiple perspectives of a Korean American family . . . [W]hile it’s heartbreaking, it’s also sharply hilarious . . . This is a master class from a brilliant new voice.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Han’s surreal fantasy, sometimes devolving into slapstick, contains a serious critique: of the marginalization of Korean immigrants; of the plight of families separated by a politically contrived border; of shattered lives, pain, and guilt. A raucous and adroit debut." —Kirkus Reviews
“One of the most original novels I’ve read in the last decade. Nuclear Family imagines a story of the lives of our Korean ancestors in the present tense, their ghost life as full of urgency, politics, and complication as our own. How far does the separation at the thirty-eighth parallel go?, Han asks. All the way into the land of spirit, a wound for the living and the dead.” —Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
“Nuclear Family is a world unto itself: Joseph Han's novel is heartfelt and propulsive, immersing readers in a narrative whose questions of family, borders, queerness, and forgiveness constantly surprises and astounds. Han's prose is remarkable—both deadpan and compassionate—juggling the stories that we're told with the ones we seek to tell ourselves. Nuclear Family is a singular work, and Han's writing is truly special.” —Bryan Washington, author of Memorial and Lot
“A haunting, tender, potent, and frequently very funny testament to the pull of history and the tenacity of ghosts. Spellbinding and original, Nuclear Family is a novel to hold close.” —R.O. Kwon, author of The Incendiaries
"Nuclear Family is a rollicking, immersive family saga unlike any you've read before, a novel that explores the intergenerational legacy of trauma—and what it costs us to both survive and remember—while also delivering more than its share of laughs. Deft, candid, and perpetually surprising, Joseph Han's debut is one not to miss." —Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know
"Nuclear Family manages to capture Hawaiʻi, North and South Korea, Guy Fieri and family-run delicatessens, teenage gloom, the weight of our family and ancestors, and settle them all onto an appetizing plate. A fresh, inventive, and at times, hilarious novel." —Kaui Hart Hemmings, author of The Descendants
About the Author
JOSEPH HAN was born in Korea and raised in Hawaiʻi. He is an editor for the West region of Joyland magazine, and a recipient of a Kundiman Fellowship in Fiction. His writing has appeared in Nat.Brut, Catapult, Pleiades Magazine, Platypus Press Shorts, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. He received a PhD in English and Creative Writing at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He is currently living in Honolulu.
Product details
Publisher : Counterpoint (June 7, 2022)
Language : English
Hardcover : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1640094865
ISBN-13 : 978-1640094864
Item Weight : 1.1 pounds
Dimensions : 5.77 x 1.08 x 8.51 inchesBest Sellers Rank: #15,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)#77 in Asian American Literature & Fiction
#84 in Ghost Fiction
#100 in LGBTQ+ Genre Fiction (Books)Customer Reviews:
4.5 out of 5 stars 2 ratings
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4.5 out of 5 stars
Top reviews from the United States
Ann Marie Norrid
4.0 out of 5 stars North Korea AND a gorgeous cover? Count me in!Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2022
A book about North Korea AND it has a gorgeous, colorful cover? You can immediately count me in.
The Cho family runs a beloved Korean restaurant in Hawaii that becomes even more successful after Guy Fieri himself visits. However a video of their son Jacob trying to cross from South to North Korea through the demilitarized zone goes viral, and everything starts to spiral out of control. What the family doesn't realize though is that Jacob is "possessed" by the spirit of their long dead (and kinda terrible, honestly) grandfather who wants to find his family in North Korea that he left behind. These events ultimately lead up to the false alarm missile alert that everyone received in Hawaii in 2018.
This book is CHOCK FULL of story. You've got the magical realism of the ghost of the selfish, dead grandfather trying to take over Jacob's body. You've got escalating tensions between North and South Korea during a volatile American presidency. You've got native Hawaiian history and stories. You've even got a "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" storyline with Guy Fieri! You've got the complicated multi-generational family dynamic. And perhaps most frightening - the mistaken phone notifications that everyone in Hawaii received in 2018, thinking they were all about to be destroyed by a North Korean missile? I can't even imagine.
I listened to this book and thought it had a great narrator. I did find that around the 2/3rds mark I found myself day-dreaming and having to rewind now and then. So while there are some slower sections, this is still a fantastic book.
Han does such a great job of conveying the sense of loss that so many Koreans had after the country was separated between the North and South. Families were just split, never to see each other ever again. Also, this book doesn't shy away from considering America's implications in the terrible events of Korean history, which I had never even considered.
This book is fantastic, y'all and consider this a warning: You WILL get hungry at all the food descriptions and have undeniable cravings for Korean and Hawaiian dishes.
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Mo
5.0 out of 5 stars WonderfulReviewed in the United States on June 7, 2022
This novel is a true gem—readers will be swept up by not only these characters, but Joseph’s inimitable prose. He is a pure marvel.
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Nuclear Family
by
Joseph Han (Goodreads Author)
4.12 · Rating details · 52 ratings · 18 reviews
Set in the months leading up to the 2018 nuclear missile false alarm, a Korean American family living in Hawai'i faces the fallout of their eldest son's attempt to run across the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea in this "fresh, inventive, and at times, hilarious novel" (Kaui Hart Hemmings, author of The Descendants).
Things are looking up for Mr. and Mrs. Cho. Their dre ...more
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Hardcover, 320 pages
Published June 7th 2022 by Counterpoint
ISBN
1640094865 (ISBN13: 9781640094864)
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May 17, 2022Gwen rated it it was amazing
Shelves: giveaway
If this doesn’t win a shit ton of awards I’d be seriously surprised! This was amazing! Took me forever cause I was so absorbed in it all!!!
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Mar 13, 2022Audrey rated it really liked it
Shelves: first-reads
A complex and intricate portrait of a truly dysfunctional family. A Korean American family, living in Hawai'i, the parents own a number of fast plate restaurants. Jacob, the son, goes to Korea, and is soon shot, attempting to cross into North Korea. What no one knows is, that he's been inhabited by the ghost of his dead grandfather who desperately wants to go home. The generational trauma of Korea at war, colonization of Korea and Hawai'i and the division of a country impacts families in so many different ways as this family seeks to belong. At times, tensions rise, broken by truly funny moments, this author is one to watch.
I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own. (less)
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Apr 06, 2022Jonathan Hawpe rated it really liked it
Joseph Han crashes onto the literary scene with this wildly original magical realist / political satire / family comedy that piles together a stoner gal in Hawaii, her straight arrow brother, cranky deli-owner parents, and the spirit of their dead Korean grandfather on an afterlife mission of cultural healing. Smart, funny, sad, bawdy, sweet and sour; if this book were pizza it would be a hot, delicious ham and pineapple.
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Dec 09, 2021Jillian Doherty rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This luminous narrative is set in the months leading up to the 2018 nuclear missile false alarm, a Korean American family living in Hawaii faces the fallout of their eldest son's attempt to run across the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea.
It grabbed me when the author of The Descendants, Kaui Hart Hemmings, said it was "fresh, inventive, and at times, a hilarious novel."
The novel is the culmination of a lifetime in diaspora, raised by his grandparents in Hawaii while feeling the separation from his parents in South Korea.
Galley borrowed from the publisher. (less)
flag4 likes · Like · comment · see review
Jun 04, 2022Ann Marie rated it really liked it
A book about North Korea AND it has a gorgeous, colorful cover? You can immediately count me in.
The Cho family runs a beloved Korean restaurant in Hawaii that becomes even more successful after Guy Fieri himself visits. However a video of their son Jacob trying to cross from South to North Korea through the demilitarized zone goes viral, and everything starts to spiral out of control. What the family doesn't realize though is that Jacob is "possessed" by the spirit of their long dead (and kinda terrible, honestly) grandfather who wants to find his family in North Korea that he left behind. These events ultimately lead up to the false alarm missile alert that everyone received in Hawaii in 2018.
This book is CHOCK FULL of story. You've got the magical realism of the ghost of the selfish, dead grandfather trying to take over Jacob's body. You've got escalating tensions between North and South Korea during a volatile American presidency. You've got native Hawaiian history and stories. You've even got a "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" storyline with Guy Fieri! You've got the complicated multi-generational family dynamic. And perhaps most frightening - the mistaken phone notifications that everyone in Hawaii received in 2018, thinking they were all about to be destroyed by a North Korean missile? I can't even imagine.
I listened to this book and thought it had a great narrator. I did find that around the 2/3rds mark I found myself day-dreaming and having to rewind now and then. So while there are some slower sections, this is still a fantastic book.
Han does such a great job of conveying the sense of loss that so many Koreans had after the country was separated between the North and South. Families were just split, never to see each other ever again. Also, this book doesn't shy away from considering America's implications in the terrible events of Korean history, which I had never even considered.
This book is fantastic, y'all and consider this a warning: You WILL get hungry at all the food descriptions and have undeniable cravings for Korean and Hawaiian dishes.
(less)
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May 30, 2022Christine rated it it was amazing
The Cho family is at the beginning of hard times when their son goes to South Korea to teach English, only to be tackled at the DMZ trying to cross into North Korea. What follows is the story of this family. The events leading to the attempt, and the fallout back home. With themes of colonialization, family connection, the myth of the model citizen, the loss of connection to identity as immigrants, and the ever present struggle the Koreas face, and that's only scratching the surface of what Han was able to delve into in Nuclear Family. Oh also there's ghosts.
This book was such a joy to read in every way. The way lines in Korean weren't always translated, how references to historic events were never explained, and how quickly and easily certain ideas were conveyed. Leaving it up to the reader to understand the reference or not.
The way a quick off handed remark about an insta profile or a college class gives me every detail I need to know about certain characters. How the history of Korea was present and constant through the entire book, from ghosts who understood Japanese, to students who protested in the south. It was amazing to read it all and understand the references or occasional Korean dialogue,. It's also amazing to know there will be someone who reads this book and says "I don't understand that reference," for them to search it and learn something new about this country that so many people think they understand, but which is continually learning to survive as separate halves of a whole.
The references to American imperialism are also constant and never subtle, but always appropriate and well phrased. They"re always well examined and painful.
This book was both painful and refreshing. It was celebratory and informative. And it was such a beautiful exploration of family. (less)
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May 23, 2022Carmen rated it really liked it
I received a copy of Nuclear Family by Joseph Han from Counterpoint Press in exchange for an honest review.
I was so intrigued by the synopsis of this book when I first read about it that I was very happy when I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The synopsis (in my words): a young Korean American man from Hawaii tries to run into North Korea at the DMZ - because he is possessed by his grandfather - and the consequences reaches all the way to Hawaii where his family lives. Like - how is that not such an intriguing synopsis? Lots of themes there that pulled me in - immigration to America, the colonization of Hawaii, the separation of the two Koreas and the people and families who were torn apart by it.
My thoughts on the book after reading it:
- Like I mentioned, I think that this is such an interesting story and perspective to be told from. The author, like Jacob in the story, is Korean having immigrated to the US. They live in Hawaii which is lands taken from the people who belong to the land. And as Koreans, they understand the effects and impacts of land being used in a political sense.
- I liked the fantastical idea that the wall between South Korea and North Korea continues to exist even for the dead. That it is upheld by what is happening in the world of the living. And it's absolutely heartbreaking to see families continue to be separated and torn apart.
- Grace and Jacob's struggle as Asian Americans is one that resonates - their relationship with one another, their parents, and the place they live and have trouble feeling like they belong.
- The chapters in the books switch perspectives between so many different characters - which I enjoyed and also found confusing at times. It gave the story more depth, while at times, I would be thinking, "Who's this now?"
- Moments between Jacob and his grandfather, Taewoo - the one trying to possess him - were told in such a surreal and fragmented way that really brought the possession to life on the pages. There's a great quote in the book that really helped me understand the meaning/metaphor of the grandfather possessing the grandson - "The boy was merely a vessel for his wishes, like how all sons, and grandsons, ought to be." Just, so on point.
Overall, Nuclear Family was an enjoyable read for me and explores family, identity, immigration, living on colonized land, and multigenerational trauma and experience. (less)
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May 31, 2022Laurie rated it it was ok
Shelves: arc-netgalley-2022
This unfortunately was a DNF at around 34%. I honestly tried numerous times to listen and truly engage in this and it just didn't evoke anything in me. I was bored and the story inspired nothing emotionally for me to attach to any of these characters. I read a few other reviews looking for something that would propel me forward and didn't find it. One reviewer said it was hilarious which I found no humor in this, it was extremely dry, or maybe I just didn't understand the punchline, either way I couldn't push on. It's not very often I give up on an approved NetGalley request because I truly respect and thank the publishers/authors for providing me with ARC, but this wasn't a positive captivating experience for me. (less)
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Mar 21, 2022Laura Sackton rated it really liked it
Shelves: authors-of-color, reviewed-arcs, fiction
I found this a little bit too disorienting, but objectively I appreciated it a lot. I wrote a bit more about how deeply this book has slipped under my skin in the months since I read it here: https://booksandbakes.substack.com/p/... ...more
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Jun 02, 2022Leah M rated it really liked it
Rounded to 3.5 stars.
CONTENT WARNING: drug use, racism
I was very intrigued by this book for so many reasons. I had absolutely no idea about the false missile crisis in Hawaii, and while I've visited there and had a relative who lived there, I don't know nearly enough about the culture, especially of Koreans who have made their home there. In the time I spent in Hawaii, it was an incredibly beautiful and diverse place, and was truly a melting pot of different peoples and cultures in the best possible way, despite all of the many issues that have occurred there.
The story centers around one specific family of Korean immigrants who have made their home in Hawaii. I received an audiobook copy, and I couldn't help but think that it was a bit disjointed in this format, and might have been easier for me to follow in a printed format, since the POV shifts between characters frequently, and I often struggled to understand who was experiencing what.
There are elements of historical fiction, magical realism, and humor all rolled into one in this story, and I found it much easier to connect with Grace's more linear storyline than the others, especially Jacob's. Once he goes to Korea, it was even more choppy, and I struggled to follow exactly what was going on with him, especially as his POV becomes divided between his own and that of his deceased grandfather.
I think one of the most intriguing aspects of this story for me was the experience of Koreans in Hawaii, which isn't something I've come across yet. Seeing how the Cho family adapted to their surroundings and made a successful business was fascinating, although it was painful to see it fall apart in the wake of their son's famous attempt to cross the DMZ, as well as watching Grace completely fall apart.
However, instead of feeling as though the book got stronger as it went on, it started to include segments of redacted text, which made me feel further distanced from the story. This one had a lot of potential and strength, but ultimately I had a difficult time connecting with the second half of the book. (less)
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May 26, 2022Sacha rated it really liked it
4 stars
There is a lot to like about Han's work, and the fact that I somehow sped through this audio book in one day - during finals week grading - is the most obvious indicator of how much I enjoyed it.
Several members of the same family share perspectives throughout the novel, and their relationships, as well as their personal struggles, make this an enjoyable adventure. For me, the sibling connection is the most gratifying part, but seamless weaving of magical realism is also fantastic here. If your family is built on lore, wacky inside jokes, and some sense of 'only we know exactly how wild this moment is', you, too, will relate to the amusing dynamics between these folks. There is also some related commentary on how our past determines us, which parts of ourselves we show and which we think we're hiding, and how much we mean to each other in the most desperate moments. Also, much of the novel takes place on Oahu, and folks with a more than touristy connection to this location will be amused by some of the local ties.
I both loved and felt mixed about two different aspects of the ending, but this was a strong read for me even with that final moment of uncertainty. Joseph Han is now on my definite to-read list, and readers who enjoy family dynamics with a twist will likely feel the same after devouring this one.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for this audio arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own. (less)
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May 26, 2022Annie rated it it was ok
It’s easy to mistake stability for coasting and it’s pretty clear from the beginning of Joseph Han’s Nuclear Family that the Cho family is coasting. The elder Chos plan to expand their small Korean delicatessen but that dream has stalled in the face of competition. Neither of the younger Chos really want to carry on the family business. They don’t know what they want, really; they just know they don’t want to do that. When Jacob inexplicably decides to take a job in South Korea and even more inexplicably tries to run across the demilitarized zone to the North, everything falls apart for the family. This book, then, is a slow burn of directionless decline in which we can only hope that the four Chos can somehow find their paths forward...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration. (less)
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May 27, 2022Liz rated it liked it
3.5 stars
This was an interesting book I enjoyed listening to. A Korean family in Hawaii built a local restaurant and gets a bump in popularity when Guy Fieri makes a pit stop. The daughter is a bit aimless and as the book progresses heads deeper into smoking pot as a main past time. In the meantime her brother who has gone to Korea to teach becomes possessed by their grandfathers ghosts and is compelled to run through the demilitarized Zone. He is shot and captured and we wait with his family for news of his health and release and why he would have done such a thing. The book was both funny and tragic as it explores the dysfunctions of a Korean American family and the past. 3.5 stars. (less)
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May 28, 2022Morgan Talty rated it it was amazing
This novel is a true gem—readers will swept up by not only these characters, but Joseph’s inimitable prose. He is a pure marvel.
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
May 18, 2022Megan rated it really liked it
Shelves: fiction, lgbt, magical-realism, korea
The Cho family hopes to franchise their restaurants in Hawaii but run into unexpected work and life obstacles when their adult son tries to cross the DMZ into North Korea.
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Jun 07, 2022Colleen rated it really liked it
Look at how gorgeous that cover is! I'm also honestly surprised this is a debut.
The story follows the Cho family who own a (small) chain of Korean delis in Hawai'i which has previously been featured by the likes of Guy Fieri. The restaurants are doing well until their son, Jacob, goes to teach English in South Korea and makes headlines when he attempts to cross the DMZ (demilitarized zone). The Chos start to be shunned by the community for fears of their appeared loyalty to North Korea. What no one knows is that Jacob only tried to cross the DMZ because he was inhabited by his grandfather's spirit who simply wanted to return to North Korea to check up on his family who he left behind.
As a whole, there's a lot going on in here. Trying to succinctly summarize this is difficult because while that is the overall plot, there's so much more to it. Despite there being so much happening, Han handles the story beautifully. There's a lot of characters and a lot of different perspectives we get placed in but Han is able to keep them all distinct and they all able to stand on their own two feet. The writing itself is easy to follow and actually funny at times. Like I actually laughed and I don't ever actually laugh at books. Han tackles a lot of different topics within the story. Intergenerational trauma, political happenings, the pressures of family, and magical realism that wraps the whole thing together. I listened to the audiobook which I was nervous at first about because of all the different perspectives and subplots but it was actually a really good way to consume this book. The narrator was great and easy to listen to.
I think this would be an excellent book club pick because of how many topics are touched on and how many directions you could go in a discussion. I have a big feeling both this book and Han are going to go far.
Thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for sending me an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. (less)
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Jun 08, 2022agata rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2022, netgalley
Nuclear Family is a quirky yet profound novel about a South Korean family living in Hawai’i, set in the months leading up to the infamous false missile alarm of 2018. The parents own a small chain of restaurants that is finally starting to make a profit after a visit from Guy Fieri. Their daughter, Grace, divides her time between helping out with the business and getting high, but it’s their son, Jacob, who turns their lives upside down by getting shot and detained while trying to cross Korean demilitarized zone. What no one knows is that Jacob is being possessed by the ghost of his grandfather, desperate to get to North Korea to find the family he left behind.
I was sucked into this story from the very beginning. It’s funny but not in a laugh out loud way - the humor is more subtle and rather satirical. Watching the way the characters deal with the fallout from Jacob’s actions was fascinating and I loved how Han approached the dynamics between them, and I also appreciated what he had to say about the broader subjects of colonization and how our past shapes up. It was a very original story, although I did feel slightly disoriented at times, especially when Jacob’s point of view merged with his grandfather’s. A fantastic read that deals with history and magical realism in a fresh, creative way.
TLDR: Nuclear Family is an engaging debut novel about family, generational trauma and identity. It marks Han as a rising literary star to watch. (less)
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May 30, 2022Bethany rated it really liked it
The Cho family from Korea moved to Hawaii and has their local Korean restaurant that they are trying to keep afloat as businesses and life changes around them. Their son goes back to South Korea to teach English when for some reason he tries to cross the DMZ to enter North Korea and gets shot while doing so. The grandfather’s ghost possesses their son and might have caused this. There was a lot going on and at the same time, not much happened. The POV switches often and because I was listening to the audiobook, I found it distracting and hard to follow. I found myself lost at times. This was a story about a dysfunctional Korean family, identity and gentrification.
Pub Day: June 7, 2022
Thank you #netgalley for my #arc All thoughts and opinions are my own. (less)
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They Lived the American Dream, Until the Ghost Turned Up
In Joseph Han’s debut novel, “Nuclear Family,” a trip to South Korea leads to otherworldly possession and multigenerational, multicontinent fallout.
Credit...Ayuko HoshinoBy Mateo Askaripour
June 7, 2022
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NUCLEAR FAMILY, by Joseph Han
Fallout. It’s a topic at the forefront of our minds these days, what with the threat of warheads in the hands of deranged leaders and the nukes of hate dropped around us daily. Joseph Han’s debut novel, “Nuclear Family,” is also focused on fallout — from war, from family obligation, from all that goes unsaid — and what it takes to move forward after a disaster.
Meet the Cho family, owners of Cho’s Delicatessen 1, 2 and 3. Yes, three thriving Korean delis in Honolulu! All thanks to Appa and Umma, and their children, Grace and Jacob. And thanks to Guy Fieri, who once visited (but “didn’t even pay for his food”), catapulting the restaurants to local fame.
Maintaining a deli dynasty isn’t easy, but life for the Chos has been pretty good. Still, when Jacob decides to go to South Korea to teach English, his parents are elated because it means he’ll reconnect with his roots and return with a renewed sense of purpose. Unbeknown to them, he also leaves to escape his own secrets. But once there, Jacob becomes possessed by the spirit of his grandfather — who died in a South Korean parking garage and yearns to reconnect with the family he abandoned in North Korea — and attempts to cross the DMZ, setting off a multicontinent, multigenerational meltdown.
Jacob’s stunt soon impacts his family’s restaurant dynasty in Hawaii. Regulars stop patronizing the Chos’ delis. The previously carefree Appa, who would “sweep the floor and shake his hips while singing,” obsesses over restoring his family’s reputation. Umma becomes alienated from her daughter. And Grace loses herself in bong rips the size of mushroom clouds.
You’d have to visit Cirque du Soleil to see someone juggle as much as Han with such effortless dexterity and tenderness. Generational trauma, the American dream, the consequences of conquest. And his prose is rhythmic and hypnotic; it captivates from the very first page and gracefully conveys the loss and the longing the family experiences. Coupled with this are frequent, butter-smooth shifts in perspective, allowing us to occupy a multitude of hearts and minds with such intimacy as to feel almost intrusive.
The quiet beauty of Han’s work is also contained in his characters — the Chos and their relatives, naturalized and native Hawaiians. Han’s characters are entirely familiar — even if you’ve never traveled to Hawaii or South Korea, tasted mandoo or loco moco, or spoken pidgin or Korean — and you want them to succeed and find peace, together. It’s hard to read “Nuclear Family” and not be inspired to mend torn relationships. To listen. To speak. Because this is a novel about how pain can be wrought from silence. The echoes of what we don’t say can reverberate loudly.
History, too, is ever-present in the novel; it’s practically another character full of blood, guts and violence. We bear witness to the palpable effects of war, colonization and savior complexes. While Han’s characters articulate their frustrations with crushing accuracy, sometimes it feels as though it is Han himself speaking to us, rather than his characters, but this never strays into the realm of distracting preachiness.
Han never ceases to surprise. Once you get used to his prose, he breaks form, redacting paragraphs, building towers out of words only to topple them pages later. And his comedic timing is always punctual, full of cackle-inducing humor when we need it most. There’s a specific weed-filled scene toward the end where … well, I won’t ruin it, but it’s extremely funny and cathartic.
“Nuclear Family” illustrates that if we’re lucky, on the other side of calamity is family, which is not an abstract noun tossed from one generation to another, but a verb defined by the action, motion and work required to survive anything, even fallout.
Mateo Askaripour’s debut novel is “Black Buck.” He’s currently working on his second novel.
NUCLEAR FAMILY, by Joseph Han | 301 pp. | Counterpoint Press | $26
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