Free Food for Millionaires
 | |
| Author | Min Jin Lee |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Warner Books |
| Publication date | 2007 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 562 pp (US Hardcover) |
| ISBN | 0-446-58108-9 |
| OCLC | 76183613 |
| Dewey Decimal | 813/.6 22 |
| LC Class | PS3612.E346 F74 2007 |
Free Food for Millionaires is a 2007 novel by Korean American writer, Min Jin Lee. It was named one of the Top 10 Novels of the Year by The Times,[1] a notable novel by the San Francisco Chronicle,[2] a New York Times Editor's Choice,[3] and was a selection for the Wall Street Journal Juggler Book Club.[4]
The book is about a young Korean-American woman who graduates from college, and is determined to find a place in New York high society, despite having no money or job. The novel captures the tension between Korean cultural expectations and modern America.
In 2017, Lee published another novel, Pachinko, which was subsequently adapted into a TV series.
References
- Saunders, Kate (November 30, 2007), "The Times Christmas choice: fiction", The Times, London, archived from the original on July 6, 2008, retrieved January 3, 2009
- Villalon, Oscar (December 23, 2007), Bay Area authors' books among best of '07, San Francisco Chronicle, retrieved January 3, 2009
- "Editor's Choice", New York Times, July 8, 2007, retrieved January 3, 2009
- Schaefer Munoz, Sara (January 22, 2008), Free Food for Millionaires: When Everyone Else is a Big Spender, Wall Street Journal, retrieved January 3, 2009
External links
===
Free Food for Millionaires:
by Min Jin Lee (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars (5,562)
See all formats and editions
Redeem
Get 5% off $50 with eligible NAB Cards. Enter code NAB5 at checkout. Discount by Amazon. Terms
**FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF PACHINKO**
'Ambitious, accomplished.' NEW YORK TIMES
'A remarkable writer.' THE TIMES
'Exquisitely evoked.' USA TODAY
Casey Han's years at Princeton have given her a refined diction, an enviable golf handicap, a popular white boyfriend and a degree in economics. The elder daughter of working-class Korean immigrants, Casey inhabits a New York a world away from that of her parents. But she has no job, and a number of bad habits.
So when a chance encounter with an old friend lands her a new opportunity, she's determined to carve a space for herself in a glittering world of privilege, power, and wealth – but at what cost?
As Casey navigates an uneven course of small triumphs and spectacular failures, a clash of values and ambitions plays out against the colourful backdrop of New York society, its many shades and divides. Addictively readable, Min Jin Lee's bestselling debut Free Food for Millionaires exposes the intricate layers of a community clinging to its old ways in a city packed with haves and have-nots.
'Explores the most fundamental crisis of immigrants' children: how to bridge a generation gap so wide it is measured in oceans.' OBSERVER
===
Product description
Review
Ambitious, accomplished, engrossing... as easy to devour as a 19th-century romance' ― New York Times
Explores the most fundamental crisis of immigrants' children... an insight into the secret world of Korean America' ― Observer
There are two memorable episodes in which an exchange of gifts reveals a gulf in regard and understanding that could have been penned by Austen herself, so well are they judged. The sisters' stories bowl absorbingly along, while their mother is also permitted a poignant starring role, receiving the same sympathetic treatment Lee extends to almost all her characters ― Daily Mail
It is no exaggeration to say that Lee's debut deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Eliot's great doorstopper [Middlemarch]. What is more, it is arguably even more fun ― South China Morning Post
This big, beguiling book has all the distinguishing marks of a Great American Novel... [a] remarkable writer' ― The Times
Exquisitely evoked... an epic meditation on love' ― USA Today
From the Back Cover
'As easy to devour as a 19th century romance - packed with flouted parental expectations, fluctuating female friendships and rivalries, ephemeral romantic hopes and losses and high-stakes career gambles. 'Ambitious, accomplished and engrossing.' New York Times Book Review
Casey Han's years at Princeton have given her 'a refined diction, an enviable golf handicap, wealthy friends, a popular white boyfriend, and a magna cum laude degree in economics.But no job, and a number of bad habits...'
The elder daughter of working-class Korean immigrants who run a dry cleaning shop in Manhattan, Casey inhabits a New York a world away from that of her parents. Ambitious, spirited and obstinate, she's developed a taste for a lifestyle - and a passion for beautiful hats and expensive tailoring - she hasn't the means to sustain. And between the culture to which her family so fiercely cling and the life she aspires to, Casey must confront her own identity, the meaning of wealth, and what she really wants from her future.
As Casey navigates an uneven course of small triumphs and spectacular failures, a clash of values, ideals and ambitions plays out against the colourful backdrop of New York society, it's many layers, shades and divides.
'Min Jin Lee explores the most fundamental crisis of immigrants' children: how to bridge a generation gap so wide it is measured in oceans ... an insight into the secret world of Korean America ... and there is pleasure to be derived from it's heroine's peregrinations as she reconciles her desires with the conventions of her family' Observer
'Exquisitely evoked ... an American story full of class struggle, rugged individualism, social status and the haves and have-nots. Most of all, it's an epic meditation on love ... in all its tenacious and painful glory' USA Today
Read more
Product details
ASIN : B06XH2M6NW
Publisher : Apollo
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : 10 August 2017
===
From Australia
Anne Whight
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating story, my second book by Min Jin Lee, and both 5 stars
Reviewed in Australia on 5 August 2018
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Min Jin Lee's debut novel revolves around Casey, a girl of Korean ancestry, growing up in America, and her search for identity. It's also about her parents, family and friends, who are struggling to maintain their identity in a very different world. Her second novel, Pachinko (2017) absolutely blew me away, probably one of the best books I've read, and made me want to go back and read Free Food (2007). While I loved Pachinko a little more, both books are 5 star reads, and I can't wait to read the next book Min Jin Lee writes.
Helpful
Report
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Heart felt
Reviewed in Australia on 22 February 2021
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Lovely story, I was definitely entertained with this novel. A story of a lung woman’s life and its lovely. Just lovely
Helpful
Report
Katherine Kennon
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!
Reviewed in Australia on 26 July 2020
Verified Purchase
A long and winding road of a story that had me turning through the pages quickly.
Helpful
Report
Alice
2.0 out of 5 stars 2 stars ⭐️⭐️
Reviewed in Australia on 28 May 2023
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I loved Panchinko which made me grab this book. There seemed to be a fair bit of assumed knowledge of the Korean American experience I as a non American struggled with. There was also a number of things I had to google that could have done with a footnote to explain.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Report
Lynette Grae
5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful read from an inspiring author
Reviewed in Australia on 7 January 2018
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
What a wonderful read from an inspiring author. Loved it from beginning to the end, highly recommended.!! I’ll be looking forward to more writing from this author....she is wonderful.
Helpful
Report
Phillip Amata
1.0 out of 5 stars Absolute rubbish!
Reviewed in Australia on 10 September 2020
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
The more I read the worse it became!
Helpful
Report
Marionh_au
5.0 out of 5 stars love, love, loved this book
Reviewed in Australia on 29 May 2018
Format: Kindle
I loved every word of this fabulous book. I didn't want it to finish. I cant wait for another one from this author.
Helpful
Report
From other countries
Tatiharsteln
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting perspective
Reviewed in Brazil on 10 April 2022
Verified Purchase
The narrative keeps you on your toes. Very interesting perspectives from the different characthers. I have to say it was pleasant surprise.
Report
mbird
5.0 out of 5 stars Well done
Reviewed in the United States on 15 November 2023
Verified Purchase
I am not quite finished with this book but wanted to write a review! I love reading this book because it reminds me of how I read when I was younger...always coming away from the experience having learned something of value. Whether increasing my vocabulary or a life lesson that brought change, it was time well spent. This book does all of that.
It brings you along the journey of relationships and how others cope with their decisions in life and how others view them from the outside...and does that matter, if so, what is the effect.? As well as questioning what love looks like.
The thick volume may look daunting, but this is such a wonderful read that I can't turn the pages fast enough to know what is going to happen next.
Thank You Min Jin Lee for writing this book and bringing such a heartfelt story that is definitely worth the time spent!
Now back to my reading Free Food for Millionaires!
I felt I needed to come back after finishing the book. While all I previously said held true...I was greatly disappointed in the ending. If it were a movie, I would have wanted to throw something at the TV when it ended! Such a limp ending for such a passionate story.
Report
Sofia Goya
3.0 out of 5 stars Social chronicle
Reviewed in Spain on 25 April 2020
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed a lot this book even though it is not as good as Pachinko, the other book from the same author.
In this book we discover Casey, the daughter of Korean immigrants, that struggles to find her way in the New York society.
I didn’t enjoy the end. While the whole book was captivating the end came to fast and was not well elaborated in my opinion.
Report
Translate all reviews to English
NB
5.0 out of 5 stars Top
Reviewed in France on 22 November 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Mon deuxième livre de cette auteure. Vraiment bien écrit et l’histoire fascinante. Ce n’ai pas un livre pour des enfants
Report
Translate review to English
Nacho
5.0 out of 5 stars Becoming a successful adult while being immersed in a multicultural society.
Reviewed in Canada on 10 May 2017
Verified Purchase
This is an excellent book, well written and easy to read. The characters are three dimensional, and I was able to empathize with most all of them. Many themes are covered, all relevant to life as we know it today. There is the story of immigrant parents and their two "Americanized" daughters. Although both are graduates of Princeton they take very different paths in their lives. Casey, the older sister is the protagonist of the story. We follow her young adult life as she deals with choosing her professional goals, trying to make ends meet, and being a female worker in a man's world of finance. Casey comes from a Korean family and must have the strength to resist the pull of very old-world ways. There are many interesting side stories, as well as varied interesting characters. I recommend this book highly.
Report
Amazon Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars Free Food for millioners
Reviewed in Germany on 12 November 2020
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Great Book! I‘ve learned a lot about Ethnic backgrounds, well researched ! My third Book of Min Jin Lee in English!
Report
Jahnavi
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in India on 26 February 2022
Verified Purchase
It takes time to engage in the story but It leaves a good aftertaste.warm and sweet,great writing, emotions are described flawlessly.i hope I can read more of the same author,after reading pachinko(same author) I read this,it didn't disappoint me but it is not as same level as pachinko,I hope I find more of her books...
Report
Mrs. S
5.0 out of 5 stars Fab book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 March 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Great characters, couldn't put the book down. Definitely recommend, really interesting and lots to think about in terms of class situations and race
Report
kbird
4.0 out of 5 stars long but enjoable read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 January 2019
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I enjoyed this book, but couldnt see how it was going to end and Im sad to say that I felt let down by the ending. Other than that it was a good read over a few cold winters nights.
Report
tom
3.0 out of 5 stars Pas assez de rigeur par l'éditeur
Reviewed in France on 3 September 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Ce livre aurait pu être excellent avec moins de distractions avec des personnalités explorées en profondeur, sans intêret pour l'histoire. Pas de la même qualité que Pachinko, mais très bon quand-même 🤗.
Report
Translate review to English
Helen F.
4.0 out of 5 stars Universal human traits
Reviewed in Canada on 3 November 2018
Verified Purchase
No matter the ethnicity, these people behave the same, but this book explains it with style.
Report
Deepshikha
3.0 out of 5 stars Decent read but no closure
Reviewed in India on 19 July 2022
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
The book is nicely engaging and keeps you entertained but I absolutely hate open endings.
Just me, but I guess I prefer closure and finality at least in fiction.
Report
Gigi 🙂
5.0 out of 5 stars Impressionante
Reviewed in Brazil on 3 August 2023
Verified Purchase
O livro é uma mistura de emoções e percepção. Simplesmente adorável!!! 🥰
Report
Translate review to English
Translate all reviews to English
Elizabeth Hendry
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read, but not quite Great
Reviewed in the United States on 10 August 2007
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Free Food for Millionaires is an excellent novel about a young, bright daughter of immigrant parents, Casey, a young woman full of potential, just graduated from Princeton in the mid-1990s. She has everything, or seems to, but can't quite realize the value in what she has. Min Jin Lee does an excellent job of conveying the New York City of the oversmart and overprivileged of that time. The title, "Free Food for Millionaires", is a reference to the free lunch provided periodically at an investment bank during that time. It's a perfect summary of the worlds Casey lives in--the striving world of her parents and the overprivileged one of her Princeton classmates, where peoples needs and wants are seemingly either denied and oversupplied. Happiness is never full--something is always missing. That lack of perfection makes this a strong novel. Lee does some interesting things with her characters--they and their stories take some unexpected turns. The novel ultimately lacks that special something to make it great--nothing compels the reader to keep reading. Casey herself, while her story is intersting, is a bit of a cold fish. The novel is intelligently written but Han jumps from one character's perspective to another, sometimes within the same paragraph, which makes the narrative a bit jumpy at times. Overall, though, this is an enjoyable read, full of flawed and human characters. This one would probably be a perfect book club read--it will give readers much to discuss.
Report
maelle
2.0 out of 5 stars Très décevant
Reviewed in France on 7 May 2026
Verified Purchase
Quelle déception ! Autant Pachanko était passionnant autant celui ci est plat, personnages fades, histoires prévisibles … et la fin à la hauteur du reste: sans grand intérêt .
Report
Translate review to English
Clevelander83
5.0 out of 5 stars Free Food for Millionaires
Reviewed in the United States on 22 September 2008
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I was surprised to read the negative and indifferent reviews for this book, since I truly enjoyed reading it. Min Jin Lee did not create a literary masterpiece (who has time to decipher those nowadays anyway?), but the novel was well-written and with an interesting story to tell.
In this debut novel, Lee does provide insights into the life of Korean-Americans, but for me a much bigger theme was that of dealing with life post college. The main character, Casey Han, has no clear direction in life, and struggles to find her own way. Used to the lavish lifestyles of her friends in college, Casey digs herself further and further into debt. She believes money to be the solution to everything, but turns down the offer for free business school. Slaving away as an intern at an investment company, she is offered a position, but is no longer sure that is what she wants. Throughout the novel, Casey works towards things that she believes will will solve her problems and make her happy, only to find out that she never really wanted them to begin with.
Casey is the perfect example of the recently popularized "quarter-life crisis". She's impressionable, lost in the "real world" and unsure of where she wants to go in her life and her relationships. I really think that this novel will strike a chord with recent college graduated who will recognize a little bit of themselves in Casey Han.
Report
anisha
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on 8 January 2016
Verified Purchase
Loved it
Report
Le Sorcier du Bois
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book
Reviewed in Canada on 7 July 2023
Verified Purchase
I loved this book, the characters, the storyline, and especially the quality of the writng.
Report
Mads
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Author
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 July 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I know I will like this author. Read other books
Report
Aki
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in Germany on 9 May 2021
Verified Purchase
Brilliant, captivating book! Enjoy the read ;-)
Report
Ginzells
3.0 out of 5 stars Sweet story, great characterisation.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 October 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
(Nb Some spoilers included) I wasn’t sure if i liked this book or not; I suppose I feel ambivalent about it.
—-Summary
Expectations were high - it has a long foreword from the author about it took her years to write and also it was billed as a New York Times ‘Book of the year’ winner. So I expected something groundbreaking, a masterpiece or seminal text, something really meaningful and fresh. But it was just ‘quite sweet’.
Essentially this is a story following a young Korean-American woman Casey Han, and the people in her orbit - her relationships and the relationships of people around her.
It was a nice, easy read. Perhaps I missed something or didn’t fully appreciate any deeper level.
—-The Korean Lens
But there was a wooden, factual, transactional quality to the narration. There was a notable preoccupation with where someone was from, which college they attended, and what their father did for a living. It was interesting that Koreans think like that so it offered insight into where the characters are coming from, and how they are taught to think.
But you don’t always need to know that some lady at the bus stop’s son is a 32 year old oceanographer who went to Yale and she is wearing a blue sun dress from a store on 71st and 4th; or that some friend of a friend is a Princeton graduate, twice-married, whose father owns five stores each with a total of 136,000 square feet. Everything is a description of worth; where the person was educated, how much their shirt was worth, how much their apartment was worth. This is clearly a cultural obsession but I found it an annoying narrative feature. This is probably because I am not from that culture but in fact discussing money was considered rude and crass where I was brought up. I also found the Korean women who weren’t quite so westernised somewhat annoying - cloying and weak and lacking agency; I didn’t warm to the characters very much at all perhaps because their thoughts and behaviours were often alien to me and their motivations were depicted so factually.
—-Character motivations
The most interesting aspect was the behavioural expectations of women - in the family, in marriage, in a relationship. I enjoyed reading about the many different characters and their tribulations as the story played out - Leah Han and her date rape with the choirmaster; the best friend Ella and her marriage breakdown from Ted; the ex-boyfriend Unu and his gambling issue; the Work friend Delia and her struggles with dyslexia that led her to trade in her own body to win status; the rich workboss friend Sabine. The feckless college friend Virginia whose relationship got messy so she had to come home. And all the other bit-part characters - the choir members, colleagues, apartment doorman, traders, friends and customers.
The writer writes well about people and their motivations - how people are driven by their past.
—-Length / Granular level of detail
I felt perhaps there were far too many characters - or perhaps that because they were all looked at with the same detailed lens, this made the reading experience unnecessarily long.
The obsession with defining everyone by how much they earned or assessing their relative value according to their college education, upbringing and clothing, was a bit tiresome for me.
—-Satisfying outcomes - attention to ‘loose ends’
But: I enjoyed that idea that earning money is not, after all, the meaning of life and having quality relationships (with work colleagues, family members, friends, lovers) is worth everything. I think maybe Casey realised that with her decision to drop out of business school and make hats.
Unu got a teaching job and left his old wealthy wardrobe and gambling life behind completely.
Leah went back to her husband a little wiser, keeping her marriage and her secrets intact.
Ella recovered from her depression and remarried a more suitable match, her caring boss at the school.
Ted falls in love with the office floozie and they find true happiness, with her becoming a doting stepmother to his child.
Charles gets his comeuppance for mistreating women, losing both his lover and his composition manuscript.
The book seller’s sister-in-law discovers hats can give her confidence and a new identity.
The outcomes were all satisfying with no loose ends left unresolved. Pretty much all the characters grew over the course of the book.
—-Lukewarm engagement
I would say the book was really interesting in its themes and the characters were engaging to a point - but it was not a sublime read. It was far too long and chock full of granular detail and wooden descriptions, which became a litany at times. The language felt a little cold and detached and the descriptions factual. Overall, ‘Free Food for Millionaires’ was diverting and something good to read. You will enjoy it very much if you like stories with many threads and characters woven carefully together. But it will not be my Book of the Year.
Report
j. f. V. C.
3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining but the last ~200 pages made no sense
Reviewed in the United States on 28 October 2025
Verified Purchase
The book is entertaining, and well written. It felt like an elevated version of Gossip Girl. The characters were interesting, albeit a little annoying. As somebody who went to business school, I found a lot of the book relatable.
There's a point though where it felt like the book went off the deep end. I remember thinking, with about 200 pages to go, "The book feels complete here", and yet the author shortly after introduced a brand new character, and, for lack of a better word, decided to defile all of her characters. People cheat, get raped, leave relationships, start relationships, all in the span of 200 pages. More happens in these 200 pages than in the previous 400. The book felt somewhat organic up until that point in terms of the things that happen, but in the last 200 pages, it just fell unrealistic. There's also a couple of decisions regarding business school that are completely incomprehensible (I can tell the author did not go to b-school herself but rather heard about it from her friends and colleagues).
The last 20 pages I barely read, I skipped through words. I was sick and done with the characters and with the nonsensical events that were occurring towards the end. I also didn't love the author's tendency to change perspective for characters mid sentence. Lastly, the constant obsession with people's money, backgrounds, education (seems like everyone went to Harvard, Julliard, MIT -- understandable given the author herself went to Yale), pedigree, etc, became too much towards the end.
Report
Annegrethe Haandbaek
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in Germany on 29 January 2021
Verified Purchase
Very interesting I am glad I live in Denmark
Report
ctkenye
3.0 out of 5 stars Not in the same league as Pachinko
Reviewed in Canada on 26 April 2020
Verified Purchase
I read Panchinko first, and so this novel got the benefit of lots of doubt, but by the end, it was hard to believe that Pachinko came from these roots. In any case, as far as first novels go, this one is readable enough. The protagonist is a curious blend. On one side, she's so totally stereotypic (cute, funky, tres fashionista, in love with money but pretending to be 'above' it, utterly ambition driven, good at math, etc) that she's like a caricature of an Asian woman, and on the other hand, she's endowed with a really weak and self-serving character. She's happy to sponge off anyone who has money, while at the same time, holding herself aloof with the idea that she's independent and doing it all herself. Right. She lurches from one extremely bad decision to the next, right from Page 1 through to the end of the book. It's like watching a train wreck, but at the same time, you don't really buy it, because you don't really buy in to her as a 3D character. But then again, nobody in the book is a 3D character. They're all stereotypes of one variety or another and easily pegged with one, or at most 2, adjectives: promiscuous and greedy, narcissistic and driven, controlling and abusive.
And yet, Pachinko. Go figure. I guess this was the practice novel. Or perhaps this author is too close to her own American experience to write about it in the same way that she could write about the more distant experience of Koreans in Japan. Hard to say. So my main review is skip this, and read Pachinko.
Report
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Arrived promptly
Reviewed in Canada on 23 January 2021
Verified Purchase
Condition of the book is fine
Report
Kurt Keller
2.0 out of 5 stars Asking yourself throughout the book: "Why should I continue to read this?"
Reviewed in Germany on 28 September 2025
Verified Purchase
Casey Han is a stylish young Korean lady with a firm will. And she is proud, wanting to achieve things using her own powers, without help from others. But she also has her weaknesses. The reader accompanies Casey over a few years as she struggles to determine what she wants to do.
A wide variety of vocabulary is used in the book. As a non-native speaker of English, I encountered lots of words not so commonly used, words which were unfamiliar to me. Never, however, in a way that I could not understand what was being said.
At the start of a book, you may ask yourself: 'What is this book about?', 'What is the story?', 'What will keep me going to read?' With some books, you can answer these questions quickly; with others, you need to read several chapters until it becomes evident. This book belongs in a third category: even if you read it to the end, you can not answer these questions.
Report
Client d'Amazon
4.0 out of 5 stars Didn't like the Americanisms in the jargon and vocabulary
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 July 2018
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Didn't like the Americanisms in the jargon and vocabulary. The heroine got tedious at times but she was very human. I preferred Patchinko
Report
Valerie Jensen
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant character development
Reviewed in the United States on 21 June 2026
Verified Purchase
The characters were so well developed I felt like I was living with them. The interwoven stories and challenges were unexpected but expected, if that makes sense. Understanding the importance and challenges of living in two cultures was beautifully developed by each character. There was constant tension typical in all families between the chosen and not chosen ones, the rich and the "poor". But a beautiful opportunity to define " rich and poor" in your own way. I was disappointed with the ending. But not everyone will be!
Report
Jeannine
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book about Korean culture in America
Reviewed in Canada on 12 September 2022
Verified Purchase
This book is very well written and the author is really good at describing her characters. It almost feels like she is a psychologist and you start understanding why the characters act the way they do. An eye opener on the Korean culture. Of course it shows the gulf that exist between the first generation of American Koreans and their children.
Report
Amy Buxton
5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 August 2018
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I found this a really compelling book. The characters were imperfect people, making sometimes quite bad choices but I couldn't help but like and empathise with them. It was a fascinating insight into the dynamics of Korean American families. I would definitely read more books by this author.
Report
Styni
2.0 out of 5 stars What the message?
Reviewed in Germany on 9 September 2022
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
The book is easy to read and this is why I read it to the end...but I can't see the message behind it. Nearly everyone is miserable either during the whole novel or at the end and there is no exit out of that ..
Report
Naushaba Habib
5.0 out of 5 stars Free food for millionaires,by min Ji Li
Reviewed in the United States on 12 September 2023
Verified Purchase
What a phenomenal book with insight into the minds and confusion of first generation american kids born to asian immigrants. The parents find it hard to giv up on their cultural values and expectations and want them fulfilled thru the kids,and the kids keep trying to do their best but also remain confused because they r also a product of the current american culture. If they blend completely here they disappoint their parents,if they dont blend they disappoint themselves. Unless they r compliant like Tina(and about 30% are). V well written. And v readable!!!! I liked it better then Pachinko
Report
jikes
5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific read
Reviewed in Canada on 15 April 2022
Verified Purchase
An interesting story with good character development. A glimpse into a culture I don’t know. I liked the characters and came to care about them. I liked this book so much I immediately bought the author’s next book and loved that too
Report
Alexis
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story of many lives
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 June 2020
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I loved this book! Read her second book,Pachinko, which I really enjoyed.
Bit hard to get into but once getting into the story I couldn’t wait to get to the end of the book to see how the various lives progressed.
Can’t wait for her third to be published
Report
Eunpa Chae
4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and realistic
Reviewed in the United States on 21 July 2025
Verified Purchase
Fun read! Kind of perpetuates some Asian Americans stereotypes though. Like it doesn't say the quiet nerdy stereotype of Asian Americans is because of remote-control satellite interference.
Report
E. Kim
3.0 out of 5 stars A somewhat sensationalized, and exaggerated, slice of Korean American life
Reviewed in the United States on 2 September 2007
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
As a Korean American male in my early 30's and also in the Investment Banking industry I picked up this book with much curiosity and anticipation. I have to say at the end of it, my thoughts were mixed. In my life, I've lived in the environment that both the author and the main character have gone through- Korean American church life, demanding academics, traditional parents and the rush to find a reputable profession after college. In my time I've known my share of archetypes in the mold of Casey Han, Ted Kim, Joseph Han, Unu Shim and yes even the ultra innocent, tragically beautiful, but ultimately naiveté and played like a fiddle Ella Shim. These caricatures not only exist in our community, but are also recognizable and realistic.
The first half of the book I thought Lee was building up to something quite interesting, perhaps accomplishing something groundbreaking like Chang Rae Lee did in his book "Native Speaker." However, the second half of the book devolved into something that didn't say anything really and was just fodder for gossip talk. Although, there were plenty of flawed characters in this book, it seems as if the Korean Americans, both men and women, were the most dysfunctional people. The only two Korean Americans that had the best values and most consistent personalities, Ellas's father and Casey's sister, were the most underdeveloped characters. The more drama you had in your life, the more words Ms. Lee devoted to developing your character. Maybe that was Lee's point? To take the standard immigrant literary fare of the hard working and noble immigrant family and turn it on its head and write about immigrants who are just as messed up as everyone else around them. For good measure, make them a little more messed up then their non-Korean peers. This is not an accurate representation of what most Korean Americans are. There are certainly characters in real life that are like the characters in the book, but the frequency is certainly skewed.
Also, the date rape that happened in the last third of the book bothered me greatly and I didn't think it was at all necessary. If Ms. Lee wanted to demonstrate tragic flaws in some characters I honestly do believe she could of used another vehicle to achieve her purpose. If I wasn't Korean American, I'd probably give this book another star. It is very well written and engaging if you are not emotionally tied to the culture that the characters navigate through. However, it is far from a classic and it is more along the lines of a light summer read. What saddens me is that, with a little more intelligence, foresight and responsible writing, it could have been so much more.
Those that have their DVR presets to the Oxygen and AZN channels will appreciate this book the most.
Report
SassyPants
3.0 out of 5 stars I am on the fence about this book
Reviewed in the United States on 5 February 2018
Verified Purchase
I read Pachinko last year and loved it. Based on that, I decided to read Ms. Lee’s debut novel Free Food for Millionaires. It also received a lot of critical praise. I am ambivalent about this book because while I found it compulsively readable, I did not really enjoy the story and I did not like or relate to the characters. I even considered not finishing it. I say it was compulsively readable because despite not liking it very much, I really wanted to find out what happened to the characters and how the book ended. I think this speaks to Ms. Lee’s gift as a story teller—you are hooked even if you don’t like the book!
Free Food takes place in New York City in the 1990’s. Casey Han, oldest daughter of Korean immigrants, has just graduated from Princeton with a degree in economics and no job. She has a successful white boyfriend, an abusive father, and a younger sister who is the perfect child headed off to medical school. Casey covets beautiful and expensive things, cannot afford them, but buys them anyway. She has wealthy friends and a very wealthy mentor, but many of these relationships also have a price. Casey has talent as a hat designer, but thinks that working on Wall Street is the only way to succeed. The novel also focuses on one of Casey’s friends who chooses a husband and baby over a career; Casey’s passive and unhappy but musically gifted naive mother; her self-made mentor; and various co-workers and boyfriends. Everyone is searching and no one seems happy in work or romance. The ending was happy for most of the characters and it was a bit predictable.
I found it interesting to read Ms. Lee’s novels in reverse order. You can really see the growth and maturity of the writer. The multi-generational story in Pachinko is better written, I cared about the fate of the characters even if I did not like them, and the prose was gorgeous. I also thought that the Korean immigrant experience was better articulated in Pachinko than in Free Food for Millionaires. Free Food seemed more like a soap opera to me. On the strength of Pachinko, I am eagerly awaiting her third book!
Report
Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars A class-anxious book
Reviewed in the United States on 20 June 2021
Verified Purchase
After enduring the silliness of the book halfway through (where I stopped), now's my chance to be caustic.
The book's biggest contradiction and fallacy is the heroine Casey Han, whose personal maturation was the whole stake of the book, and who should have led us through the complex journey of being true to oneself in a hive of self-glorifying, self-justifying Ivy-grads, wallstreet pricks, real-estate moguls, loaded divorcees and what not. What we get instead is Casey, who hates these people not because they are empty and cocky, but because she burns with jealousy--she wants to be them so badly yet can't bring herself to become a good hardworking ladder-climber due to pride. In this way Casey is the true snob, more so than all the others combined: designer dresses and pearls are all she wants, but she doesn't want to admit it, and doesn't want to be seen as working for it. If the auhor had meant Casey's obsession with high fashion as a metaphor for the heroine's craving for beauty and "armor" against judgmental society (her "wonder woman cuffs,") I find the metaphor hypocritical and toxic: it presumes that these stuff are objectively beautiful rather than what they truly are, status symbols; and that you need such stuff to feel confident as a young Asian woman (not to be mistaken as a nanny, the book says, an anxiety which the white-passing Virginia is not subject to), when in fact you only need them if you are actively seeking acceptance in the world of snobs. It's not that rich people just happen to be monopolizing the fine things, as the book forcedly contends; fine things exist and stand for the riches. The book reads as one long whining that everybody deserves luxury goods (esp. Casey because she honed taste for these things working as a sales girl or whatever) and it's just unfair that you need money to access them. What makes Casey any different from the truck-load of yuppies that fill the book if she wants the same things for the same reason? You either have depth, or you don't; you can't embrace materialism as obsequiously as Casey does and soliloquize about being different and noble, now that's really bad taste.
The character growth is a deadend when the character is a truly superficial person who believes in nothing except looks and a childish variety of agnosticism. The only thing barring her from full yuppy transformation is not genuine renunciation or critique of the human condition and its potential harmfulness, but a juvenile shame about being caught by others as trying and not being born into it. Because Casey's only problem is not being born into royalty, eventually it is not something that can be fixed. All of Casey's cynicism and bitterness ring empty because there is not a thing which she deeply believes in and tries to protect at all cost.
I'm very disappointed in the book as I had big expectations coming from a similar background as Casey. As a middle-class kid who got through prep school and Ivy with scholarship I literally cannot avoid the classmate-turned-yuppies everywhere, hard as I try. I'm so sick of their sorry asses chasing me down for a lunch (my polite reluctance ignored) and seeking my approval that they are not just a sell-out, their inner life is somehow rich too and they've got it all. It is indeed difficult to keep your own ground in such a world, where everyone is pouncing at any opportunity to size you down and can't seem to leave the ones secure in their own worlds alone. That's unfortunately the way things are. But the book grossly over-simplifies the elite education by ignoring a whole class of people who fight against the pressure to cave. It's a pity that genuine intellectual curiosity has no place in this book, for example Virginia's master's in art history in Italy is degraded as a two-year sexcapade for the rich. Coincidentally Ella's degree is also in art history, this old notion of humanities as finishing school major sounds extremely outdated and philistine. Too bad that class anxiety is not an object of keen analysis and examination in this book, rather, the book itself is a case of class anxiety and consumes other good insights that might have been. Characters don't need to be perfect, but the book's inability to laugh at itself and the characters' weird self-rightuousness despite all their faults make them disagreeable.
Report
BookWorm
2.0 out of 5 stars Overlong with a frustrating, unlikeable heroine
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 December 2019
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I enjoyed Lee's second novel, 'Pachinko', but this - her first novel - failed to impress me. An overlong, sprawling and ultimately directionless story about Korean-Americans living in New York in the 1990s, I was counting down the pages until I finished. The principal character, Casey, is very hard to like and irritated me greatly. A recent graduate with apparently good prospects, she manages to sabotage herself at every turn. The novel is only saved from one-star status by the subplots involving some nicer supporting characters.
As a white British person, I found the Korean cultural elements far easier to comprehend than the wealthy American culture. I could understand the struggles of the poorer immigrant families, whereas all the talk of golf, conspicuous spending and 'B school' (an expression that isn't explained anywhere and took me a while to work out) and the corporate culture that goes with it, felt completely alien. Rather than drawing me in and enabling me to understand though, it left me just as baffled and contemptuous as when I started. I simply can't comprehend people who spend crazy money on clothes full stop (even if they have it) and certainly not when they are flat broke. Despite Casey not even being from a privileged background, her sheer lack of gratitude for the opportunities she was given made me want to yell at her.
There is nothing more frustrating than a book character who constantly repeats the same stupid mistake over and over again, and Casey must be the epitome of this phenomenon. She managed to snatch failure and defeat from the jaws of victory and opportunity over and over again. Over the course of nearly 600 pages, she throws away a degree from Princeton, a relationship with a lovely well-matched man, the support of an implausibly rich and generous mentor, the love of well-meaning parents, and even the affection of her saintly friend. She seemed willing to work hard, but never stuck with anything. I honestly felt she got better than she deserved throughout, whereas the much nicer supporting characters seemed to contend with unfairness at every turn.
At best you could say this gave me a glimpse into an unknown world - New York banking - but to be honest I'd rather not have seen it.
Report
Chick
1.0 out of 5 stars Dissappointed, not at all like the description
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 September 2025
Verified Purchase
Very dissappointed, after reading Pachinko (which WAS AMAZING) thought I'd try another book from the same author but was hugely dissappointed. Blurb gives the impression that this book is about a head strong woman trying to forge a successful career for herself in New York whilst navigating elements of family life from a ethnic perspective however that is far from what the book is actually about. It revolves around the lead character while she sleeps with a load of different men, and it mostly describes her romantic relationships and the impact that has on her life rather than about her actual career.
Every single character was deeply flawed and unlikeable. All selfish. The lead character made so many bad choices one after the other, makes it hard to like her at all or to be able to relate to the situation at all. Some of the passages are so long winded and are unnecessarily over descripted. So many of the scenarios are so unrealistic and the main lead is always given free chances (opportunities) from random characters in the book which would never happen in real life.
Unbelievable that the same author so brilliantly penned Pachinko. Dissappointed.
Report
DD
2.0 out of 5 stars Wholly unsatisfying
Reviewed in the United States on 8 May 2020
Verified Purchase
I had high hopes for this book after reading Pachinko, which I came away from thinking about for days and days and days. Pachinko’s encapsulation of a life was so rich and complete - it felt like by the end that I had grown with the characters.
What a disappointment reading this book. While much of the same style persists - the montage of character stories and perspectives, the focus on korean culture, and the rich diction - there is little comparison between the character development of Pachinko and the character development of Free Food.
The main character is completely unrelatable which was the biggest surprise to me while reading this because much of her background matches mine and I had hoped to understand how she felt. She doesn’t really learn from her mistakes, choosing instead to repeatedly sabotage herself for no given reason. She comes across as not very mature, which, fine, she’s 26, but she acts like she’s 16. She’s always angry at the world, thoughtless, impulsive, and indulges in self pity, despite the many opportunities in life that she has and just throws away for “soul searching” reasons- a nice degree, an honest boyfriend, a loving family, a good job that she can pay off her debt with (that she incurred by shopping too much).
There is little growth in her line of thinking by the end. She turns down her internship offer that she works really hard for, drops out of business school, and just resolves basically to “go with the flow”.
There are so many cringeworthy moments that I had to skip through because her decisions are just so thoughtless.
The other characters are not much better...so many cliches (self absorbed type A investment banker vs beautiful delicate naive girl, weak and beautiful mother and housewife vs angry uptight father, the sexy office assistant who sleeps with everyone). The only character I thought was interesting was Unu, a kind hearted Wall Street guy who falls to gambling debts.
There is a lot of love drama, I’ll give you that, which keeps you reading to find out more...but you end up hating everyone in the end. Almost every character ends up lusting after someone other than their significant other.
Read this if you think you’d like a soap opera starring a 26 year old fulfilling every millennial stereotype there is out there. Don’t read this if you’re expecting another Pachinko.
Report
Linda Pfeiffer
3.0 out of 5 stars A very long and dismal road
Reviewed in Canada on 24 November 2018
Verified Purchase
I ordered this book as I had fallen in love with Min Jin Lee's Pachinko, but there is no comparison with this novel. It is the story of Casey Han, an American Korean girl who continually makes drastic mistakes in her short life. She leaves home after being beaten by an abusive father. She cuts ties with her mother and sister for the most part. Her fiancée lets her down in the most disgusting way. She accepts living with friends but is afraid to become beholden instead of embracing the friendship. She quits law school in a good university to join a second rate school of business. Her choices are always wrong and she does nothing to change her behavior. I didn't like her, so I didn't like the book. It was incredibly long and at times very boring to me.
On the other hand, Ms Lee is a talented writer and wrote one of my favourites books I read in 2018, Pachinko, so it is not for lack of talent that I failed to enjoy this story.
Report
D'vo
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfectly written characters that you can identify with.
Reviewed in the United States on 15 May 2021
Verified Purchase
Min Jin Lee is the master of character writing.
I fell in love with Casey her family friends coworkers.
Casey in the first couple of pages is punched brutally in the face by her father. This starts a story of how Casey is going to deal with this in life how, her mother and father deal with it. Casey goes on in her own relationships workplaces bosses and other situations to change and grow as a character. She often looks for love through sex and realizes each relationship gives her something different. we can see her grow as a person in a way that you just don't get from most writers.
Min Jin Lee has no secondary characters. They are all fully developed given several pages or paragraphs chapters in order to explain why they marry have children get divorced climb corporate ladders and treat Casey as the lead character. You really understand how they're acting and why. everybody goes through the whole journey together from beginning to end of the book and you feel it. everybody is very three-dimensional you become very immersed in the world.
If you liked Pachinko for the epic family year spanning story you should love this.
Report
Show 10 more reviews
===
민진 리(Min Jin Lee) 작가의 장편소설 <백만장자를 위한 공짜 음식>(Free Food for Millionaires)에 대한 요약 및 평론이다.
<요약>
1. 경계에 선 아웃사이더, 케이시 한 소설의 주인공 케이시 한(Casey Han)은 뉴욕 퀸즈의 한인 세탁소 집 딸로, 명문 프린스턴 대학교에서 경제학을 전공한 2세대 한국계 미국인 여성이다. 명문대를 졸업했으나 상류층 아이비리그 동문들의 화려한 삶과 자신의 가난한 노동자 계급 가정 사이에서 심각한 정체성 혼란을 겪는다.
대학 졸업 직후, 케이시는 금융권 취업이나 법학대학원 진학이라는 한인 부모의 전형적인 기대를 저버리고 당장 안정적인 직업을 갖지 못한다. 설상가상으로 백인 남자친구와의 관계를 둘러싼 갈등 끝에 아버지로부터 폭행을 당하고 집에서 쫓겨나면서, 경제적 지원이 완전히 끊긴 채 맨해튼의 상류 사회로 진입하려는 위험한 모험을 시작한다.
2. 특권층의 삶과 소비의 허상 케이시는 명품 옷과 고급 식당, 상류층의 라이프스타일을 열렬히 열망한다. 부유한 친구들과 어울리기 위해 자신의 경제적 능력을 훨씬 뛰어넘는 지출을 일삼으며, 신용카드 빚을 쌓아간다. 금융 회사 입사, 고급 맞춤 모자 제작 기술 습득 등 다양한 일을 시도하지만, 그 과정에서 계급의 벽과 유색인종 여성으로서 느끼는 유리천장을 정면으로 경험한다.
제목인 '백만장자를 위한 공짜 음식'은 소설의 핵심적 모티프다. 금융 회사나 화려한 모임에서는 정작 막대한 부를 소유한 백만장자들에게 고급 음식과 온갖 특권이 '공짜'로 제공된다. 반면, 생존을 위해 하루하루 투쟁해야 하는 가난한 이들에게는 물 한 잔조각조차 정당한 대가를 요구받는다. 케이시는 이 불합리하고 모순적인 자본주의의 생태계를 목격하며 깊은 환멸과 매혹을 동시에 느낀다.
3. 관계의 균열과 교차하는 인물들 소설은 케이시뿐만 아니라 그녀 주변 여러 인물들의 복잡한 삶을 다각도로 조명한다.
조셉(Joseph): 케이시의 한인 남자친구로, 금융권에서 성공하려는 야망을 가졌으나 인종적 한계와 조직 내 차별, 도박 중독으로 인해 스스로 무너져 내린다.
엘라(Ella): 케이시의 유복한 한인 친구로, 부모가 원하는 전형적인 'perfect Korean daughter'의 삶을 살며 성공한 한인 의사와 결혼하지만, 냉대와 불륜 속에서 극심한 내면의 고통을 겪는다.
케이시의 부모(성실과 은석): 이민자로서 겪은 차별과 억척스러운 노동을 바탕으로 자녀의 신분 상승에 모든 희망을 걸지만, 자녀 세대의 문화적·정서적 이탈을 이해하지 못해 깊은 갈등을 겪는다.
4. 화해와 자아의 발견 빚과 정체성의 혼란, 연인과의 이별 등 파국을 겪은 후, 케이시는 마침내 허영과 타인의 시선에서 벗어나 자신의 진짜 모습을 직시하기 시작한다. 모자 디자이너로서의 재능을 발견하고, 자본주의 상류층이 정의하는 성공이 아닌 자기 삶의 주도권을 되찾는 과정을 거친다. 또한 부모 세대가 짊어져야 했던 이민자 삶의 무게를 깊이 이해하며, 가문의 상처와 서서히 화해하게 된다.
<평론>
1. 이민자 서사의 세대교체와 자본주의의 계급 구조 비판 <백만장자를 위한 공짜 음식>은 종전의 이민자 문학이 주로 다루던 '생존과 적응'이라는 1차원적 주제를 넘어선다. 민진 리 작가는 2세대 이민자가 맞닥뜨리는 훨씬 복잡한 문제, 즉 계급, 인종, 젠더가 교차하는 미국 사회의 세밀한 결을 차가우면서도 정교한 필치로 파헤친다.
소설은 자본주의 중심지인 뉴욕에서 '돈'과 '신분'이 인간관계와 자아존중감을 어떻게 규정하는지 극명하게 보여준다. 부유한 자들에게는 온갖 혜택이 거저 주어지지만, 가난한 자들에게는 신분 상승의 기회조차 혹독한 대가를 요구하는 자본주의의 야만성을 '공짜 음식'이라는 역설적 비유로 날카롭게 비판한다.
2. 입체적인 인물군상과 리얼리즘의 승리 이 작품의 가장 큰 성취는 인물을 도덕적으로 단정 짓지 않고 대단히 입체적으로 그려냈다는 점에 있다. 주인공 케이시는 전형적인 영웅이나 피해자가 아니다. 속물적인 욕망에 끌려 허영을 부리기도 하고, 잘못된 결정을 내려 스스로를 위기에 빠뜨리기도 하는 불완전한 인간이다.
작가 민진 리는 차별받는 유색인종의 억울함만을 강조하지 않는다. 한인 이민자 공동체 내부에 존재하는 가부장제, 학벌주의, 재력에 따른 계급화와 가식 또한 가감 없이 폭로한다. 19세기 토머스 하디나 앤서니 트롤럽의 사회주의적 리얼리즘 소설을 연상시키는 풍부한 세부 묘사와 사실적인 대사는 작품 전체에 탁월한 인문학적 깊이를 부여한다.
3. 욕망의 직시와 진정한 독립의 의미 결국 이 소설은 '무엇이 인간을 가치 있게 만드는가'에 대한 깊은 질문이다. 케이시 한의 방황은 단순히 돈을 벌거나 명성을 얻기 위함이 아니라, 타인이 규정한 성공의 기준(부모의 기대, 상류층 동문들의 기준, 자본주의 사회의 가치)으로부터 벗어나 진정한 자기 자신으로 서기 위한 아픈 성장통이다.
민진 리 작가는 <파친코>로 이어지는 디아스포라 거대 서사의 출발점으로서, 이 데뷔작을 통해 현대 자본주의 사회를 살아가는 모든 경계인들이 겪는 내면의 비극과 희망을 성공적으로 엮어냈다.
===
<백만장자들을 위한 공짜 음식>
민진 리 지음 — 1,000단어 요약·평론
민진 리(Min Jin Lee)의 첫 장편소설 <Free Food for Millionaires>(2007)는 1990년대 뉴욕을 무대로 한 한국계 미국인 가족과 이민 공동체의 이야기다. 한국어 제목을 직역하면 <백만장자들을 위한 공짜 음식>이다. 작품은 프린스턴대학교를 졸업했지만 돈도 직업도 뚜렷한 진로도 없는 한국계 미국인 여성 케이시 한을 중심으로, 계급·인종·가족·돈·종교·성공에 대한 욕망이 서로 충돌하는 과정을 그린다. 출판사는 이 작품을 세대 갈등, 이민자의 투쟁, 사회경제적 이동을 다룬 20세기 말 뉴욕의 사회소설로 소개한다.
1. 프린스턴 졸업생이 돌아갈 곳
주인공 케이시 한은 뉴욕 퀸스에서 세탁소를 운영하는 한국인 이민자 부모의 딸이다. 부모 조지프와 리아는 오랜 노동과 절약으로 두 딸을 키웠다. 그들에게 교육은 가난을 벗어나고 미국 사회에서 인정받기 위한 거의 유일한 통로다. 케이시가 프린스턴을 졸업한 것은 가족 전체의 성공처럼 보인다.
그러나 졸업 후 집으로 돌아온 케이시는 부모가 기대한 삶을 살 준비가 되어 있지 않다. 그녀는 로스쿨에 가거나 안정된 직장을 얻지 않았고, 카드빚을 지고 있으며, 부유한 백인 남자친구 제이와의 관계도 부모에게 숨긴다. 값비싼 옷과 모자, 세련된 취향을 좋아하지만 그것을 감당할 돈은 없다.
아버지 조지프는 딸의 무계획과 낭비를 배신처럼 받아들인다. 자신은 딸을 위해 모든 것을 희생했는데, 케이시는 그 희생을 인정하지 않는다고 생각한다. 부녀의 갈등은 격렬한 싸움으로 폭발하고, 케이시는 집에서 쫓겨난다. 이 장면은 단순한 세대 차이가 아니다. 부모에게 성공은 가족의 희생에 대한 의무이며, 딸에게 성공은 자신의 삶을 선택할 자유다.
2. 계급의 문턱에 선 케이시
케이시는 대학 친구 엘라 심의 도움으로 머물 곳과 새로운 기회를 얻는다. 엘라는 부유한 한국계 가정 출신으로, 케이시보다 온순하고 안정적이며 타인을 쉽게 믿는다. 엘라의 가족과 인맥을 통해 케이시는 월스트리트와 맨해튼 상류층의 세계에 가까워진다.
케이시는 투자은행에서 일하기 시작하고, 그곳에서 돈과 권력이 작동하는 법을 배운다. 그러나 명문대 학위가 있다고 해서 그 세계에 자연스럽게 속할 수 있는 것은 아니다. 동료들은 비슷한 학력을 가졌지만, 가족의 부와 인맥, 말투, 옷차림, 태도에서 보이지 않는 차이를 드러낸다.
케이시는 가난을 부끄러워하면서도 부자들의 탐욕을 경멸한다. 돈이 많은 남성에게 끌리면서도 그들에게 의존하는 자신을 싫어한다. 가족이 권하는 안정된 한국계 남성과의 결혼을 거부하지만, 백인 상류층 남성과의 관계 속에서도 평등하지 못하다.
이러한 모순은 케이시의 핵심적인 특징이다. 그녀는 독립을 원하지만 도움을 필요로 하고, 정직을 중시하면서도 거짓말을 하며, 물질주의를 비판하면서 고급 상품에 강하게 끌린다. 자신의 계급적 위치를 부정하지만 끊임없이 상류층의 승인을 원한다.
3. 사랑과 자기기만
케이시의 연애는 개인적 감정인 동시에 계급 이동의 문제다. 그녀는 부유한 백인 남자친구 제이와 오랫동안 관계를 이어왔지만, 그가 자신을 완전히 존중하지 않는다는 사실과 마주한다. 케이시는 제이의 배신을 발견하고 관계를 끝내지만, 그 상처는 쉽게 사라지지 않는다.
이후 그녀는 월스트리트에서 일하는 남성들과 새로운 관계를 맺는다. 그러나 사랑과 돈, 욕망과 안전이 계속 뒤섞인다. 누군가를 정말 사랑하는지, 그가 제공하는 생활을 원하는 것인지 자신도 분명히 알지 못한다.
민진 리는 케이시를 도덕적 모범으로 만들지 않는다. 케이시는 충동적이고 자존심이 강하며, 다른 사람을 상처 입히고 자신에게 유리한 방식으로 현실을 해석한다. 그러나 소설은 그녀를 벌주거나 교훈적인 회개로 몰아가지 않는다. 케이시의 잘못은 타고난 악함이 아니라, 서로 양립하기 어려운 욕망을 모두 가지려는 데서 나온다.
그녀는 부모의 희생을 존중하고 싶으면서도 그들이 정한 삶을 거부하고 싶다. 돈으로부터 자유롭고 싶지만 돈이 주는 아름다움과 안전을 원한다. 사랑받고 싶지만 상대에게 종속되는 것은 견딜 수 없다. 이 모순은 이민 2세대만의 것이 아니라 현대인이 겪는 보편적인 갈등이다.
4. 엘라와 테드의 결혼
소설은 케이시 한 사람만 따라가지 않는다. 친구 엘라와 남편 테드 김의 결혼도 중요한 축을 이룬다. 테드는 성공한 한국계 금융인으로, 학력과 직업과 소득 면에서 이민자 부모들이 꿈꾸는 이상적인 인물이다. 그러나 그의 외적 성공은 인격적 성숙을 보장하지 않는다.
테드는 자신의 지위와 욕망을 당연하게 여기며, 엘라의 신뢰를 배반한다. 엘라는 타인을 선하게 보려는 성품 때문에 남편의 불성실을 오랫동안 직시하지 못한다. 엘라의 순종과 헌신은 겉으로는 한국적 여성성처럼 보이지만, 작품은 그것을 단순한 미덕으로 찬양하지 않는다. 신뢰와 자기희생이 잘못된 사람에게 주어질 때, 그것은 한 사람을 파괴하는 조건이 될 수 있다.
케이시와 엘라는 대조적이다. 케이시는 반항적이고 자기중심적이며 쉽게 싸우지만, 엘라는 온화하고 순응적이다. 그러나 어느 쪽도 안전하지 않다. 케이시는 독립 때문에 고립되고, 엘라는 관계를 지키려다가 자기를 잃는다. 두 여성의 삶은 미국적 개인주의와 한국적 가족주의 중 어느 하나가 완전한 답이 아님을 보여준다.
5. 부모 세대의 숨겨진 욕망
부모 조지프와 리아 역시 단순히 보수적인 이민자 부모로 그려지지 않는다. 조지프는 가족을 먹여 살리기 위해 오랫동안 육체노동을 했지만, 자신이 받은 모욕과 실패를 딸의 성공으로 보상받으려 한다. 케이시가 자신의 기대에서 벗어날 때 그 분노는 폭력적인 형태를 띤다.
리아는 교회와 가족에 헌신하며 조용히 살아왔지만, 그녀에게도 억압된 욕망과 내면적 갈등이 있다. 신앙은 삶을 견디게 하는 힘인 동시에, 자신의 감정을 억누르게 하는 규율로 작용한다. 그녀와 교회 음악가 찰스 홍 사이의 정서적 관계는 사랑과 죄, 외로움과 신앙의 경계를 흔든다.
찰스는 재능이 있지만 실패와 소외감을 안고 살아가는 인물이다. 민진 리는 그를 통해 예술적 재능이 사회적 성공으로 이어지지 않을 때 생기는 수치심과 우울을 묘사한다. 작가는 인터뷰에서 찰스에게 자신이 느꼈던 실패감과 뉴욕 예술계에서 배제되었다는 감정을 나누어 주었다고 설명했다.
부모 세대 역시 희생과 도덕만으로 이루어진 존재가 아니다. 그들도 인정받고 싶고 사랑받고 싶으며, 이루지 못한 욕망 때문에 후회한다. 이 점에서 작품은 이민 1세대와 2세대를 선악으로 나누지 않는다.
6. 제목의 의미
<백만장자들을 위한 공짜 음식>이라는 제목은 월스트리트의 한 일화에서 나왔다. 거래가 끝난 뒤 투자은행에서 공짜 점심이 제공되자, 이미 매우 부유한 임원이 가장 먼저 달려가 음식을 챙겼다는 이야기다. 민진 리는 가난한 사람은 욕망을 드러내면 부끄러움을 느끼도록 교육받지만, 부유한 사람은 자신이 원하는 것을 당연히 가질 권리가 있다고 믿는 모순에 주목했다.
이 제목은 소설의 계급관을 압축한다. 부자는 공짜 음식을 거리낌 없이 가져가지만, 가난한 케이시는 도움을 받는 것을 수치스럽게 여긴다. 필요한 사람이 자존심 때문에 거부하고, 필요하지 않은 사람이 권리의식으로 독점한다.
그러나 제목의 ‘공짜’에는 다른 의미도 있다. 작가는 그것을 사회적으로 좌절된 욕망과 함께, 자격 없이 주어지는 은총의 가능성과 연결했다. 인간은 누구나 결함이 있고 잘못된 선택을 하지만, 사랑과 용서와 새로운 기회는 반드시 성취한 사람에게만 주어지는 보상이 아니라는 것이다.
평론
1. 한국계 이민소설을 넘어선 계급소설
이 작품은 흔히 한국계 미국인의 정체성 갈등을 그린 이민소설로 소개된다. 물론 부모의 기대, 교회 공동체, 결혼 문제, 백인 사회에서의 인종적 소외가 중요하다. 그러나 작품의 더 깊은 주제는 계급이다.
케이시의 가장 큰 문제는 자신이 한국인인지 미국인인지 결정하지 못하는 것이 아니다. 그녀는 어느 계급에 속하는지 알지 못한다. 노동계급 가정에서 자랐지만 엘리트 대학의 문화와 취향을 배웠고, 부유한 친구들과 어울리지만 그들의 경제적 안전망은 갖지 못했다.
명문대 교육은 그녀에게 새로운 욕망을 주었지만, 그것을 충족할 자원까지 주지는 않았다. 대학은 계급 이동의 통로이면서 동시에 자신의 가난을 더욱 선명하게 인식하게 만드는 장소다. 이 점에서 이 작품은 앞서 살펴본 민진 리의 강연 <한국인은 인간인가?>와 연결된다. 교육은 약한 사람이 권력을 얻는 수단이지만, 교육만으로 계급의 장벽을 완전히 넘을 수는 없다.
2. 개인의 결함과 구조의 압력
케이시는 호감만 가는 주인공이 아니다. 낭비하고 거짓말하며 타인의 호의를 당연하게 받아들이기도 한다. 독자는 종종 그녀에게 답답함을 느낀다.
그러나 이것은 작품의 약점이라기보다 의도된 성취다. 민진 리는 소수인종 여성 주인공을 모범적인 피해자로 만들지 않는다. 케이시에게도 허영과 이기심, 성적 욕망, 계급적 편견이 있다. 그녀는 인종차별과 계급 불평등의 피해자인 동시에 다른 사람에게 상처를 주는 행위자다.
작품은 모든 잘못을 사회구조 탓으로 돌리지 않지만, 개인의 선택이 완전히 자유롭다고도 말하지 않는다. 케이시의 소비 욕망은 개인적 허영이지만, 뉴욕의 금융문화와 명문대의 계급질서가 그것을 강화한다. 아버지의 폭력은 정당화될 수 없지만, 이민자의 굴욕과 실패가 그의 분노에 영향을 미친다.
인간을 피해자와 가해자, 전통과 현대, 한국과 미국으로 간단히 나눌 수 없다는 점이 작품의 중요한 윤리다.
3. 19세기 사회소설의 현대적 변형
민진 리는 이 작품을 19세기 사회소설의 형식으로 썼다고 밝혔다. 한 명의 주인공만이 아니라 많은 인물을 따라가며, 개인의 운명이 공동체와 사회제도 속에서 형성되는 과정을 보여주려 했다는 것이다.
이러한 방식은 조지 엘리엇이나 제인 오스틴의 소설을 떠올리게 한다. 결혼, 돈, 신분, 가족, 종교가 개인의 감정과 분리되지 않는다. 누구와 결혼하는가는 사랑의 문제이면서 재산과 계급의 문제이고, 어떤 직업을 택하는가는 자아실현의 문제이면서 가족의 생존 문제다.
장점은 한국계 미국인 공동체를 몇 가지 문화적 특징으로 축소하지 않고, 내부의 계급과 세대, 성별 차이를 폭넓게 보여준다는 데 있다. 반면 인물이 많고 사건이 계속 이어지기 때문에 다소 장황하고 산만하다는 인상을 줄 수 있다. 일부 부차적 인물의 이야기는 중심 서사와 느슨하게 연결되며, 연애와 불륜이 지나치게 자주 반복된다는 비판도 가능하다.
그럼에도 이 긴 형식은 작품의 핵심 주장과 맞는다. 누구의 운명도 혼자 결정되지 않으며, 한 사람을 이해하려면 가족과 직장, 교회와 친구, 돈과 역사를 함께 보아야 한다는 것이다.
4. <파친코>와의 차이
<파친코>가 식민지배와 재일조선인의 차별을 중심으로 한 역사소설이라면, <백만장자들을 위한 공짜 음식>은 현대 뉴욕의 계급과 욕망을 다룬 도시소설이다.
<파친코>의 인물들은 생존을 위해 노동하고 가족을 지킨다. 고난의 원인은 식민주의와 민족차별이라는 비교적 분명한 역사구조에서 나온다. 반면 이 작품의 인물들은 물질적으로 굶주리지 않지만, 지위와 사랑, 인정과 소속에 굶주려 있다. 그들의 고통은 외부의 억압뿐 아니라 스스로 내면화한 성공 기준에서 발생한다.
문학적 완성도에서는 <파친코>가 더 절제되고 응집력 있게 느껴질 수 있다. 그러나 첫 소설에는 더 거칠고 직접적인 에너지가 있다. 민진 리가 평생 탐구할 돈, 계급, 교육, 가족, 디아스포라, 종교라는 주제가 이미 모두 나타나 있다.
종합 평가
<백만장자들을 위한 공짜 음식>은 한 한국계 여성이 미국 사회에 적응하는 이야기라기보다, 명문대 교육을 받고도 계급적 소속을 얻지 못한 사람이 돈과 사랑과 자유 사이에서 방황하는 이야기다.
이 소설은 이민자의 성공 신화를 해체한다. 좋은 대학에 들어가고 좋은 직장을 얻는다고 해서 과거의 가난과 가족 갈등, 인종적 불안이 사라지는 것은 아니다. 교육은 문을 열어주지만, 그 문 안에서 편안하게 사는 법까지 가르쳐주지는 않는다.
작품의 가장 큰 장점은 등장인물을 도덕적으로 쉽게 재단하지 않는 데 있다. 부모의 희생에는 사랑과 지배욕이 함께 있고, 자녀의 독립에는 용기와 이기심이 함께 있다. 신앙에는 위로와 억압이, 돈에는 자유와 타락이 동시에 존재한다.
한 문장으로 정리하면 다음과 같다.
<이 소설은 가난한 이민자의 딸이 부자가 되는 이야기가 아니라, 성공을 욕망하도록 교육받은 사람이 무엇을 원해야 하는지 알지 못하게 되는 과정을 그린 사회소설이다.>
===
댓글 없음:
댓글 쓰기