Shelter: A Novel by Jung Yun (Epub)

Description

Kyung Cho is a young father burdened by a house he can’t afford. For years, he and his wife, Gillian, have lived beyond their means. Now their debts and bad decisions are catching up with them, and Kyung is anxious for his family’s future.

A few miles away, his parents, Jin and Mae, live in the town’s most exclusive neighborhood, surrounded by the material comforts that Kyung desires for his wife and son. Growing up, they gave him every possible advantage—private tutors, expensive hobbies—but they never showed him kindness. Kyung can hardly bear to see them now, much less ask for their help. Yet when an act of violence leaves Jin and Mae unable to live on their own, the dynamic suddenly changes, and he’s compelled to take them in. For the first time in years, the Chos find themselves living under the same roof. Tensions quickly mount as Kyung’s proximity to his parents forces old feelings of guilt and anger to the surface, along with a terrible and persistent question: how can he ever be a good husband, father, and son when he never knew affection as a child?

As Shelter veers swiftly toward its startling conclusion, Jung Yun leads us through dark and violent territory, where, unexpectedly, the Chos discover hope. Shelter is a masterfully crafted debut novel that asks what it means to provide for one’s family and, in answer, delivers a story as riveting as it is profound.

User’s Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. ShelterBy Jung YunPicadorCopyright © 2016 Jung YunAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-250-07561-1ContentsTitle Page, Copyright Notice, Dedication, Epigraph, I. Dawn, II. Dusk, III. Night, Acknowledgments,

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ As other one-star reviewers note, the characters in this novel are unlikable. Well, that’s being generous. In my opinion, they’re grotesque and immoral. The narrator, Kyung, is an emotionally stunted, self-centered man-boy who gets an erection from trying to comfort a Bosnian house servant who has just been horrifically raped. Although, you can give his parents some latitude for just being victimized by a horrific crime, there is nothing to explain why Kyung is such a tone-deaf, emotionally illiterate, whiney dork. How does his wife tolerate this near mute, near autistic dolt? There is nothing much redeeming in this cringeworthy expose of self-centered emotionally infantile behavior in the midst of trauma except perhaps if it is not actually a rather clever and wicked satire of Koreans.

⭐ What a fantastic book! This is one of those rare novels that has the character development of a literary work with the twists of a mystery. I won’t be able to tell you much about the plot that the summary doesn’t, but here are a couple of points for readers to consider:- The family in this novel is so well developed from the very first pages that you feel like you know them. But then — almost miraculously — the author throws in a plot twist almost every other chapter. The odd thing for me was that each plot twist made complete sense after the fact, but I did not see them coming. This is in contrast to most mystery novels, where the plot twists are either completely predictable or completely unbelievable.- The crime that drives much of the plot is brutal but sadly believable. Some readers might also like to know that it is not presented in a lascivious or gory way. You will wish that nothing like this ever happens to anyone you care about, but you’re not going to lose your lunch reading about it.- The main family in this novel is Korean-American, but the tension between the characters is nearly universal, driven by the gap between generations, divided loyalties, and awkward silences — themes I think many of us can relate to.A big thumbs up for this exceedingly well-written debut novel. I particularly recommend it if you’re a fan of literary authors who also write tight plots, like Ian McEwan and Ann Patchett.

⭐ This book packs a punch. The family dynamics are sometimes difficult to stomach — I felt so frustrated with Kyung in the way he was unable to let the chip on his shoulder go, always wanting his parents to acknowledge their abuse and always, always being denied. I think a lot of children from dysfunctional/abusive families will relate to Kyung’s inability to stop hoping for a come-to-Jesus moment, a glimmer of change, or at least a beat of recognition. The plot had just enough of a spark of mystery to make the book a page-turner, and the ending came together beautifully. Not a “pleasure read” by any stretch of the imagination, but an important and moving read all the same.

⭐ This was a really interesting book, due to the different layers to the story and the unreliable narrator.The novel follows Kyung, a Korean-American professor in a small college town, married to a white woman who is a policeman’s daughter. They have a young son, who is the apple of his eye. His parents live nearby, and they are super rich but cold. When they are the victims of a horrific crime, Kyung must deal with family tensions and secrets, as well as his own rather troubled psyche. Themes include the rigidity and expectations of Asian parents, forgiveness, biracial marriage, and families in general.It isn’t easy to review this book. The prose is beautiful. (Ex: Kyung’s first impression when he meets a realtor: “He distrusts her immediately, the way she screams ‘sales’.” Another: “Kyung feels like a bullet sitting in a chamber. Compressed and powerful, ready to inflict damage.”) The insights into a shy and self-deprecating person are great. However, the main character is not very likeable. You keep wanting to shake him and tell him to wake up (or perhaps grow up). I also wasn’t entirely comfortable with a woman writing from a man’s perspective. I wondered why the author chose to do that.I also didn’t feel like the author had personally experienced domestic violence — or at least of the magnitude she was writing about. Her descriptions lacked nuance, in my opinion, and range. I found some of Kyung’s decisions to be unbelievable. Nevertheless, it was an intriguing read and the plotting was terrific.

⭐ Reading this book is like watching a slow-moving train wreck, but it keeps you hooked because there’s mystery to it, and also, the hope for redemption for Kyung, the main character. I don’t think I’ve ever read such a sensitive and nuanced depiction of the way domestic violence wrecks a family. The main adult characters in this book are all as innocent as they are guilty. You’re rooting for them at the same time angry at them. When I came to the end I was surprised by how emotional I felt. Although I would have liked to the book to go on longer, to enjoy the sense of redemption, it was complete in the ending as written. A really powerful, really well-written book.

⭐ This book captured me from the beginning. The characters are life like. Their problems are many. The story evolves around a Korean family in Boston and their child. The father is a prominent professor and the son is also well educated. However the mother seems to be from a different time. The story opens with the house being robbed and some unwanted sexual activity. Any more would be a spoiler alert. I can say this. I wasn’t sure whether I liked most of the family members most of the time!!

⭐ I had thought that Shelter was a murder mystery, for some reason, before starting it — some light fare for a tough couple of weeks. Boy, was I wrong.Shelter tells the story of a Korean man, Kyung, and his wife, Gillian, living deeply in debt with their young son. Kyung has been estranged from his family for years, and is unwilling to ask them for help, although they live in the most exclusive neighbourhood in their town. All of this changes the morning that Kyung and Gillian show their home to a realtor: they spot Kyung’s mother wandering, naked and beaten, in their back yard. The family is thrust together in the wake of the violent event that occurred to Kyung’s parents, and old tensions quickly surface: resentment, mistrust, anger, guilt, disappointment, and fear.Shelter is not an easy book, nor a light book. It is graphic in its descriptions of violence, and full of deeply flawed characters. Yun does an excellent job of making the characters both revolting and sympathetic in turn. It is an extremely complex portrait of a broken family.I don’t know that I feel comfortable recommending this kind of book, simply because it is such a heavy read. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a good book: I did ‘enjoy’ it, as much as one can ‘enjoy’ reading something so heavy. If you are looking for an excellent read without any candy-coating or, necessarily, properly happy endings, then this might be just the one for you.Started: May 23, 2016Finished: May 23, 2016Rating: 9/10

⭐ This was way more thrilling than I thought it would be. As a Korean American, it was awesome to be able to relate to certain family/cultural aspects but with the emotional ride of fictional extremes. But don’t get me wrong – there’s tons to witness in the characters as they change through the plots – would definitely recommend for anyone regardless of your cultural background.My only criticism is some of the writing feels…awkward? Part of that contributes to the awkwardness of the characters’ situations in a good way, but also some very small parts read a little fragmented – I think it’s because I’m not used to reading such novels in a 3rd person perspective. But once you get into it, it’s easy to forget about.

⭐ I just finished this book and am still sorting out my feelings. However, I am very clear that this is a compelling story well told. It is a story about family, secrets, violence, hate, and the struggle to forgive. Kyung is a college professor living with his Caucasian wife and their young son. His father is a very successful and respected professor at the same university. The Cho family came to the US when Kyung was a young boy. Kyung does not have the academic or financial success of his father. He and his wife are in debt while his parents have unlimited wealth. But things are not as perfect as they seem. Kyung’s father is was physically abusive to his mother and his mother, in turn, beat Kyung. There is a home invasion at the older Cho’s home and because of their injuries, they must live with Kyung and his family.As the Chos struggle to live together, details of their earlier life and the true events surrounding the home invasion emerge. Trigger warning–chapter two is quite graphic and other chapters make reference to violent episodes. While the content may upset some readers, I want to be clear that the details are not gratuitous or gory. They are factual and necessary to the story telling.Contrast the tragic content with beautiful writing and astute insight into the complexities of family and feelings. Kyung thinks he understands his parents and despises them for different reasons. As events happen, he discovers that he knows and understands very little. The writing is so visceral. I found myself struggling right along with Kyung as he experienced hatred, guilt, sadness, regret, and grace. The book is hard to put down, but it is not an easy read. There is a lot to contemplate in this novel and it is worth your time.

⭐ The string of disasters is almost unrelenting and after a while it seems almost comical. The main character is pretty darn unsympathetic. And if the novel has a point, I’m not sure what it is. On the other hand — it’s very readable and the story definitely held my interest.

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