Books like The Foreign Student by Susan Choi
Set in 1955, *The Foreign Student* follows Chuck, a Korean man whose life was shattered by war, as he enrolls at a small college in the Tennessee mountains. Shy and painfully quiet in English, Chuck keeps his Korean memories hidden. There he encounters Katherine, a beautiful but solitary daughter of a wealthy Southern family, who too carries a dark secret from her past. Though they seem like strangers from opposite worlds, the two find a shared sense of exile and longing, and their encounter offers both the possibility of healing and the challenge of confronting their hidden histories. The story traces their journeys across the American South and South Korea, and explores the intersecting themes of adolescence, sexual awakening, and the lasting impact of conflict.
First publish date: 1998
Genre: Historical Fiction/20th Century Historical Fiction
Authors: Susan Choi
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