Can't I Go Instead

(Paperback)

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Two women's lives and identities are intertwined - through World War II and the Korean War - revealing the harsh realities of class division in the early part of the 20th century. Can't I Go Instead follows the lives of the daughter of a Korean nobleman and her maidservant in the early 20th century. When the daughter's suitor is arrested as a Korean Independence activist, and she is implicated during the investigation, she is quickly forced into marriage to one of her father's Japanese employees and shipped off to the United States. At the same time, her maidservant is sent in her mistress's place to be a comfort woman to the Japanese Imperial army. Years of hardship, survival, and even happiness follows. In the aftermath of WWII, the women make their way home, where they must reckon with the tangled lives they've led, in an attempt to reclaim their identities, and find their place in an independent Korea. 'Can't I Go Instead's complex and profoundly human characters will captivate, devastate, and move you, all at once.' -Juhea Kim, author of Beasts of a Little Land and Dayton Literary Peace Prize finalist 'A true feast for historical fiction readers who love unpredictable stories and complex characters!' -Lorena Hughes, award-winning author of The Spanish Daughter Praise for The Picture Bride- 'Lee Geum-yi has a gift for taking little-known embers of history and transforming them into moving, compelling, and uplifting stories. I loved Willow from the first page to the last. Loved her courage, and her tenacious, yet caring, beautiful soul. is the ultimate story of the power of friendship - a must read!' -Heather Morris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Three Sisters

Author Bio

Lee Geum-yi (Author) Lee Geum-yi is a bestselling YA author in Korea. Her debut adult novel, The Picture Bride, was published in 2022.