Daughters of the Dragon by William Andrews

Daughters of the Dragon is a historical based fiction. After her foster mother dies, Anna decides to visit South Korea in search of her biological mother. Anna then finds out that her biological mother is no longer living, but is given a comb of a two headed dragon with five toes and a letter by a stranger. She makes her way to the address in the letter with instructions to come alone. There, she meets her maternal grandmother, a woman who shares her story, and the history of the heirloomed comb with Anna.

At fourteen, Jae-hee is living on a farm in North Korea during Japanese occupation. Her father was claimed in war, and her mother is a uniform factory worker. One day, she and her sister Soo-Hee received an official letter to repay fines by working in a boot factory. Things are not what Jae-Hee and her sister thought they would be. Instead of a boot factory worker, her and her sister are forced comfort women. Sex slaves to Japanese soldiers. We follow Jae-Hee as she tells her remarkable and horrific story of pain and strength through the decades, and how the dragon comb is a symbol of her’s and Anna’s purpose.

Daughters of the Dragon was not what I would call a simple read. Not that the plot was complex or the writing was hard to interpret, but the story itself forces you to witness a brutality you may not be prepared for. Originally, I thought this book would be a coming of age story where we follow the lives of the women who inherit a comb, a similar setup to the film The Red Violin. When I fell into Jae-Hee’s life as a teenage sex slave, then how she survives life into communism, it was like few things I’ve ever read before. Daughters of the Dragon is gripping story, and encourages anyone who’s struggling with life to push through. This book is what The Hunger Games wishes it could be. This is a new read for me, and I read the book in two sittings. This is a woman’s story of survival, and how something as mundane as a comb can affect your life. I loved the story, and I didn’t want to let it go.

As for flaws, I would say it’s almost too much to take. I don’t think I would ever be able to have the endurance and courage Jae-Hee shows in her life. It’s near dramatic level of the book Precious. There weren’t any major flaws in the writing itself, or lack of description or emotional investment. From the moment I walked into Jae-Hee’s apartment in Korea and until I went back the America with Anna, I was fully immersed. At the end though, once you return to the present timeframe, it does slow down in pace, and certain things like the ancestry are misplaced in the story.

I rate Daughters of the Dragon 5 out of 5.

Despite the dip at the end of the book, I was still locked in. Even though this is a fictitious book, it is historically accurate as far as I'd expect a work of fiction to be. I’m not an expert on any of the subject matter, but comfort women were real, communism is real, the horrors displayed in this book are real. No one person can eradicate sex slaves and poverty, but one person can choose not to be controlled by at that type of life. It’ll surprise you how much of a difference simple kindness can make.

My favorite character: Jae-Hee

My least favorite character: Chul-Sun. While I understand it’s hard to get past your lover's sexual history, but in this case, it was unconsented sexual abuse. Jae-Hee tells him her story, and he literally tells her she should’ve let herself be killed instead of “allowing” the Japanese to sexually abuse her. What? Wait. Let me understand this. You’re telling me she should’ve let herself be killed because it saves face? While there were many moments where I would’ve been perfectly cool with her giving up, but what makes this book so powerful is her perseverance against ALL odds. When Chul-Sun said that, I lost it a little on the inside.

Would I re-read: Yes

Would I recommend it: Yes