Official Review: The Vanished by Pejay Bradley

[Janet Kimetto]

"The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley is a historical fiction novel set in early 20th-century Japanese-occupied Korea. It tells of a way of life and a culture that existed in old Korea but has since "vanished." Congrats on BOTD!

[Goodness Richman]

I appreciate your thoughtful and well balanced review of this book. You concisely and effectively captured its emotional depth and historical richness. I also liked your highlight of the Korean struggle and Lady Sougyon’s powerful quotes, especially the former which is central to the narrative. Nice review!!

[Soma Ezenwanne]

"The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley seems interesting, and I would love to read it because it talks about Korean history through lives of different people. Congrats on BOTD!

[Emmanuel Maduabuchi Eze]

This is a detailed review. I am impressed to know that Pejay Bradley did a great job with the setting, characterization and description of the lived experiences of that era of the Korean people. I like to read historical historical fiction and hope to get my hands on this one too, as I would like to know more about the Korean people and how they struggled under the Japanese rule.

[Rajaee R]

I do not care about the narrative problems. I enjoy reading historical works. This review is well written, so any reader can get clarity on what to expect from this book.
Thanks for the review.

[Liwass Neloshy]

This seems like an insightful book. It reminds me of historical Korean drama series, most of which have unpredictable endings and are deeply rooted in the history and politics of the era they are set in. I love Asian dramas and this one seems like a drama in a book form. It would be enjoyable for me. Also thank you for the review. I'll like to check this one now
Thanks.

[Amy_Jackson]

This is quite insightful. I don't know much about Asian history and I'll be glad to know more. I didn't know Korea was under Japanese rule.

[mrlefty0706]

"The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley is a historical novel that goes back in time to when Koreans did not have their own nation. This book is about Embon, a young prince of Korea during the times when Korea was seeking independence from Japan. The story spans almost 20 years following Embon, who enjoyed a life of privilege with him mother keeping a watchful eye on him. Embon went to study in Japan and he met a group of young revolutionaries that opened his eyes to the social disparities in their country and they stirred in him a desire for freedom, no matter what the cost would be. The book provides a detailed history of Korea during the early years of the 20th century when there were many wealthy Koreans, the roles of women were evolving, the elite were declining and the Japanese were committing acts of violence against the Korean people. Told from the perspective of the Koreans the Japanese were vilified for their actions. The Vanished is a story of a long-suffering people that wanted their independence from Japanese rule. Embon joins the revolutionaries in the third act of the story and his mother gave him advice before he left to join the group. His mother told him if he was caught trying to overthrow Japanese rule he should shoot as many Japanese as possible but save one bullet for himself so that he would not be captured. The story moves slowly into the third act, but speeds up when Embon joins the revolutionary group and then accelerates to an abrupt ending. This book is a good read and I plan to read the entire book because I am a history buff and this story intrigued me.

[Ohanele Chinonyerem]

Kim Embon’s journey from privilege to fighting for freedom is great, and l love how he transforms from being clueless to passionate about his country’s future.