Review by Zhasho -- The Vanished by Pejay Bradley

[Zhasho]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

In the years leading up to the Second World War, Japan is expanding her empire onto the Asian mainland, having experienced victory in the Russo-Japanese War and the Sino-Japanese War. In Korea, a series of ineffectual kings has left the country occupied by the Japanese. The Korean aristocracy, bound by rigid tradition, struggle to maintain their place in a changing, modernizing world.

The Vanished by Pejay Bradley is a work of historical fiction set in occupied Korea of this period. Embon is a scion of the decaying aristocracy of Korea, the son of a mother of noble lineage and a good-for-nothing father. As the Japanese occupiers steadily tighten their stranglehold on Korea, a resistance movement is building, as Koreans feel more and more like second-class citizens in their own country. Meanwhile, Embon seems adrift in the world, his life lacking direction, despite the efforts of his mother, Lady Sougyon, to set him up for success. What will Embon do with his life?

The book has four parts, a total of 23 chapters, and 244 pages. Part four is the longest, with ten chapters. The story is narrated in third person, except for the first chapter of each part, narrated in first person by Lady Sougyon. The main characters are Embon, Lady Sougyon, and Embon's grandfather Prince Aansoon. One of the main themes is the ambivalence of this aristocratic family toward tradition.

I enjoyed this book overall, especially its vivid evocation of time and place. This can make or break a historical novel, and Bradley has done it masterfully. The characters are complex, especially in terms of that overarching theme of tradition and their conflicted attitudes and beliefs about it. I would recommend this book to readers who like such writers as Amy Tan and Lisa See, with their vivid portrayal of the Far East.

I did notice a few proofreading errors -- three, all of them in the last few pages. Since those were the only ones, it looks as if the editor got tired toward the end. Nevertheless, that is easily overlooked, and I enjoyed it enough still to give it four out of four stars.

******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon