Native Speaker (Wheeler Large Print Book Series (Cloth))

Rating:
Summary: I Was Soooooo Looking forward to This
Review: As it is, it's "serviceable" -- better, to be sure, than the relatively few other Asian-American stuff I've read, but I can't see what the hoopla is about. Now he is a good writer, in terms of his use of language -- though not quite "great" or "lyrical," I don't think -- and the premise is an interesting enough one, but I think the Asian-American existential angst feels rather strained after a few chapters. For a stone-faced fellow, the narrator/protagonist is sure given to long, almost-digressive musing! I couldn't wait for the "action" to start already -- and I know this isn't supposed to be some pulp fiction thriller -- whether that be his espionage, his crumbling marriage, etc. Just an inch above slightly disappointed is how I feel. I guess if I didn't see all those damned blurbs ("a page-turner," "thrilling," "winner of PEN," etc.) I would have been able to enjoy this more, but my expectations were whetted too high for the actual novel to come across as much more than two touches overrated. Again, the writing itself is good, but everything else just seems too unnecessarily "slow." I mean, all right, we get the Asian-American identity crisis stuff already -- can we get on with the rest of the story? And yeah, I check "Asian Pacific American" on the census. The book doesn't "pick up" until after page 200 -- everything before is mere expository prelude, and could have been worked in better, more elegantly. Also, I'm tired of writers who tell their stories too damned coyly: hints are given in drips and drabs as to very important things in the character's background. This kind of frigitdity is cheap suspense; this is a cheap and hack way of engendering suspense in the reader by limiting reader knowledge of really important background info, despite the first-person narration! As it is, I like it well enough, but, again, given the blurbs, I was expecting so much more. I guess I should've knew something was up when one of the blurbs called this an "Asian-American 'Invisible Man'"...! To sum up, my main "beef" with this book is that there too much slogging through precious and near-pretentious angst before we get to the actual meat, which is very interesting indeed.

Rating:
Summary: Identiy Journey
Review: Chang-Rae Lee's novel Native Speaker utilizes an immigrant to portray the hardships of finding one's identity in a cultural world. True identity is one of a noble journey. The narrator Henry Park, a Korean American, accepts this quest. Henry Park is the stereotypical second generation son who doesn't know his place in the "New World" society. He spends most of the book searching for the truth. Along the way he experiences hardships that affect his journey. His wife, an American, initiates this journey by listing characteristics of him from her point of view. She leaves on a journey of her own, without him, to Europe. Henry's job as a spy symbolizes his mask in life and his hidden identity. He's task is to protect a politician who is well-liked among immigrants. The main theme in this novel is lost identity. Chang-Rae Lee's novel surfaces this common problem among Koreans in the American society. Henry's relationship with his father, mother, housekeeper, and wife all play significant roles in his quest. His relationship with his father is a typical one among first generation and second generations in a new country. The first generation is wedded to the ways of the "Old Country" and it is the second generation that forsakes them. This statement is obvious in Henry and his father's relationship. Henry wishes for his father to become assimilated into American society and "normal." Henry experiences this want of "fitting in" even from a young age. He is disillusioned throughout the whole book, unaware of what is developing around him. He at a point in the book views his cultural background as a burden unto himself and his life. Henry's family does not understand his burden. Henry doesn't realize the sacrifice his family made for him to live in a better place, to grow and become a successful man. His character is one that resembles a romantic hero. His love of nature and distrust of society is evident throughout the book. Lee uses many stylistic strategies to achieve his portrayal of lost identity. He commonly uses strong diction to reveal Henry's emotions and thoughts. Lee also uses many similes and metaphors to compare Henry's feelings and search for true self. Many motifs are used repeatedly throughout the book to reveal a layer of Henry's multi-layered character. A common motif found in the book is one of Hemingway's philosophy of NADA. This philosophy's characteristics are repeatedly found in Henry's actions. Chang-Rae's use of prose style helps the reader become easily involved in the plot and emotions of the characters. It evens achieves a sense of questioning of identity for the reader and their thoughts. Throughout the book Henry deals with the isolation, alienation, and loss of self identity to finally achieve a sense of identity in the end. He does not completely achieve it, yet he is few steps closer than before. I believe that Chang-Rae Lee's novel describes beautifully the struggle between two worlds and the journey. Overall, I liked this novel for I believe it was a realistic novel that deals with realistic problems that people face in today's society.

Rating:
Summary: One of those mediocre, MFA ,ethnic novels
Review: This book is so dull, so formulaic, so redolent of a writing workshop, one has to ask himself whether a minority writer can ever write something relevant to all people instead of focusing on their little narrow immigrant lives. These kinds of immigration, assimilation, slice-of-life culture novels are the lynch pins of mediocre writers. Just look at Jhumpa Lahiri, another awful MFA writer who writes about her hum-drum Indian upbringing. And everybody fawns over these pieces, screaming that its great for multiculturalism. Yeah, great, wonderful, but that doesn't change the fact that these novels are woefully bland.