Book Summary and Reviews of Stone Angels by Helena Rho

Book Summary

In this "riveting [and] unforgettable" novel, a forty-year-old woman journeys to her cultural homeland—and uncovers a harrowing secret that makes her rethink everything she thought she knew about her mother (Jimin Han, author of The Apology). 

Angelina Lee feels like she doesn't belong. Newly divorced, and completely unmoored by the sudden and tragic death of her mother, she hopes studying Korean will reconnect her to her roots, but nothing about Seoul feels familiar. Further complicating matters is the resurgence of an alluring man from Angelina's past, and fellow classmate Keisuke Ono, an irritatingly good looking Japanese American journalist who refuses to leave her alone. What she'll barely admit, however, is the true reason behind her trip. She's convinced the key to understanding her mother's suicide lies in Korea.

A shocking conversation with an estranged relative proves her right. Her mother had an older sister, Sunyuh, who disappeared under the Japanese occupation of Korea during WWII—a secret the family buried for over sixty years. Horrified, Angelina can't fathom why her mother never mentioned her, but knows, deep down, her mother's fateful decision must be linked to Sunyuh. To find answers, Angelina embarks on a journey that takes her across oceans and continents, and challenges everything she believed about her heritage and herself.

Told through the bold, determined voices of three women, this poignant family drama explores love and loss, grief and healing, and the sometimes-difficult love that exists between mothers and daughters. It's about the questions we wish we had asked lost relatives, the lives we could have lived had we made different choices, and, above all, second chances—to reinvent ourselves, to confront the sins of the past, and to find lasting love.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. The author includes two epigraphs at the start of the novel, one from Jane Austen's Persuasion, and one from William Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. After reading the novel, why do you think she chose these excerpts, in particular? How do they reflect the novel's major themes? How many variations of love do you see in the novel?
2. In the prologue, Gongju has a dream about her sister, Sunyuh, while she's pregnant with Angelina. After reading the novel, what do you think the dream signified?
3. Discuss the ways in which motherhood is depicted in the novel. How did each mother (particularly Grandmama, Gongju, and Angelina) influence the way her daughter behaved and later raise her own children, for better or worse?
4. When ...