The release date for the English version of 'The Island of Sea Women' by
Lisa See is Mar 2019. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
An alternative version of the ISBN (9781501154850) cover
The Island of Sea Women, which takes place on the Korean island of Jeju, follows two girls from very different backgrounds as they start working in the water with the all-female diving collective from their town, Mi-ja and Young-sook. Mi-ja and Young-sook have the closest of relationships throughout a long period of time, including the Japanese colonisation of the 1930s and 1940s, World War II, the Korean War, and the age of smartphones and wet suits for female divers. However, it is hard to overlook the distinction between them: Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will take over her mother's role as the head of the divers, while Mi-ja will always be marked by her status as the daughter of a Japanese collaborator. Their friendship will come to an end because to circumstances beyond their control after hundreds of dives and years of companionship.
This lovely, profound book depicts a distinct and memorable society in which women lead risky physical lives and are responsible for taking care of the children while males look after the household. Readers are introduced to the tough female divers of Jeju Island and the tragic history that formed their lives in The Island of Sea Women, a classic Lisa See novel about women's friendships and the broader forces that influence them.