Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Last Story of Mina Lee | 2020 | Nancy Jooyoun Kim | Buy |
| 2 | What We Kept to Ourselves | 2023 | Nancy Jooyoun Kim | Buy |
Nancy Jooyoun Kim’s two novels are both set in Los Angeles and centered on Korean American families dealing with buried truths. The Last Story of Mina Lee follows Margot as she investigates the circumstances of her mother’s death and discovers a life her mother never shared with her. The novel moves between past and present, revealing Mina Lee’s story as a young immigrant navigating survival and loneliness.
What We Kept to Ourselves takes a different family but asks similar questions about what parents hide from their children and why. Both novels are standalone and can be read in any order, though together they show the range of Kim’s interest in how immigration shapes not just the people who move but the families they build.