Book Review: The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
In The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See, the author delivers a powerful, emotionally layered novel that immerses readers in the extraordinary world of the haenyeo — the female divers of Jeju Island, Korea. Spanning decades of friendship, war, loss, and reconciliation, this is a story that explores not only the resilience of women, but the deep emotional cost of survival.
At the heart of the novel are Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls from very different backgrounds who come of age in a tight-knit diving collective led by women. Their bond is strong, forged beneath the waves and in the shadow of Japanese occupation and impending war. But when betrayal and violence tear their lives apart, what follows is a poignant exploration of grief, silence, and the long journey toward forgiveness.
See’s research is meticulous, and her prose is elegant and immersive. She brings to life the harsh beauty of Jeju Island, the dangerous grace of the divers’ work, and the rich cultural traditions passed down through generations of women. Yet it is her ability to portray complex emotional truths — the shame, loyalty, rage, and love that define these women’s lives — that gives the novel its lasting impact.
The Island of Sea Women is a meditation on friendship, motherhood, and memory. It asks: how do we live with unbearable choices? How do we carry stories that were never meant to be told? And can love survive the weight of history?
Lisa See has written a novel that is both heart-wrenching and hopeful, a tribute to a forgotten sisterhood and a reminder of the untold stories women carry across oceans and time. This is historical fiction at its most moving and meaningful.
About The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju, are best friends who come from very different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they begin working in the sea with their village’s all-female diving collective, led by Young-sook’s mother. As the girls take up their positions as baby divers, they know they are beginning a life of excitement and responsibility—but also danger.
Despite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook find it impossible to ignore their differences. The Island of Sea Women takes place over many decades, beginning during a period of Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 1940s, followed by World War II, the Korean War, through the era of cell phones and wet suits for the women divers. Throughout this time, the residents of Jeju find themselves caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator. Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will inherit her mother’s position leading the divers in their village. Little do the two friends know that forces outside their control will push their friendship to the breaking point.
