Princess Bari

Paperback, 305 pages

English language

Published April 26, 2015 by Periscope.

ISBN:
978-1-85964-174-3
Copied ISBN!
Goodreads:
25525419
5 stars (1 review)

In a drab North Korean city, a seventh daughter is born to a couple longing for a son. Abandoned hours after her birth, she is eventually rescued by her grandmother. The old woman names the child Bari, after a legend telling of a forsaken princess who undertakes a quest for an elixir that will bring peace to the souls of the dead. As a young woman, frail, brave Bari escapes North Korea and takes refuge in China before embarking on a journey across the ocean in the hold of a cargo ship, seeking a better life. She lands in London, where she finds work as a masseuse. Paid to soothe her clients' aching bodies, she discovers that she can ease their more subtle agonies as well, having inherited her beloved grandmother's uncanny ability to read the pain and fears of others. Bari makes her home amongst other immigrants living clandestinely. …

2 editions

A fascinating read

5 stars

Princess Bari is a beautifully written novel which blends elements of fairytale and mythological stories which modern-day migrant experiences. In common with The Beast Of Kukuyo which I reviewed a few days ago, this is another book that I chose almost on a whim for its author's nationality, and which turned out to be a very rewarding read! I loved Hwang's use magical realism (Daniela at Bookiverse, this is absolutely a book for you!) which frequently transports both the reader and Bari from the horrific situations in which she finds herself. The claustrophobic cargo ship journey is one example and I found this all the more upsetting for knowing that, although this novel is fiction, these scenes are essentially true to real life. I felt the timelessness of Hwang's writing style in his retelling of this ancient legend reminded me that Bari's experience (and the experiences of thousands like her) …

Subjects

  • Fiction, women