The Cho family is at the beginning of hard times when their son goes to South Korea to teach English, only to be tackled at the DMZ trying to cross into North Korea. What follows is the story of this family. The events leading to the attempt, and the fallout back home. With themes of colonialization, family connection, the myth of the model citizen, the loss of connection to identity as immigrants, and the ever present struggle the Koreas face, and that's only scratching the surface of what Han was able to delve into in Nuclear Family. Oh also there's ghosts.
This book was such a joy to read in every way. The way lines in Korean weren't always translated, how references to historic events were never explained, and how quickly and easily certain ideas were conveyed. Leaving it up to the reader to understand the reference or not.
The way a quick off handed remark about an insta profile or a college class gives me every detail I need to know about certain characters. How the history of Korea was present and constant through the entire book, from ghosts who understood Japanese, to students who protested in the south. It was amazing to read it all and understand the references or occasional Korean dialogue,. It's also amazing to know there will be someone who reads this book and says "I don't understand that reference," for them to search it and learn something new about this country that so many people think they understand, but which is continually learning to survive as separate halves of a whole.
The references to American imperialism are also constant and never subtle, but always appropriate and well phrased. They"re always well examined and painful.
This book was both painful and refreshing. It was celebratory and informative. And it was such a beautiful exploration of family.

I didn't get very far into this before setting it aside. It just didn't hold my attention or motivate me to keep reading.


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This was an interesting book I enjoyed listening to. A Korean family in Hawaii built a local restaurant and gets a bump in popularity when Guy Fieri makes a pit stop. The daughter is a bit aimless and as the book progresses heads deeper into smoking pot as a main past time. In the meantime her brother who has gone to Korea teach becomes possessed by their grandfathers ghosts and is compelled to run through the demilitarized Zone. He is shot and captured and we wait with his family for news of his health and release and why he would have done such a thing. The book was both funny and tragic as it explores the dysfunctions of a Korean American family and the past. 3.5 stars.

4 stars

There is a lot to like about Han's work, and the fact that I somehow sped through this audio book in one day - during finals week grading - is the most obvious indicator of how much I enjoyed it.

Several members of the same family share perspectives throughout the novel, and their relationships, as well as their personal struggles, make this an enjoyable adventure. For me, the sibling connection is the most gratifying part, but seamless weaving of magical realism is also fantastic here. If your family is built on lore, wacky inside jokes, and some sense of 'only we know exactly how wild this moment is', you, too, will relate to the amusing dynamics between these folks. There is also some related commentary on how our past determines us, which parts of ourselves we show and which we think we're hiding, and how much we mean to each other in the most desperate moments. Also, much of the novel takes place on Oahu, and folks with a more than touristy connection to this location will be amused by some of the local ties.

I both loved and felt mixed about two different aspects of the ending, but this was a strong read for me even with that final moment of uncertainty. Joseph Han is now on my definite to-read list, and readers who enjoy family dynamics with a twist will likely feel the same after devouring this one.