Green Tea

Silvia Chung
BookSurge (2007)
ISBN 9781419662713 
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (9/07)

“Green Tea” is a touching story about a Korean woman, Jung, who moves to Argentina to be with her husband from an arranged marriage.  When Jung arrives in her new country she has to get used to both her new husband and her controlling mother-in-law, Mrs. Kim.  Her husband is easier to adjust to.  She lives in the same house with her mother-in-law and her husband’s siblings. 

Mrs. Kim seems to take pleasure in berating Jung.  She wants Jung to do everything her way and lets her know when she breaches etiquette.  Jung misses her own mother who is still back in Korea.  She does her best and in time, she and Mrs. Kim do find somewhat of a connection.  Jung also does her best to connect to her husband’s siblings.  Each one has their issues and struggles to deal with.  Jung has to find a way to keep her own identity and to keep her new family happy.

It is noted that the author, Silvia Chung, bases much of her novel on stories about her mother and grandmother’s experiences.  I think that this really adds richness to the story.  In “Green Tea,” you step inside the life of a woman who has to overcome some incredibly strong obstacles to her own happiness.   I cannot imagine agreeing to be in an arranged marriage, let alone one to a man who lives in another country.  Since this is a South American country, Jung also has to deal with cultural issues.  She is not readily accepted by some of her new countrymen and her family has their own cross-cultural issues.  

I totally enjoyed “Green Tea.”  Having had an Italian Grandmother-in-law whom I had to ban from my kitchen when I got tired of her telling me that the way I did things was “Stupid,” I could relate to much of what Jung was dealing with.  It is amazing how you can learn to love someone who makes you life very difficult!

This is a great novel.  It would make an excellent gift for a mother-in-law or a daughter-in-law.  It would also be a great book to be on a reading list for a cultural studies or cultural counseling class.  “Green Tea” takes you into another time and shows you what it is like to be a woman in a culture that requires a great deal of restraint and social protocol.

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