AnewnovelfromLisaSee,theNewYorkTimesbestsellingauthorofTheTeaGirlofHummingbirdLane,aboutfemalefriendshipandfamilysecretsonasmallKoreanisland.Mi-jaandYoung-sook,twogirlslivingontheKoreanislandofJeju,arebestfriendsthatcomefromverydifferentbackgrounds.Whentheyareoldenough,theybeginworkingintheseawiththeirvillage’sall-femaledivingcollective,ledbyYoung-sook’smother.Asthegirlstakeuptheirpositionsasbabydivers,theyknowtheyarebeginningalifeofexcitementandresponsibilitybutalsodanger.Despitetheirloveforeachother,Mi-jaandYoung-sook’sdifferencesareimpossibletoignore.TheIslandofSeaWomenisanepochsetovermanydecades,beginningduringaperiodofJapanesecolonialisminthe1930sand1940s,followedbyWorldWarII,theKoreanWaranditsaftermath,throughtheeraofcellphonesandwetsuitsforthewomendivers.Throughoutthistime,theresidentsofJejufindthemselvescaughtbetweenwarringempires.Mi-jaisthedaughterofaJapanesecollaborator,andshewillforeverbemarkedbythisassociation.Young-sookwasbornintoalonglineofhaenyeoandwillinherithermother’spositionleadingthediversintheirvillage.Littledothetwofriendsknowthataftersurvivinghundredsofdivesanddevelopingtheclosestofbonds,forcesoutsidetheircontrolwillpushtheirfriendshiptothebreakingpoint.Thisbeautiful,thoughtfulnovelilluminatesaworldturnedupsidedown,onewherethewomenareincharge,engagingindangerousphysicalwork,andthementakecareofthechildren.AclassicLisaSeestory--oneofwomen’sfriendshipsandthelargerforcesthatshapethem--TheIslandofSeaWomenintroducesreaderstothefierceandunforgettablefemalediversofJejuIslandandthedramatichistorythatshapedtheirlives.
