What We Kept to Ourselves: A Novel
The novel alternates between two timelines: 1999, the year Sunny disappears, and 1977, the year she moves to the United States from Korea with her new husband, John. In 1999, Anastasia and Ronald are struggling to cope with their mother’s absence. Anastasia is a college student who is trying to balance her grief with her academic workload. Ronald is a high school student who is acting out in anger and frustration. John is isolated and withdrawn, and he is struggling to connect with his children.
In 1977, Sunny is a young woman who is trying to build a new life for herself in America. She is lonely and isolated, and she misses her family and friends in Korea. She begins an affair with a stranger she meets at a bus stop. The affair is passionate but short-lived, and Sunny is left pregnant and alone. The two timelines eventually converge, and the Kim family is forced to confront the truth about Sunny’s past. They learn about her affair and the pregnancy that resulted from it. They also learn about the secrets that Sunny has been keeping from them for years.
