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Terrific read! I've been thinking about this one for a week and still struggle with articulation ... my notebook is full of fitful starts only to be scrapped and re-written ... over and over and over... sure sign for me of a wonderfully deep, thought provoking story.

This weekend perhaps ....

July 31, 2016 ... I struggled mightily to find the words for this one. Here it is:

4.5 STARS

Wow what a fabulous read! Poignant but smooth, textured with jagged edges, all at the same time. Nearly a full two weeks after finishing this book, its resonation has been incessant yet I’ve struggled to come up with the prose to adequately describe this wonderful story. Perhaps the ceaseless reverberation in and of itself is commensurate praise for this evocative exploration of relationships on so many levels, pummeled and buffeted by the deeply held emotions of physical and psychological abuse.

Have you ever nicked yourself with a razor sharp knife while preparing a meal, so engrossed in the process that at first you don’t even feel the wound? Between the mental focus of multitasking in the kitchen and the precision of the blade, it isn’t until you see the drops of blood and wonder what the heck is going on! You discover the blood source and suddenly your brain goes into overdrive, piecing things together and � reacting!

I found Yug’s writing to be like that. Her style is smooth and comforting, smooth as silk and easy as a lazy summer afternoon as she led me unknowingly but very willingly into a maelstrom of sharp, angry and at times hateful emotions released after festering for decades. Piecing together the bursts of back story with the blunt force of current events had my mind screaming with reaction � in a profound and compelling way!

The story centers on the life of 36 year old Kyung Cho and his relationship with his parents Jin and Mae. Kyung’s parents emigrated from Korea to the United States back in the 1970s and Jin is a very successful professor, amassing considerable wealth through patents from his work at the university. While the affluence and success at the university has provided physical comforts for the Chos, the emotional pain of the blatant, ceaseless racism Jin endured when he first joined the university faculty and his uncertainties and regrets about his marriage created a hostile environment of abuse that cascaded from spouse to spouse to son. Only the physical presence of Kyung as he grew from child to teenager ended the cycle of violence and abuse. That was eighteen years ago, eighteen years of slow, simmering rage.

Kyung met Gillian McFadden during grad school. Married for five years, with their young son Ethan, life has been hard. Between heavy school debts and an upside-down mortgage that is fathoms underwater, Kyung is under constant financial and emotional stress despite his decent salary as a biology professor. Kyung’s mistakes have been many with no relief in sight. Hopelessness, regret and despair are the chips that sit on his shoulders. Despite the constant struggle to just get by, he refuses to reach out to his parents who live in the affluent section of town just a short distance from their home.

The violence and sexual assaults during the home invasion of the residence of Mae and Jin Cho force the families together under the same roof. Deeply held anger and frustration and long ago buried secrets, coupled with the culture clash of the homeland Korean values of Mae and Jin and the American values of Kyung’s family, unleash some explosively powerful emotions that result in tragic, unintended consequences.

The story is tragic but profound, exploring emotions that in some shape or form many of us experience in our relationships with our parents, relationships that change over time with age and perspective. There is violence without graphic details. There is love without condition. There is forgiveness that is tender and true. This is a book I’ll purchase for my personal collection and read over and over again.

Shelter is a sparkling literary gem. I highly recommend it!