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***I was given an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review***

Sonju is a beautiful work of historical fiction written with spare yet lush prose.

Sonju's formative years take place during the Japanese occupation of South Korea. She receives a modern education, but is then thrust into a traditional lifestyle.

Sonju faces many cruelties in her life: an arranged, loveless marriage to man who views her as just another object in his life, death, and disownment from her birth and her married families, and her friends. Really she is outcast from society, mainly for being a woman who just wants what most of us want, love and and a fulfilling life.

She also had beauty in her life, mainly in the form of a found family of women who, for one reason or another, outcasts. Through these female friendships Sonju starts to blossom, although pain is still lurking in her life.

I have rarely read a book that has made me feel so many raw emotions and has characters who will live in my mind and heart for what I think will be a long, long time.

If you enjoy stories about overcoming tragedy, the unique ups and downs of female friendships, the joy that can be had in found family, female empowerment, and, most importantly, the beauty and tragedy of real life, I urge you to pick up a copy of Sonju.