The Noh Family

March 15, 2022
A sort-of-princess story, with all the appealing ingredients of a K-drama. Eighteen-year-old Chloe Chang, who has grown up in Oklahoma, feels "not quite 100 percent Korean" but then she's never known any relatives other than her immigrant mother. Her father, who supposedly had no other family, died before she was born, and her mom's income as a nurse means Chloe has to tuck away her dream of studying fashion in New York. When her BFFs persuade her to take a 23andMe DNA test--insert "The Dramatic Pause," K-drama style--she discovers her extended family on her paternal side in Korea. Before she knows it, she's off to Seoul to be reunited with one of its richest business families, the owners of a posh department store, all the while still upset at her mom for keeping her apart from them. What promises to be a fairy tale--a doting but iron-fisted Halmoni, a pair of "ridiculously glamorous" cousins, and a family guesthouse complete with a personal chef--is suddenly derailed by perilous, devious twists and turns as Chloe desperately tries to make connections between her father's past and her present. Just like Chloe's favorite K-dramas, the novel sucks readers in from the get-go with lots of glitz, grit, and a hint of romance as well as a handsome assistant who always has an umbrella at the ready, mouthwatering descriptions of food, and cutting insights into familial and societal dynamics. An enjoyable, pacy family drama. (Fiction. 12-18)

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August 8, 2022
After a DNA test uncovers a paternal family she never knew existed, 18-year-old Chloe Chang becomes immersed in a world of South Korean privilege in Shim’s operatic debut. Chloe has always dreamed of studying fashion in New York City, but after her father’s death, her mother’s salary is barely enough for them to get by. When she learns that her father—who she assumed had no relations—has family living in Seoul, Chloe takes off to meet them. The affluent Noh family are essentially South Korean royalty, a far cry from Chloe’s modest Oklahoma relatives. With the help of a new friend and the Noh’s dreamy personal assistant, Chloe dives into their world of glamour and secrets. But class differences and Chloe’s unfamiliarity with Korean culture make her feel like she doesn’t belong, and she’s left wondering, “if my life is a real live K-drama... why does it feel worse than it looks on screen?” Shim deftly employs all the whirlwind romance and jaw-dropping reveals of classic K-dramas via breezy prose and vividly drawn settings to explore classism, heartbreak, identity, and manipulation amid familial and societal expectations in this enticing debut. Ages 12–up. Agent: Andrea Morrison, Writers House.

August 19, 2022

Gr 9 Up-Korean-American Chloe Chang and her two best friends, Hazel and Seb, have just graduated from their Oklahoma high school, but while they are off to USC and UCLA, Chloe has only community college to look forward to, despite her acceptance to FIT. Chloe's mom is a nurse, and her dad died before she was born, just after they emigrated from Korea. When a cousin contacts Chloe through 23andMe, she's ecstatic to connect with her dad's side of the family, despite her mom's wishes; she flies to Korea to meet them and discovers that they are chaebol (high society). Her life turns into a real-life K-drama, complete with a fortune-teller, facials, and fashion shows, but as much as Chloe wants to be part of the Noh family, she is afraid she'll never fit in. Her cousin's behavior doesn't match the messages he sent on 23andMe (savvy readers might suspect their true author before Chloe does), and her halmoni (grandmother) wants her to be a liver donor for her uncle, but won't let her meet him. Chloe is determined to learn more about her dad, despite red flags indicating the Noh family's acceptance of her is conditional. The drama comes to a head at a dinner party followed by a hasty exit; an epilogue provides a satisfying conclusion. VERDICT No need to be a fan of K-dramas to enjoy this one: Chloe's story of seeking and finding her true family will resonate with teens seeking dramatic character-driven fiction.-Jenny Arch

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