Free Food for Millionaires
Min Jin Lee
This is a glimpse into the life of Casey Han, a young Korean American woman living in New York. A twenty-something woman, she still lives at home with her parents and younger sister, even though she has just graduated from college. Her father is angry with her, I don't remember the exact reason but it has to do with her not living up to his career expectations, so instead of actually communicating with her, he punches her in the head and demands she leave their house, he wants nothing more to do with her. Beaten and bruised, she seeks solace with her boyfriend, showing up unexpectedly at his home to find him in a menage a trois with two women. Now, Casey does not know where to go or what to do. This is her story not just of how she got back up on her feet, how she learned through trial and error, but it's a story exploring relationships, hers, and those of the people around her. All are broken in some way, and even the ones who would be villainized have a human side we don't often see in stories.
I found the Christian background to the characters interesting. The author obviously must have grown up in a church culture with the way she wrote about the Bible, church, and other similar themes.
I also noticed that Casey is very gifted in business, she is going to business school and works for a banking firm, she's very promising in the industry and yet she hates it. Her real passion is in the art of hatmaking and fashion, but it's not something that one can make a living on. Ultimately, she must decide between what she does really well and hates, and what she is passionate about.
