Minbak: A Novel

Acclaimed author Ela Lee returns with a stunning portrait of migration and motherhood, told through the lives of three generations of women in 1980s Korea and 2000s London.

"A beautifully written and gorgeous novel." —Marjan Kamali, New York Times bestselling author of The Lion Women of Tehran

Minbak (n.) a lodging in a private home

Korea, 1985: Hana Park's future is bright. A star student and beloved daughter, she dreams of a life beyond working at her family's local minbak. After a devastating encounter with a foreign guest, Hana sheds her past and flees to London to capture the future she so desperately desires, leaving her heartbroken mother Youngja to pick up the pieces.

London, 2008: When her husband dies unexpectedly in the midst of the global financial crisis, Hana is left with a pile of debt and no way to pay it off. With her teenage daughter Ada and a declining Youngja relying on her, she has no choice but to move her family into one bedroom and open the rest of their home to paying guests as a minbak.

As tragedy brings the three women together, old tensions surface, and the family's long-hidden secrets threaten to erupt. With no one to turn to but each other, Hana, Youngja, and Ada must confront their complex history, crossing continents and generations to find truth, forgiveness, and compassion.