'I have only known proximity' -Chang Rae Lee (Native Speaker)

Henry is a wonderfully inventive trope, a figure I fear few will fully comprehend -- including his intended audience. The idea of a 'native speaker' working for an industrial-espionage service, precisely because he fits the required ethnic description is an almost explosive image: what does it mean for an hyphenated american to ingratiate himself into a closed political circle headed by a man not unlike himself?

Lee explores/exploits the potential within the story-line as closely as he can, and mines more ore from it than any number of american novels I can think of at the moment. (Note that I do not classify this as an ethnic american novel, per se).

Lee does employ what others have derided as 'riddling' prose. But what could be more riddling than to spy on your secret-sharer? To share and not share a language with him?

So it is language -- spoken language -- that Lee focuses his lens on in this text. His conclusion? Lanugage is not only the glue, or rather, the key to membership in this (or any) culture; it CREATES reality.

Head and shoulders above the shameful work of Amy Tan (The Joy Luck Club), it is a fantastic read and highly recommended. Re-discover the possibilities of language! Get the book!


Not the great Korean-American novel, but great nonetheless   September 4, 1998
Although the experiences of the narrator may differ from those of other Korean-Americans, I did not view this book as a strictly Korean-American novel. This book touches upon and beautifully delves into such universal themes as love, loss, identity, integrity, death. I read this book 3 years ago, and the portraits of his son still remain touching and vivid in my mind.


Magnificent!   August 24, 1998
 0 out of 2 found this review helpful

Bravo to the ingenious writer, Lee. I, an American, would never have come any close to understanding the culture of the minority, if it were not to be for this novel.


an excellent read   August 5, 1998
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

Chang-rae Lee has crafted a story whose deeper meaning is so subtly imbued into his poetic prose, that it takes a skilled reader to unravel and fully appreciate it; it is not a book that can be summarized and fully understood after only one reading. Lee's story tells, in a very moving way, the hopes and struggles of the Asian immigrant in America. Very highly recommended.


Spirited, intelligent, and entertaining ... bravo!   July 17, 1998
...On the other hand, it IS a touching and stirring story, =one= man's story, about his coming to terms with the world he inherited, and his place in a society that at times cannot accept him for who he is. I don't relate to many of the specific anecdotes he describes. But I don't need to. The story's beauty is its prose, sometimes brooding, sometimes meditative, but always a delight to read and reread for those who enjoy a voyeristic peek inside the thoughts of a person trapped in a world not of his design.