Secrets, Shame & Survival: Minbak by Ela Lee
Minbak by Ela Lee
Hannah Penny lives in an enviable corner house in Wimbledon Common with her dutiful daughter, Ada, and her unfailingly loyal husband, Tim. To her daughter, she is withdrawn and unknowable, to her husband, cold and aloof, and to her neighbours she is Haughty Hannah Penny. But before all that she was Hana Park, a young girl growing up in South Korea, a country brimming with revolution. When the unthinkable happens, Hana is forced to turn her London home into a guest house (a ‘minbak’), and move her mum, daughter, and herself into one single room. Three fractured generations living under one roof—what could go wrong? Or more importantly, might it bring long-buried truths to light and finally set them free?
Ela Lee’s new novel is engrossing, enlightening, and heartbreaking all in one—spanning countries, cultures and generations. It opened my eyes to the eroding power of shame and the transformative power of love, and as someone who never tires of learning about new cultures and places, I found it eye-opening in so many regards. The narrative spans two timelines:
Incheon, South Korea, 1985. The country is rife with political tension and in the midst of a rapid industrialization, punishing the working class above all. Hana’s family, under mounting financial strain, pull her from school to work in the family’s minbak—ashamed and disheartened, Hana longs to escape her small town. When she finally does, her mother, Youngja, is left behind, tormented by grief and haunted by her decisions, carrying burdens both personal and connected to wider societal secrets.
London, 2008. Ada’s mother has always been a mystery to her, always holding her at arm’s length. Ada has learnt to bend herself around her mother’s shifting moods, trying to earn her praise and acknowledgment through hard work and success. When tragedy strikes and Ada is forced to share a single room with her mum and ailing grandmother, the past collides with the present and Ada becomes determined to unearth her mother’s secrets. But her discovery is far more than she bargained for: the harder she tugs, the more she unties, not just of her family’s own dark past, but of that of an entire country’s.
The character of Hana’s mother, Youngja, was a particular delight—her deep love for her daughter has guided her through life, but not in the way you might expect. Ada is so driven by duty and a desire to be ‘good’ that she has forgotten to tune into her own needs, desires, and dreams. And then there is Hana, who remains somewhat of a mystery, even to the reader. Seemingly cold and unlikeable in moments, but the more the story unfolds, the more her true shape takes form.
The interwoven stories of these three women are hugely impactful, offering a striking exploration of how our environments and opportunities can shape us, break us, or ultimately bring us together. By the end, my only real critique was that I wanted more time with some of the central characters. A few chapters introduce new figures to move the plot forward, but I found myself wishing that space had instead been devoted to developing the core relationships. For example, characters like Tim, Ada’s father, or her new friend Clarissa, are only briefly explored, and it would have been rewarding to get to know them in greater depth.
There was so much to this novel; I truly loved reading it and couldn’t recommend it enough. Uplifting, engaging, and threaded with love—but don’t take my word for it! After finishing it, I lent it to my mum, whose exact words were: “Wow, now wasn’t that brilliant!”
This review was written by our Lead Reviewer, Jess Pagel. When Jess isn’t imagining life in a Wimbledon Common corner house, you can find her reviewing books at @fiftytwo_books.
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