The Future

Over the course of the collection, the author explores the ways in which the individual's regard for the future might impact her understanding of self and outlook on life. Because many of the stories' main characters are immigrants, their stories are defined by the threats or promises of the future. Over the course of the collection, therefore, the author creates a complex representation of these experiences. For example, in "The Church of Abundant Life," Soo and her husband Jae's unexpected encounter with Ki-tae and Chun-ja, inspires Soo to reflect upon the past. While standing outside the church after the revival, the narrator says that Soo "lays out four things before her in the darkness. Chun-ja, Ki-tae, Jae-woo, and herself . . . Who are these characters? she thinks, amazed. And how . . . dare they move so lightly and recklessly into the future, for love or lack of love, in...