White Chrysanthemum - Hardcover

Mary Lynn Bracht is an American author of Korean descent who now lives in London. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London. She grew up in a large ex-pat community of women who came of age in post-war South Korea. In 2002 Bracht visited her mother's childhood village, and it was during this trip she first learned of the `Comfort Women' captured and set up in brothels for the Japanese military. White Chrysanthemum is her first novel.

"I read it in one sitting" -- Kate Kellaway * Observer * "I read Hana and Emi's story with my heart in my mouth... A bold, devastating, important novel shot through with hope and beauty" -- Rachel Joyce "Introduces a heart-rending seam of history... Bracht has fashioned her own memorial to the comfort women. White Chrysanthemum is a timely and furiously felt book" -- Rowan Hisayo Buchanan * Guardian * "A hugely affecting, captivating read -- I cried for most of the second half" -- Sarah Shaffi * Stylist * "It's jaw-dropping, it's devastating, it's heart-breaking and absolutely beautiful. I couldn't recommend it more" -- Sinead Moriarty "Beautifully written... In elegant but emotionally devastating prose Bracht conveys the heartbreaking impact of brutality and war upon women" -- Charlotte Heathcote * Sunday Express * "Bracht's rich detail and captivating characters bring history vividly to life. An insightful, engaging and deeply emotional page-turner" * Scotsman * "If you're a fan of The Kite Runner and Memoirs of A Geisha, you'll love Mary Lynn Bracht's novel... Both educating and engaging, Bracht's rich detail and captivating characters plunge you into Korean history in a heartbreaking and deeply emotional page-turner" -- Rebecca Wilcock * i newspaper * "An evocative picture of loss and also an account of how one of the deepest human bonds can survive almost anything" -- James Naughtie * BBC Radio 4 Today Programme * "An emotional tale of sisterly endurance and a fascinating and harrowing insight into the hidden lives of Korean comfort women... you'll be captivated. Let the bidding for movie rights begin" * The Pool * "A soul-churning ode to the power of family love (and the ties that bind sisters specifically) and the importance of pursuing justice in the face of systemic silence... an unflinching-but-ultimately-redemptive book that places a much-needed spotlight on a forgotten moment of human horror" * Emerald Street * "Devastatingly good" * Psychologies * "Bracht brings the truth to light with sensitivity... Bracht's beautiful descriptions are the perfect foil to the brutality... fascinating" * Express * "an original, shocking novel, contrasting mankind's capacity for cruelty with the unquenchable strength ofthe human spirit, even in the most dire of circumstances" -- Richard Hopton * Country & Town House * "What a story this terrific storyteller has to tell" * Woman & Home *