Year of Impossible Goodbyes: Sookan's Story

The novel Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi embodies much of a traditional coming-of-age narrative, exploring themes of innocence, identity, and independence. The protagonist and narrator, Sookan, grows up in Pyongyang under the harsh rule of imperial Japan. After the Japanese surrender, the Soviets occupy North Korea, leading her to escape to American-controlled South Korea. Year of Impossible Goodbyes is a coming-of-age narrative about a protagonist that grows up too soon, using her experiences of hardship and injustice to shape and reveal her views of the world and herself.

One of the most salient aspects of Sookan’s life is the injustice she faces, which colors her perception of the world and robs her of the innocence typically afforded to young children. Growing up under the iron fist of Japan, she witnesses and experiences oppression on a daily basis, as the Japanese attempt to suppress the Korean people, language, and culture. Koreans are forbidden from speaking their language and are forced to worship the Japanese Shinto god. Men are sent to labor camps in faraway lands, and countless young women and girls are taken to war as “comfort women.” Beyond her perception of the world, the adversity Sookan faces also stirs questions about her identity, both ethnic and religious. She wishes she was Japanese, and struggles to reconcile the idea of a just God or higher being with the death and evil in the world.

All in all, the hardships Sookan faces cause her to grow up early, making her come of age before she is ready. They expose her to the cruelty of the world, causing her to question who she is and what she believes. Yet she also becomes more independent and resilient as she grows into her role as an older sister. Unlike many coming-of-age novels, Year of Impossible Goodbyes lacks a sense of resolution. While she is eventually reunited with her parents and her other siblings, the Korean War begins, and her aunt and uncle are publicly executed as traitors to the North. Her story is bittersweet and shows that unlike the films and television shows, there are no happily-ever-after endings in life.