In an alleyway, Eunju and her mother are captured and driven in a van to the stone home because they’re considered vagrants. On their arrival, they learn that others like them have been locked away for an indefinite period. Eunju and Umma are segregated with the other females to clean and cook while the boys toil in the workshop to complete orders. Warden and Teacher oversee the Keepers who make sure they obey. There are daily Christian sermons about how evil they are. Violence and sexual abuse is common and anyone who disobeys might disappear.

While this novel is fiction, it is based on the experiences of Koreans who were considered a blot on society by the president and politicians after the country gained independence from the 1950s to the 1980s. Even those with families could be imprisoned in so called reformatory institutions that were located throughout Korea.

• Other Asian 5 out of 5s