THE SURRENDERED

The point of view in this novel is primarily that of June, the oldest of a brood of orphaned Korean children. At the Korean orphanage where she lands, she meets Jim Brennan, an American G.I., and Sylvie Tanner, a beautiful missionary; a complicated bond forms among them. June is a strong female character whose journey the listener shares, so the use of a male narrator for this title is surprising. James Yaegashi's strong American accent is distracting in the scenes set during the Korean War. However, in the many scenes with nameless characters, the narrative is strengthened by Yaegashi’s steady pace and his evocations of emotion. The personal story of June and her younger siblings’ determination to stay alive is told against the backdrop of a war that wrenched a country, and a generation, apart. M.R. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2011]