Bird and Fish
This exquisite debut novel reads like a roller-coaster ride through an oncologist’s office; filled with hair-raising terrors and prayers for a safe return. Korean artist Hyun Jae Won, 6000 miles from his home-land, crosses paths with Wendy Dale, a married New York City school teacher. Each with a story to tell and a secret to hide; his guilt over his wife’s suicide and Wendy’s breast cancer diagnosis, they are drawn together. What begins as a mutual support system soon turns into a dangerous passion as the pair must take on unscrupulous art dealers, controlling family members and a world that asks if a bird and fish fall in love, where will they live.
Reviews Are In
“I found the story to be very powerful, and (her) use of the little details-from Wendy Dale’s interactions with the children at school to her tendency to wear her daughter’s hoodies-really flesh out the narrative, lending it an authenticity…clearly (she’s) familiar with both teaching and Korean culture and that comes through on the page.”
“Finally an Asian-American tale without the usual Suzie Wong stereotypes. Leslie has woven two cultures into a fine silken chord.”