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Comfort Woman Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Comfort Woman


Beccah's mom is the blue with depression and believes her thoughts have killed her husband. Beccah's mother tells her that she killed her husband, five year's earlier. This was before her mother started having spells. Her mother had married an American missionary and when they moved into his home her mother thought the house evil. She saw the Death Messenger in the walls and knew that the marriage would not produce anything good. When Beccah's father dies her Auntie Reno believes that Beccah's mother has the gift of sight and is determined to use that gift to make money. Beccah's mom works as a waitress in Auntie Reno's coffee shop and Auntie Reno sees that there are ways to make money from the trance like state that takes over more and more with Beccah's mom.
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Together Beccah and Auntie Reno dress Beccah's mother in flowing clothing and play music with pulsing drum beats that take her deeper into the spirit world. While Auntie Reno believes Beccah's mother is a bit crazy, she recognizes the gift.

Beccah believes her mother is talking nonsense when she starts the story of how she killed Beccah's dad. She didn't do it physically, she did it by wishing him dead. She's trying to explain to Beccah how intentions are set, for bad and good. This is the connection Beccah has about death when her mother dies. Beccah believes she channeled it by wishing harm upon her mother when she was a youth.

Beccah didn't know much of her mother's story when she had been alive. In her grief Beccah's gift of dealing with spirits comes out. She spends time drifting from human form into something other worldly where she is able to swim for hours taking in her details of her mother's past in the process .

Auntie Reno plays her part as well. By taking on the roll of manager she was able to help Beccah and her mother acquire money which they sorely needed. There had been times that no food was in the house. If Beccah's mother was feeling well enough to work she brought home food from Auntie Reno's cafe for free. Because of her mother's fast deteriorating state Beccah has not lived with emotional stability. Maybe the walls did hold evil.

Having food gave way to survival and having Auntie Reno's expertise with marketing made the expense of living necessities a bit easier to come by.

The gift of communing with the spirit world was passed down to Beccah through her mother. Beccah believed her mother lived more than once and that each time she returns she brings lessons.

It is up to Beccah to use the knowledge she has gained to make way for her own survival.
Best part of story, including ending: I liked that Auntie Reno offered assistance to Beccah and her mom.

Best scene in story: My favorite scene was Beccah's mom dancing.

The review of this Book prepared by C. Imani Williams a Level 13 Blue-Winged Teal scholar

Chapter Analysis of Comfort Woman

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Plot & Themes

Tone of book?    -   depressed Time/era of story    -   1930's-1950's Internal struggle/realization?    -   Yes Struggle over    -   actions leading to death of someone Is this an adult or child's book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character

Gender    -   Female Profession/status:    -   student Has magical powers?    -   Yes Magical/mental powers of main character:    -   clairvoyant Ethnicity/Nationality    -   Other Asian

Setting

How much descriptions of surroundings?    -   3 () Asia/Pacific    -   Yes Asian country:    -   South Korea (good!)

Writing Style

Amount of dialog    -   roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

Books with storylines, themes & endings like Comfort Woman

Nora Okja Keller Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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