If you leave me : a novel
(Book)

An emotional, gripping debut about war, family, and forbidden love--the saga of two ill-fated lovers in Korea and the heartbreaking choices they're forced to make in the years surrounding the civil war. When the communist-backed army from the north invades her home, sixteen-year-old Haemi Lee, along with her widowed mother and ailing brother, is forced to flee to a refugee camp along the coast. For a few hours each night, she escapes her family's makeshift home and tragic circumstances with her childhood friend, Kyunghwan. Focused on finishing school, Kyunghwan doesn't realize his older and wealthier cousin, Jisoo, has his sights set on the beautiful and spirited Haemi, and is determined to marry her before joining the fight. But as Haemi becomes a wife, then a mother, her decision to forsake the boy she always loved for security sets off a dramatic saga that will have profound effects for generations. If You Leave Me is a portrait of war and refugee life, a passionate romance, and a heartrending exploration of one woman's longing for autonomy in a rapidly changing world.