Forgotten Country by Catherine Chung

Janie has to deal with a curse: Legend has it that a sister from each generation of her family disappears. So when her younger sister, Hannah, is born, their grandmother tasks Janie with watching over and protecting the girl. Hannah eventually fulfills the family prophecy by running away, and when the girls’ father falls seriously ill and returns to their native land of Korea for treatment, Janie is the one who must track down her lost sister and bring her home. In the course of that search, Janie comes to realize there was more to her sister’s disappearance than she ever could have imagined. A beautifully written debut novel about honour and death, immigrant assimilation and isolation, and the complexities of family relationships.

Forgotten Country, Catherine Chung, $31.