Could you marry a man you’ve never met? Three Korean women in 1918 make a life-changing journey to Hawaii, where they will marry, having seen only photographs of their intended husbands.

Different fates await each of these women. Hong-ju, who dreams of a marriage of ‘natural love’, meets a man who looks twenty years older than his photograph; Song-hwa, who wants to escape from her life of ridicule as the granddaughter of a shaman, meets a lazy drunkard. And then there’s Willow, whose 26-year-old groom, Taewan, looks just like his image …

Real life doesn’t always resemble a picture, but there’s no going back. And while things don’t turn out quite as they’d hoped, even for Willow, they do find something that makes their journey worthwhile — each other.

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‘It’s a compelling story and Lee Geum-yi movingly describes the women’s journeys.’

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‘The stories of these women's lives in Hawai’i and the sugar industry there becomes, in Lee’s skilled hands, a vehicle for a narrative about the Korean struggle for independence from Japan and how it was refracted through the diaspora.’

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‘This novel honours those powerful Korean women, who took a chance on a new life in a distant land … Told in gentle, empathetic prose that sheds new light into a neglected corner of American history, The Picture Bride is an immigrant story, but it is moreover a love story.’

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‘Heartfelt, beautiful, and immersive, The Picture Bride is a fascinating historical fiction book.’

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‘An engaging picture of a time and a place.’

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‘Written with great historical detail about Korean immigrants in Hawai‘i, Geum-yi’s beautiful novel weaves an extraordinary tale.’

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‘This work of historical fiction is Korean novelist Lee’s first book to be translated into English … Historical fiction buffs and readers interested in little-known history will enjoy.’

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‘This moving novel takes readers into the world of Korean “picture brides” … [A] total must-read.’

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‘The Picture Bride is an accessible and moving read, no matter your prior knowledge of Korean culture or history in the early 20th century. … Though their tale is marred by hardship, [it] is ultimately an inspirational story that celebrates the enduring bonds of female friendship.’

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‘An impeccably written piece of historical fiction, The Picture Bride presents an exquisite portrait of womanhood and the bonds of friendship and family.’

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‘The Picture Bride shines … illuminating crucial but obscure events along Korea’s turbulent path to nationhood.’