Hi Eva,
You ask what my Korean name was. You say yours was Kim, Nam Sook. My Korean name is Kim, Mi In. I’ve always abbreviated it to Min Kim, although strictly speaking that’s not quite right, but it feels right to me.
Kim is, as you know, the most common Korean name. As it turns out, there are different forms of Kim, and the name is linked to particular geographical areas. In the old days there were also symbols connected to the name. It binds us together, sharing the last name KIM.
Gull-Mai
Eva is re-born out of an airplane in 1975. She used to be Nam Sook from Korea, but the authorities think a Danish name would be more appropriate, so she becomes Eva from Denmark instead.
She arrives in Denmark with ten other orphaned children, and one of them is Gull-Mai. In the beginning, they visit each other once a year and exchange letters regularly to nourish the bond between them, but the friendship gradually trickles away. When Eva is around fourteen, all that is left between them is silence – a silence that will last for nearly thirty years.
As time passes, Eva grows up and goes to a school where most of the pupils are white, and she is constantly being reminded of the fact that she is different. A feeling of alienation takes root within her. When Eva and Gull-Mai finally cross paths again as adults, buried truths about Gull-Mai’s childhood are brought to the surface. She shares the story of her painful upbringing, and something stirs in Eva – she feels compelled to write about their experiences as adopted children in Denmark. As the words pour out of her, laced with frustration and pain, Eva begins to unravel the comforting myth about the ‘happy adoption’, exposing the quiet grief and hidden struggles often carried by adoptees.
With a beautiful yet unflinching prose, Eva tells a story that transcends borders. Min Kim is a novel about finding your identity and family while dismantling the illusions surrounding international adoption. Through Eva’s inner and deeply personal journey, the novel becomes a powerful and authentic exploration of what it means to belong somewhere.
Author
Reviews
“In Min Kim the critically acclaimed author writes poetically, somberly, realistically and critically about the adoptee’s sense of alienation and the feeling of never truly belonging, regardless of all attempts to assimilate and integrate. […] Min Kim is like a punch to the gut. Violent and painful. You feel a great deal of sympathy for Eva Tind, who, despite a strong personality and safe upbringing, is haunted by nightmares throughout her childhood and well into adulthood. […] The book cannot immediately be categorized into one genre; it is an artistic hybrid of biographical material, fictional letters, authentic adoption papers, touching poetry, sharp critical analyses and political statements from the UN and Australia. It all comes together incredibly well thanks to Eva Tind’s impactful language and impeccable sense for weaving together the different parts and perceptions of reality into one unified, captivating story about the pitfalls of denial, concealment and lying. […] Min Kim is a masterful achievement.”
– Jyllands-Posten, 6/6 Stars (DK)
“With a personal experience of being an adoptee as its basis, Min Kim plays out as a general critique against systems, cultures and myths, written with strong credibility in regard to the complaints and argumentations, and with a high moral relevance and political topicality. Most importantly, the ‘Girl from the South’ has translated her life experiences into a deeply gripping and intriguing novel that gives insight into the psychology of adoption – the racism, the trauma, the aftermath – which problematizes the complacent notion that we do small children of color a service for life by letting them into Denmark.”
– Weekendavisen (DK)
“Min Kim is in many ways a shattering and unflinching testimony, and as such a convincing, noticeable contribution to a heated debate. It is also a furiously orchestrated example of trauma literature in its own right, and it, with its wide-ranging scope in both content and expression, cements Eva Tind as one of the most interesting authors in Denmark right now.”
– Kristeligt Dagblad (DK)
“The narrator’s empathy and personal investment in the subject matter makes Min Kim an incredibly captivating book, whether you’re already interested in adoption or not. It is a book written with blood, sweat and tears – a book that gives its all and succeeds.”
– Information (DK)
“Eva Tind’s struggle to learn the true story of her adoption and her Korean family is touching. […] Tind succeeds in shattering the myth about the ‘happy adoption’, and Min Kim is an indignant novel, it is also downright enraged. Crimes have been committed, irreparable damage has been done. […] The novel ends with perhaps a more meaningful understanding of adoption, namely the one that derives from New Zealand, which bears testimony and provides convincing evidence that people don’t roam freely in the world. Family, culture and history do play a part, contrary to what everyone believed during the happy 00’s. In that way, it is also a testament to how naive enlightened and modern societies can be.”
– Berlingske, 4/6 Stars (DK)
“A gripping portrayal of the main character Eva Tind’s experiences as an adopted child – with emphasis on the word ‘adopted’. […] Her journeys to South Korea to discover her own identity broadens the existential questions and perspectives. There are many interesting observations of foreignism and community, spanning places, time and experiences, as well as body and psyche. It is an intriguing read.”
– Altinget, 4/6 Stars (DK)