white chrysanthemum flower

Author's name: Mary Lynn Brackett

On Jeju Island in 1943, under Japanese occupation, Hana finds true freedom beneath the waves. She belongs to a community of strong "sea women," who bravely battle the ocean to earn their living. But war invades her peaceful world, and this freedom is shattered when Hana sacrifices herself to save her younger sister, Amy, from a Japanese soldier, paying a heavy price: she is taken to Manchuria and forced into slavery under the horrific "comfort women" system, where thousands of Korean women were victims of sexual slavery by the Japanese military.
But the spirit of sea women does not die. Within the walls of despair, Hannah clings to her inner strength, believing that the sea that granted her freedom may be her only path to salvation.
Alongside this painful past, we meet Amy in Korea in 2011. For over sixty years, she has carried the burden of her sister's sacrifice and a painful memory that refuses to fade. As her country recovers, Amy struggles to come to terms with her past. Her journey to find forgiveness and peace is not just her own; it is a testament to an entire generation that endured the horrors of war.
"A White Daisy" is more than just a historical novel; it is a literary monument to human dignity. Through a masterful interplay of past and present, the novel weaves a moving tale of brotherly love that defies brutality, and of memory that resists erasure. It is a story that reminds us that some sacrifices are immortalized, and some bonds cannot be severed by war, just as the white daisy, a symbol of mourning and pain, cannot be broken.