The Reasons: A Novel

A fractured Korean American family reunites for a high-stakes loyalty exam—pass this test, or be detained indefinitely—in this razor-sharp debut set against the backdrop of a nation on the brink of collapse.

In a near-future United States, anyone appearing to be of East Asian descent is subject to strict rules, segregation, and constant surveillance. Now, the authoritarian government has unveiled a new loyalty exam to test their commitment to so-called American values. What exactly it takes to pass is unclear, and the price of failure is high: being locked away with other “Oriental threats.”

The Kim family’s exam is scheduled for Thanksgiving—the first time they will all be together since Sorah Kim walked out on her husband and daughter twelve years ago. As they reunite under the watchful eye of a government officer with secrets of his own, the three must find a way to trust one another again, at least for the weekend. But the examination’s opaque rules strain the family’s already fragile bonds, forcing long-buried resentments, regrets, and unspoken dreams to the surface. When a blizzard plunges them into darkness, the exam’s true purpose is exposed, and the Kims must decide what they are willing to risk to reclaim their humanity and their hope.

Through one family’s harrowing journey, The Reasons complicates the American dream as it deftly interrogates racism, motherhood, and generational trauma on a human scale. Both propulsive and heartrendingly intimate, this prescient debut asks what it means to belong—to society and to the ones we love.