New Year

The novel "The New Year" revolves around an American father and his son who lives in Korea, born to a Korean mother, and his American wife who shows a great deal of understanding until they come together as a family. The father, an ambitious politician in Pennsylvania, is shocked and faces an ethical dilemma when his son suddenly contacts him after years of his departure from Korea, where he was stationed as a soldier during the war. The father balances his political future against his responsibilities towards himself and his wife, and the novel analyzes the politician's conflicting goals regarding public success on one side, and personal conduct and conscience on the other. The novel also depicts the disparity between the East and West, and between generations.