ADOPTING GRACE

Jinja’s novel tells the story of a Midwestern mom whose life is anything but simple.

Dressmaker Grace Solberg was adopted from South Korea as a child by a Norwegian American family and, whether she likes it or not, she’s still challenged by the spaces she inhabits as she nears 40. Her husband, Marc, is leaving her for his long-lost high school love, her teenage daughter is going through a rebellious stage, and a man moves in next door whose home decor unnerves her. Meanwhile, Grace is trying to work miracles as a seamstress and keep her home a healthy and happy place for her two daughters to grow up. There’s also Grace’s extended family who’s witty, messy, and loud, and can’t stand one another—or live without one another’s company. As Grace stops resisting life’s changes, she finally finds herself able to work through past trauma—and she may have more people on her side, and more to offer the world, than she thinks. Jinja’s novel is a funny, dramatic read that blends love, loss, and larger-than-life family drama. Readers will root for Grace as she’s continuously dealt bad cards by life—and particularly by her ex-husband. The story reads like an intimate conversation between Grace and the reader: “I shouldn’t feel guilty or obligated to explain to a fifteen-year-old why spending thirty-five dollars on a vintage designer dress on sale at a consignment store gives me the confidence to spend time with her father.” This lends itself to emotional connections with each of the characters, who are written with just the right amount of detail to bring them to life. The novel approaches hard topics with care and sensitivity, and the Midwest feels realistic; these aren’t the usual characters looking to flee to a big city, but who are learning to live as who they are, where they are.

A delightful, thoughtful, and meaningful story of domestic life.