The Foreign Student

A Novel

By: Susan Choi

Narrated by: Daniel K. Isaac

Highly acclaimed by critics, The Foreign Student is the story of a young Korean man, scarred by war, and the deeply troubled daughter of a wealthy Southern American family.

In 1955, a new student arrives at a small college in the Tennessee mountains. Chuck is shy, speaks English haltingly, and on the subject of his earlier life in Korea he will not speak at all. Then he meets Katherine, a beautiful and solitary young woman who, like Chuck, is haunted by some dark episode in her past. Without quite knowing why, these two outsiders are drawn together, each sensing in the other the possibility of salvation. Moving between the American South and South Korea, between an adolescent girl’s sexual awakening and a young man’s nightmarish memories of war, The Foreign Student is a powerful and emotionally gripping work of fiction.

©2009 Susan Choi (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

An emotional journey

Well done presentation of a difficult period in history, as detailed by one young man’s journey. Prepare for many characters (some likable, some not). I recommend this.

Slow moving but lyrical

A story about a young Korean man, survivor of the Korean War, who migrated to the US to escape his past. This is an unfamiliar story for many English readers and therefore important to hear. Although I appreciated the topic and found the writing to be lush and lyrical, I got confused by the multiple shifts in POV and time. Although everything came together in the end, I almost gave up a few times because I couldn’t follow the narrative thread. I’m not sorry I stuck with it but it was slow going in places.

Wonderfully rich writing

Vivid descriptions of people and places make this unusual story about a Korean student at a small Southern college in the late 1950s a surprisingly rich narrative. Beautifully narrated. A great Audible Prime Catalog selection!

A beautiful story

This was so well written! I was immersed in the characters and was on the edge of my seat when Chuck’s past was illuminated. They led very different lives, yet Chuck and Katherine both knew loss, secrets and experienced being outsiders. I definitely recommend!

Interesting Korean war era story, good read.

Although I found the timeline a bit confusing at times, the story was quite compelling and the historical background interesting. I did frankly find the Love story a bit unusual and then perplexing. Of course there's no accounting for chemistry, ever.