Native Speaker Summary
Chang-Rae Lee

Native Speaker Summary

Plot Summary

Native Speaker is a novel told from the perspective of Henry Park who is a first generation Korean American. Henry has reached a point when he has begun to reconsider everything of significance in his life, including thoughts on his parents' way of life, his career, and his worth as a spouse. The novel opens when Henry's wife is leaving on a vacation. This is her vacation away from Henry.

At the airport before boarding her plane, Henry's wife, Leila, gives him a list to read after she is gone. It is a list of traits and behaviors of Henry that she has complied over time. Nothing on the list is flattering and much of it is insulting. Henry reads the list over and over while she is away.

Henry's professional life is also suffering. He has begun to question the morality of what he does for a...

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