Review: American Hagwon is a delicious literary soap opera about education and parental pressure

In the new novel American Hagwon, author Min Jin Lee explores the intense pressures of parental ambition and academic success through the story of the Koh family. After returning to Seoul from abroad in 1992, the family faces a harsh cultural transition that forces their children into the competitive world of hagwons, or private tutoring institutes. The narrative follows father John Koh, whose career trajectory collapses after he is falsely accused of harassment by his boss's mistress, causing the family to lose their financial stability and relocate to the United States. Following the financial crisis of 1997, the family struggles to maintain their children's education while navigating new lives in California. The book weaves together their personal challenges with a large cast of characters, including a manipulative femme fatale, while critiquing the narrow definition of success. Lee ultimately presents an expansive, albeit occasionally dense, examination of the sacrifices families make for status, ultimately advocating for a focus on genuine knowledge over parental expectations.