There is a moral lesson in this – Leave well alone. Women, don’t challenge your man’s ego. Mr. Park is a pastor and yet he committed suicide after he was egged on by his wife, to confront a neighbor over their sound box blasting loud music.

Park’s wife, and daughters Rosemary and Mira, are left floundering, as they try to carry on. Mrs Park had never assimilated into American culture. She desperately tries to make preparations to return to Korea. Her daughters try to sabotage her plans to sell their home, by making it undesirable for house viewing. They know that once their Mom gets money from the sale, they would be dragged back into Korea. They finally succeed in their clandestine operation, when their home blows up in a fiery inferno.

The orphans invite themselves into their elderly neighbour, Raymond van der Holt’s home. They ingratiate themselves into his routine and prove themselves useful as housemates. In this way, Rosemary and Miracle “Mira” Park get a repeat of their American dream. They get to stay on in America AND get adopted by a reasonably wealthy benefactor.

Sandi Tan’s creative writing entertains.

I have drawn fan art in a series of creative book reviews for Lurkers. To see these posts, use the keyword Lurkers in the searchbox.

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Drama teacher Mr. Z drives a Nissan Maxima. He offered a lift to Rosemary Park (Lurkers, p. 49). Unknown to her, he befriends her to groom her into becoming his co-operative protege. Read on to discover what lies in store for Rosemary.

Updated –

I finished the book Lurkers. Mr. Z fails to live up to Rosemary’s expectations. He fails himself. He could not and did not come to Rosemary’s rescue when she pleaded to him to help her stay on in America. Her recently widowed mother, Mrs Park, wants to forcibly take them back to Korea.

Mr. Z groomed Rosemary to “de-flower”. Her eventual saviour was unexpectedly the reclusive neighbor.

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I’m reading Lurkers, by Sandi Tan. The book’s satire hints at how the proliferation of churches in the neighborhood, may have shared their roots with the deodar trees lining the roads in the vicinity.

Mr. Z talks to Rosemary about the origins of the deodar trees planted along Santa Claus Lane. The deodar is prized for its strong and fragrant wood. It’s majestic standing earned its nckname of being a divine tree, aka “god’s tree”.

There is a series of posts on art drawn during my reading of Lurkers. To see more illustrations of characters and material from Lurkers, please type in the keyword Lurkers, into the search box.

Disclosure:

I may get a small percentage as #CommissionsEarned, if someone buys from this link.

Rosemary Park thought her drama teacher Bryce Zehring “looked like a handsome JFK”.

It was cryptic that Mr. Z offered to be Rosemary’s friend. Further along in the book, we can expect to see whether Rosemary accepts his invitation.

Mr. Z:

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A mysterious naked girl is one of the Lurkers who hangs around Raymond van der Holt’s house (Tan, Lurkers, p. 33). Her black hair covers her countenance, more than a face mask could. She taunts him by slamming her nubile body against his window pane, leaving her imprint.

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I’ll draw more as I read along.