The Last Story of Mina Lee

Margot is Mina Lee’s 26-year-old daughter. She is unsure of herself and her place in America. As the novel begins, her mother is not answering her phone calls. When Margot travels to Los Angeles and finds her mother dead, she begins to investigate. She is courageous and tenacious in her investigation. Margot loves art, American culture, music, and the English language. She hated growing up in Koreatown and has always wanted to reduce the vestiges of her heritage. She spends much of the story feeling guilty about not being a better daughter, and of not staying in touch with her mother.

As Margot investigates her mother’s death, she learns more about her mother’s life—her losses, her sacrifices, and her struggles as an immigrant. Through this process, Margot develops a better understanding of why her mother lived as she did, and she sees what communication barriers kept her from seeing: that Mina acted out of love for her and wanted her to have a happier life than she had. In tracing her mother’s story—and finding out the identify of her father, whom she never met—she also realizes that avoiding feelings and relationships did not serve her mother well and is not serving her well either.