"Park's prose is often gripping, and the novel is always readable."—Kirkus Reviews
Unraveling Eunjoo's heritage is a bit like mining for gold—painstaking and seemingly futile. Her family's Korean past and the conditions of their subsequent immigration are as hazy and ever-changing as her mother's moods.
Growing up, she struggled to piece herself together, sifting for truths of her family's heritage while navigating the American culture that now engulfs them. But one thing was always crystal clear: she was expected to marry by twenty-five.
As this dreaded birthday approaches, she dodges her mother's attempts to pair her off with the perfect Christian Korean suitor. Little do her parents know, she is already in a serious relationship with a successful engineer who could tick off a lot of boxes on their checklist for a suitable husband. If only she could reveal this and put an end to the unfolding mad hunt for a suitor. But Sam isn't Korean, nor a Christian; he is Eastern Indian and a devout Hindu.
When combining their lives puts their relationship to the test, Eunjoo must decide whom to please, whom to lean on for help, and whom she wants to become.
In dog dreams, En Park crafts a tale of love, expectations, and identity, traversing not only the struggles of cross-cultural relationships but the deep need to be understood, loved, and supported by those who matter most.