If You Leave Me: A Novel

If You Leave Me is a debut novel set during Korea's civil war. When the communist-backed northern army invades, sixteen-year-old Haemi Lee flees with her widowed mother and ailing brother to a refugee camp on the coast. There, she spends nights with her childhood friend Kyunghwan, who is focused on finishing school. Haemi's older, wealthier cousin Jisoo also pursues her and is determined to marry her before joining the fighting. Haemi chooses to marry Jisoo for her family's security rather than follow her heart with Kyunghwan. As she becomes a wife and mother, this decision triggers a chain of events with lasting consequences across generations. The novel explores war, refugee life, forbidden love, and one woman's struggle for autonomy during a period of rapid change.