The Last Tiger, the new fantasy young adult novel by siblings Julia and Brad Riew, is also historical fiction — in more ways than one. Through its fantasy world, it gives readers a peek inside the Japanese occupation of Korea that took place from the early to mid-20th century. It also reimagines a history near and dear to the sibling authors’ hearts: the real-life love story of their grandparents.
The Last Tiger takes place in a land called the Tiger Colonies, which are occupied by the Dragon Kingdom. The dynamics of the story draw from the realities of Japanese occupation as well as Korean folklore. The Dragon Kingdom is cruel, suppressing Tiger culture (including the speaking of Tiger language), leaving Tiger citizens in poverty, and using force to abuse and steal from Tiger citizens. At the outset of the book, there is a ritualistic killing of a tiger, an important creature in Korean folklore.
The two main characters inhabit different worlds against this backdrop, and alternating chapters switch between their points of view. Eunji comes from a wealthy family. Her family is favored by the Tiger Kingdom, regularly welcoming Tiger officials into their home. Seung comes from a poor family, and he works as a servant in Eunji’s house.
After an encounter at the tiger-slaying ceremony at the beginning of the book, the pair have a fateful meeting in the family kimchi fridge. Eunji agrees to tutor Seung for an exam that could give him admission into an exclusive academy that teaches Dragon ki, a force that gives you supernatural strength and imparts great privilege, saving Seung from a life of manual labor. Seung agrees to show her the world outside the family estate through clandestine visits to the surrounding village.
The authors took the dynamic between their main characters directly from writing by and interviews of their grandparents. Their grandmother really was wealthy, while their grandfather was poor — and their love was forbidden. The characters are modeled after each grandparent, including their individual experiences under occupation, the responsibility they feel to their families, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
Each chapter begins with an epigraph from the writing of the chapter’s real-life inspiration, and the quote is related to the action taking place in the chapter.
(If you want to see something to make you teary, watch the video of the siblings showing the book to their grandmother.)
The Last Tiger gives readers a perspective of a period often only found in history books. It explores the impact and complexities of oppression, showing how — whether you have privilege in that system or have to struggle every day — you are locked in a cage.
Yet the book finds hope along the way through its star-crossed lover story, as the characters find that the fate of their relationship may mirror the fate of their country. It’s a romance, but it’s also a tale of adventure and revolution, especially as the characters go searching for the last tiger mentioned in the title. And it even finds a way to fit in a believable love triangle or two.
Whether readers are age 12 or four times that age, they will find The Last Tiger to be a book that is not only educational but also gripping and fun. For those of Korean heritage, it’s a peek inside an era that still impacts them today — an era with experiences often difficult to access, locked deep inside the memories of grandparents.
