Soon Wiley, a native of Nyack, New York, received his B.A. in English and philosophy from Connecticut College, and he holds an MFA in creative writing from Wichita State University. His writing has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and earned him fellowships in Wyoming and France. When We Fell Apart: A Novel (Dutton) is his first book. When the Seoul police inform Min that his girlfriend, Yu-jin, has committed suicide, he’s sure it can’t be true. She was successful, ambitious, happy, and just on the cusp of graduating from university and claiming the future of her dreams. Min, born to an American father and a Korean mother, never felt such certainty about his life’s path. Growing up in California, he always felt “too Korean” to fit in. In Seoul, he hoped exploring his heritage would help him find a sense of purpose. Devastated by Yu-jin’s death, Min throws himself into discovering why she could have secretly wanted to die. Or did she? Her life was much more complex than she chose to reveal to Min – and his findings lead to urgent questions about cultural identity, family bonds, secrets, and what it truly means to belong.
