Native Speaker (novel)

Native Speaker is a 1995 novel by Korean American author Chang-rae Lee. It won the PEN/Hemingway Award and the American Book Award.

The novel follows the story of Henry Park, a Korean American man working as a spy for a private investigation firm in New York City. Henry's work involves infiltrating ethnic communities by gathering information through careful observation and cultivating relationships, often under false pretenses. He is tasked with investigating John Kwang, a charismatic Korean American politician.

Throughout the narrative, Henry grapples with his identity, his strained relationship with his wife, Lelia, and his feelings of alienation from both American and Korean cultures. The novel explores themes of assimilation, the complexities of ethnic identity in America, language as a tool of power and deception, and the challenges of intimacy and communication within interpersonal relationships.

The title, Native Speaker, is ironic, as Henry's fluency in Korean is limited, and he feels like an outsider in both his adopted American culture and the culture of his parents. He struggles to find a sense of belonging and authenticity. The novel also explores how language shapes perception and influences relationships, and how Henry's professional life as a spy impacts his personal life. The narrative is told in a non-linear fashion, interweaving Henry's present-day investigation with flashbacks to earlier periods in his life.