The Letters/A Lifetime Foreign Affair is a love story about two countries, two cultures, two lives, and one love. And the authentic portrayal of an ultimate and profoundly satisfying love relationship evolved between the book's author and her late husband.
This powerful story is also a collection of two lovers' letters, respect for cultures, individual lives, and respect for a union in love. It all begins when a rugged, dashing, and disciplined U.S. Marine Corps Colonel, Hewitt Dayne Adams, meets the beautiful but strong-willed and highly knowledgeable Mae Hee Yum from a Korean aristocratic family by chance and fate. Mae's unexplained prophetic dream under her grandfather's ginkgo tree when six years old intertwines two lives together with two different views of life.
Full of life lessons and a tender, timeless romance, the letters capture the joys and frustrations that come with love while also revealing the deepest secrets of their hearts. It is poignant, emotional, and at times heartrending. The conversations between them are often frank and brutally honest. The letters display their frailties, strengths, passionate love, and all the human emotions they experienced. The fundamental differences in their cultural upbringing of East and West played a large part in misunderstanding each other and hindered their way to harmony.
The author's upper-class status and her upbringing in Korean society put many obstacles in the way of their relationship. It is poignant, emotionally charged, evocative, candid, and at times heartrending. Both lovers provide vivid visual descriptions, particularly of each other and other people.
There is also a portrayal of the richness of the Korean culture, wisdom, profound insight into all types of relationships, and intertwining of life through family and community. Added to it is the delicate balance between nature and incredible Korean spiritual mysteries.