The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

Lisa See is a gifted writer and The Island of Sea Women is a fascinating and heart breaking read. The story follows two divers Mi-ja and Young-sook who are part of a group of women divers on the island of Jeju. Both are from different families. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator  from the city and Young-Sook comes from a long line of haenyeo (women divers) living on the coast. Jeju island is in a precarious part of the world between China and Japan (south of Korea) and fought for survival during their constant occupation by China, Japan and later the U.S. military. The island, unfortunately, is an ideal stepping stone for various military forces, being just 60 miles south of the Korean main land.
Mi-ja and Young-Sook become friends, diving together and raising their families until a fateful day when the harsh Japanese rule had ended but replaced with U.S. occupation and the local governments who are determined to stamp out communism at any cost, destroying and torturing families - setting fire to villages where there might be those capable of uprisings.
Despite the hardships, Young-Sook is a strong woman who learned from the older women and her mother in their village, diving to provide food and an income (women were taxed less than men for working) while the men of the family looked after the children and mostly drowned their sorrows in alcohol. The women also worked in the fields to provide vegetables and food for their families. Their physique was strong compared to their men and they took the brunt of the burden. On top of their hard work they were also expected to provide a son who would spiritually take care of the family after death. If the woman did not provide a son the man took a "little-wife" which the woman also had to support.

Lisa See is an expert at weaving history among the lives of her characters and showing how the island women had a strong will to survive the occupation, the harsh living conditions and the occupations.