The Chronicle of Manchwidang by Moon Soo KimMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Whenever I get the feeling a book has ended mid-story, I can only assume I missed something, whether plotwise or symbolic (usually symbolic). This was what happened here. The story was quite interesting, building up gradually as the son makes his journey South, leading to a culmination toward the end, only to conclude... I'm not sure how. Oddly, I guess. With a sort of whimper. Which is why I assume I'm missing something. Probably some of the symbolism of "Manchwidang" itself.
But this might also be due to my reading in translation. If the Hangul, or even the Hanja of Manchwidang were shown it might help. Am I right in thinking one version was "滿醉" (very drunk), while the 'official' one was "萬歲" (10,000 years)?
Still, an enjoyable short story.
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