Review: Hunger

Hunger by Choi Jin-young
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Intense and bit depressing, but also just odd and disturbing. For some reason, however, it works, although it leaves you with a bit of a hopeless feeling.




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Review: Nowhere to Be Found

Nowhere to Be Found by Bae Suah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The interesting thing about this novel is that I kept waiting for more to happen, and I felt like there was alot of symbolism I didn't get, but as soon as I finished it I wanted to re-read it. It captures you without your realizing, much like "Highway with Green Apples".

4.5 stars


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Review: The Underground Village

The Underground Village by Kang Kyeong-ae
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Depressing but poignant, by someone who lived it.


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Review: Time Difference

Time Difference by Sou Linne Baik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A short novella that is a pleasure to read, with some difficult moments. The "Time difference" could also be "Different timeline" or something along those lines, although it also ties together Korea with Europe.


The author has a smooth, pleasant writing style. I will be looking for more by her.


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Review: Hot Air Balloon

Hot Air Balloon by Son Bo-mi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I probably didn't understand much of the symbolism of this book, but quite liked it nonetheless. There was a constant feeling of "what if" in terms of things that happened in the past, and wishing things had gone differently. And the main one becomes more clear toward the end.

Reading the afterword, it was very interesting to see how the author came about her ideas for this book.


4.5 stars


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Review: Beauty Looks Down on Me

Beauty Looks Down on Me by Eun Hee-kyung
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had issues with pretty much every one of these short stories, but I'm still giving it 5 stars. Mainly because I think it's my fault.

Each one of these stories seems to stem from some research. In other words, I feel like each story made me smarter, whether it be regarding weight loss, time and memory, or Russian cosmonauts.

However, don't expect closure as such from any of these stories. The proverbial quest is the journey itself (or whatever the expression is).

- Beauty Looks Down on Me: A great story about a man and his weight loss
- Discovery of Solitude: The oddest story, probably, but full of nostalgia.
- Weather and life: A perfectly normal girl is actually quite resilient, although I'm not sure she ever figures it ou
- Map addict: Seems to show the juxtaposition between routine and adventure. A guy joins a hike in the Rockies.
- Praising Doubt: A woman is meeting a man with her same name for a date, but his twin brother shows up instead. This is just the beginning of it.
- Yuri Gagarin’s Blue Star: My favorite story. A man stuck in a comfortable routine receives an odd email that arouses memories. I wish this had a conclusion. I really felt it left me hanging, but it was great.




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Review: The World's Most Expensive Novel

The World's Most Expensive Novel by Kim Min-Jung
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not sure I 100% understood this novella, but I know I enjoyed it. It shows the juxtaposition between a "starving artist" writer and a financially (very) successful businessman. It is written almost as stream of thought, and in it the author seems to attempt to bridge the gap between her and her brother. How does he have so much money? How can she do the same in order to earn money? Should she?


Enjoyable and original



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Review: One Spoon on This Earth

One Spoon on This Earth by Ki-young Hyun
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is described as a Bildungsroman, which is it, although it comes across as a stream of consciousness set of recollections from childhood.

It is also haunting, dealing with the Jeju uprising, as well as the Korean war and its aftermath.


All in all very eye-opening. I kind of wish a map were provided so I could find more of the spots mentioned, although I'm sure nothing is the same these days.



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Review: He Gave Me Roses of the Balkans

He Gave Me Roses of the Balkans by Jung Mi-Kyung
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found this more memorable than the stories in "My Son's Girlfriend". It was odd how the two voices switched from first person (for the man) and third (for the woman). Still, it was a thought-provoking short story.


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Review: Convalescenza

Convalescenza by Han Kang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This felt almost like a study for The Vegetarian. Similar feel.

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Review: Counterattacks at Thirty

Counterattacks at Thirty by Sohn Won-Pyung
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A fun book, very different from the author's other novel "Almond". This follows an insecure thirty year old who somewhat lashes out in protests (the counterattacks). In this, the novel critiques the ongoing protests carried out in Seoul. This was written in 2017, during the protests against Park Geun-hye, but are just as relevant now with the recent protests against Yoon Suk Yeol. A satisfying ending and quite enjoyable.


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Review: The Cabinet

The Cabinet by Kim Un-Su
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This seems to be a collection of almost unrelated oddities, all from so-called Cabinet 13. Slowly, however, we are draw into an overarching story of a crime syndicate, and a question as to if these oddities are just random or not.

A fun, original read. At root is a condemnation of modern times.


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Review: Your Utopia

Your Utopia by Bora Chung
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Science fiction is a copout, since, much like with fantasy, you can invent the rules and orchestrate any number of deus ex machinas (machinae?) to change the plot as you wish.

This is why I never really understood or got into sci-fi.

And this is why I think Bora Chung is the best sci-fi author for people who don't like sci-fi. This is the second book of hers that I've read (plus one short story), and I've loved everything I've read by her thus far.

The Center for Immortality Research - Nice twist ending.
The End of the Voyage - This might have been my favorite. Some odd virus has overtaken earth so a ship escapes into space to preserve the human race.
A Very Ordinary Marriage - A short, fun read.
Maria, Gratia Plena - Excellent, if a bit sad.
Your Utopia - Great story, showcasing evolution in robots(?)
A Song for Sleep - A good story about IOT
Seed - Evolution of people (and plants)
To Meet Her - More about protests than anything, it seemed like, albeit in a dystopian future.



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Review: Shoko's Smile: Stories

Shoko's Smile: Stories by Choi Eun-young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an excellent collection of stories, rendered even more interesting by the revelation, in the author's afterword, that the title story was at first rejected.

Regardless, I like all the stories. My favorites were probably Xin Chào, Xin Chào and Secret. The weakest was probably A Song from Afar.

Ok, I will also admit I'm not sure I understood the end of Secret, but I'd like to think I did.



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Review: When Adam Opens His Eyes

When Adam Opens His Eyes by Jang Jung-Il
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an odd read. The first (and main) part of the book is the main story, "When Adam Opens His Eyes". It is an excellent read. I could see how this may have been quite radical when it was written, but it is still pleasurable and very interesting. It isn't as depressing as most Korean literature from this time period (at least the literature I have read thus far), while still not being cheery. It smacks more of a dose of someone's life, uncensored.

The last 20 pages or so are a completely different story called "The seventh day", which has nothing to do with the narrative and which, quite frankly, ruined the book for me. It is erotic, gory, and somewhat gratuitous in trying to be x-rated.

5 stars for the first part. 1 star for the final part. I still want to read more by this author.



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Review: The Consultant

The Consultant by Im Seong-Sun
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An enthralling premise with good follow-through that, unfortunately, doesn't seem to know what to do with itself at the end. Still, an intriguing read. I find myself wishing the author would revisit this and add more to the story.


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Review: Bluebeard's First Wife

Bluebeard's First Wife by Ha Seong-nan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A refreshing collection of short stories:


1. The Star Shaped Stain - This was depressing, based off a real story of a summer camp that burned down with children in it.
2. Bluebeard’s First Wife - Interesting story. A woman marries a man and moves with him to New Zealand.
3. Flies - A man joins a police station in a remote town. He is an outsider and things happen (no spoilers!)
4. Night Poaching - The same feel as "Flies". In fact, I initially thought it might be a second part to that story. I enjoyed this a bit more though. A detective goes to a remote town to solve a murder.
5. O Father - A father seems to have a double life only his daughter is privy to.
6. Joy To The World - A woman is about to get married to a man. One drunken night she hangs out with him and his friends and finds out they harbor a secret.
7. The Dress Shirt - Another depressing one, surrounding a student suicide by jumping off an apartment building.
8. On The Green, Green, Grass - A couple has a disabled son, and a dog they love, which runs away, so they search for it.
9. A Quiet Night - An almost funny story. Although for much of it it seems like it could be tragic. About noisy upstairs bratty kids.
10. Pinky Finger - May favorite story. A woman gets into a cab alone. Things go wrong but not in a way you'd expect.
11. Daisy Fleabane - A girl gets hooked by a fishing line.


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Review: The Law of Lines

The Law of Lines by Hye-Young Pyun
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2 women exploring a suicide in each of their families, which they don't quite believe to be suicide. This was bleak and a tad depressing. The end was... odd? But if you're in the mood for a convoluted thriller, this fits the bill.




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Review: The Ma Rok Biographies

The Ma Rok Biographies by Giwon Seo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3 short stories, all featuring a person named Ma (3 different stories, 3 different people, seemingly unrelated to each other).

The first story was about a person who was among the last to escape the North Koreans in Seoul, by swimming across the Han river in broad daylight, and his subsequent career in the army.

The second story was about the descendant of a "conscientious official", and the issues between maintaining his family "honor" (against his father's wishes), or groveling to officials for a job.

The third story was my favorite. This concerned a man operating for the Japanese, during a time when everyone was "officially" operating for the Japanese in Korea, and how he ultimately helps an official handle his "subversive" son.


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Review: DallerGut Dream Department Store

DallerGut Dream Department Store by Lee Mi-ye
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fun book, but maybe I'm just not smart enough for it. Dreamers purchase dreams while they dream (yes), don't remember having purchased them, and (for some odd reason) only pay for them afterward based on their experiences. Is that right? Also, why?

I like the different ideas of various dreams, in that bad dreams can be good for you, Pre-cognitive dreams can lead to deja-vus, and people can commission dreams to be delivered to loved ones after they're gone. I also liked the entire story around the Third Disciple of the Time God.

But why did they have to complicate it with the convoluted purchase system. Also I'm not sure I get all the supernatural contributors (Noctilucas, Leprechauns, Santa Claus, etc.)



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