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lucyatoz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I Went To See My Father by Kyung-Sook Shin, translated from Korean to English by Anton Hur, tells the story of Hon, a writer living in Seoul, South Korea, who returns after a long time away to her family home in the Korean countryside when her mother is in hospital being treated for cancer and her elderly father is alone.
Across 5 long chapters, we learn about the family through a series of reflections by Hon and her 4 brothers and one other sister, their experiences of life growing up in rural Korea, with many of them eventually leaving drawn by the pull of the bright city lights and having varying degrees of success in their careers.
Father's life was different, living through the Korea War, going to Seoul for work once only to return home within a few months, exchanging letters with his eldest son, which he kept safe in a wooden box, who works in Libya during the early 1990's, which always start with "Read this, Seungyeop", and finally becoming the shell of who he once was following a number of strokes.
The novel is more of a series of anecdotes and memories than a cohesive storyline and this left it feeling a little stilted and unstructured.
I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on CloudLibrary. I read this for prompt 38, published by Hachette, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.
Across 5 long chapters, we learn about the family through a series of reflections by Hon and her 4 brothers and one other sister, their experiences of life growing up in rural Korea, with many of them eventually leaving drawn by the pull of the bright city lights and having varying degrees of success in their careers.
Father's life was different, living through the Korea War, going to Seoul for work once only to return home within a few months, exchanging letters with his eldest son, which he kept safe in a wooden box, who works in Libya during the early 1990's, which always start with "Read this, Seungyeop", and finally becoming the shell of who he once was following a number of strokes.
The novel is more of a series of anecdotes and memories than a cohesive storyline and this left it feeling a little stilted and unstructured.
I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on CloudLibrary. I read this for prompt 38, published by Hachette, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Chronic illness, and Mental illness
Moderate: Vomit, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
mikarala's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I found the subject of this novel fascinating. Although there are various heavy themes and topics including grief, child loss, and PTSD, my main takeaway was how the story portrayed the rapid industrial and economic growth of South Korea through the generational divide between our MC and her father who came of age during the Korean War. Hon's father, and many of others of his generation, are portrayed as having sacrificed so much for the sake of their country and future generations, only to be left behind as Korea rapidly modernized and the countryside emptied out as young people fled to cities. I find that subject super fascinating, and I think the fact that this book was mainly set during a time when our MC, Hon, is spending time with her father and realizes he likely doesn't have much time left to live, is a really intriguing narrative choice.
Unfortunately, I didn't personally feel the novel capitalized well on the fascinating concept. For me it was far too meandering, being told in a series of vaguely connected vignettes. I struggled to get through the story as I just wasn't all that invested, and either the original story or the translation made it confusing to me who was actually narrating at times, which I found frustrating. However, like I said, I did appreciate some of the ideas this novel explored, and if those themes are ones that interest you as well, you might like this story.
Unfortunately, I didn't personally feel the novel capitalized well on the fascinating concept. For me it was far too meandering, being told in a series of vaguely connected vignettes. I struggled to get through the story as I just wasn't all that invested, and either the original story or the translation made it confusing to me who was actually narrating at times, which I found frustrating. However, like I said, I did appreciate some of the ideas this novel explored, and if those themes are ones that interest you as well, you might like this story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Child death
fkshg8465's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Another sad book by this writer, but somehow less compelling than Please Look After Mom. I mistakenly thought this was going to be a sequel, except the focus would be the father, but I was wrong and disappointed. So I think that’s why I might’ve liked this one less. Typically Korean characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War and Infidelity
emmamarie0's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: War
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