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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
bookmaddie's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
So, many years ago, I read and loved Please Look After Mom, to which this is billed as a follow-up. However, I just didn't connect with this novel, and it left me wanting more.
The story follows a woman who goes home to look after her aging father while her mother goes to a doctor's appointment in another city. I read Please Look After Mom ages ago, so I may be missing the connection, but I'm guessing it's just that they both chronicle a child's love and memories of their parent—this time, a father, and not a mother. And I love that idea, especially since I'm close with my own dad, so I thought this book would really get me good.
However, I felt held at arms distance the entire read. I could never crack the story. While some of that may have to do with the translation, I think my bigger issue is the way the narrative is structured. For most of the book, there were three general timelines—her father's childhood, the narrator's memories, and the present day. This would be fine, except every few paragraphs seemed to switch from one timeline to another, dropping in to one story while the other wasn't completed yet. It felt very choppy and made it hard for me to feel connected to any of the characters or what they were going through.
The second half of the book gets a bit more interesting, when we hear from other family members, which include longer recollections. I found this section to be more potent and moving, but that couldn't save the rest of the book for me. I left the reading experience feeling nothing, which is a bit shocking for such a personal subject matter.
I'm sad this one didn't work for me, as I've also enjoyed The Court Dancer by Shin. I'm still curious to read Violets—maybe a more plot-driven novel will work better for me.
Thanks to Astra House Books for providing me with a digital advanced copy of this book!
The story follows a woman who goes home to look after her aging father while her mother goes to a doctor's appointment in another city. I read Please Look After Mom ages ago, so I may be missing the connection, but I'm guessing it's just that they both chronicle a child's love and memories of their parent—this time, a father, and not a mother. And I love that idea, especially since I'm close with my own dad, so I thought this book would really get me good.
However, I felt held at arms distance the entire read. I could never crack the story. While some of that may have to do with the translation, I think my bigger issue is the way the narrative is structured. For most of the book, there were three general timelines—her father's childhood, the narrator's memories, and the present day. This would be fine, except every few paragraphs seemed to switch from one timeline to another, dropping in to one story while the other wasn't completed yet. It felt very choppy and made it hard for me to feel connected to any of the characters or what they were going through.
The second half of the book gets a bit more interesting, when we hear from other family members, which include longer recollections. I found this section to be more potent and moving, but that couldn't save the rest of the book for me. I left the reading experience feeling nothing, which is a bit shocking for such a personal subject matter.
I'm sad this one didn't work for me, as I've also enjoyed The Court Dancer by Shin. I'm still curious to read Violets—maybe a more plot-driven novel will work better for me.
Thanks to Astra House Books for providing me with a digital advanced copy of this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
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