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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The setting of Sokcho during the winter tourism off-season makes for a quiet novel, a melancholy atmosphere that invites you to settle in, get comfortable, and take it one day at a time.
The main protagonist is a woman in her 20s, who has returned to her hometown after a short stay in Seoul during her university years. She works at a guesthouse that has seen better days, sleeps over at her mum's on Sundays, and sometimes sees a guy who's hoping to get a job in Seoul and move them both there. Shaking up her world is a French visitor, a graphic novelist whose books follow an adventurer, and he has selected Sokcho as his next destination.
This isn't a love story. It tackles many themes, with enough of a nudge that you didn't need more pages, but none of these are romantic. A large topic is the contentment in what others may perceive as a small life, in a similar tone to 'Convenience Store Woman' by Sayaka Murata. Another one is motherhood, as we observe the pull and push of wanting to stay nearby parents, yet feeling suffocated by their criticisms and by their idea of what you should look like, who you should marry or how much money you should make. There's Korean food, with a particular focus on fish and seafood, for example fugu, who can be poisonous if not treated properly. And then there is the topic I found most fascinating, when two people get to know each other and communicate beyond words. They discover each other more through their gazes, the novelist's art, or through language. We observe how they seek each other out, both seemingly unsure of how the other feels about them. I enjoy so much reading about that sort of flirting where you don't know where you stand, so it also created that kind of tension.
I still don't really know what one would go to Sokcho for. It sounds like summer would welcome a lot of Koreans looking for a beach, or perhaps foreigners wanting the novelty of seeing a place so close to the border with North Korea. But still, it makes for the perfect background given the rhythm of this novel.
The main protagonist is a woman in her 20s, who has returned to her hometown after a short stay in Seoul during her university years. She works at a guesthouse that has seen better days, sleeps over at her mum's on Sundays, and sometimes sees a guy who's hoping to get a job in Seoul and move them both there. Shaking up her world is a French visitor, a graphic novelist whose books follow an adventurer, and he has selected Sokcho as his next destination.
This isn't a love story. It tackles many themes, with enough of a nudge that you didn't need more pages, but none of these are romantic. A large topic is the contentment in what others may perceive as a small life, in a similar tone to 'Convenience Store Woman' by Sayaka Murata. Another one is motherhood, as we observe the pull and push of wanting to stay nearby parents, yet feeling suffocated by their criticisms and by their idea of what you should look like, who you should marry or how much money you should make. There's Korean food, with a particular focus on fish and seafood, for example fugu, who can be poisonous if not treated properly. And then there is the topic I found most fascinating, when two people get to know each other and communicate beyond words. They discover each other more through their gazes, the novelist's art, or through language. We observe how they seek each other out, both seemingly unsure of how the other feels about them. I enjoy so much reading about that sort of flirting where you don't know where you stand, so it also created that kind of tension.
I still don't really know what one would go to Sokcho for. It sounds like summer would welcome a lot of Koreans looking for a beach, or perhaps foreigners wanting the novelty of seeing a place so close to the border with North Korea. But still, it makes for the perfect background given the rhythm of this novel.
3.5 stars
it didn’t take me long to be immersed in this story. it was really interesting and i couldn’t put the book down. however, there were some parts of both the plot and characters that confused me which i guess is part of the beauty of the book. i really enjoyed it especially!! towards the end. loved the writing but i found some detailed scenes not as interesting.
it didn’t take me long to be immersed in this story. it was really interesting and i couldn’t put the book down. however, there were some parts of both the plot and characters that confused me which i guess is part of the beauty of the book. i really enjoyed it especially!! towards the end. loved the writing but i found some detailed scenes not as interesting.
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
this was a melancholic read depicting the nature of a guesthouse operating through the winter season in a beachside town of sokcho. as i read on i drew a connection with the netflix series - slow, agonised pace and perception towards life, deep emotional yearnings, yet all just on the surface striving to appear attuned and natural. short and beautifully layered read
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes