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nadiahzkr's review
3.0
very eerie and unpleasant setting overall, which is the exact ambiance i expected judging from the title and synopsis alone. i’ve never read kang hwagil’s other short stories, but demons is a 30-page story that manages to discuss multiple themes in a claustrophobic and gothic-like manner.
through kim miyoung’s perspective, there are elements of the integral part of youth, which is influence. it is so easy for children to be influenced by the people around them, the actions and words spoken carelessly without realizing the impact they would have on the youngsters. there’s also the generational differences in mentality and societal values, which is distinct between miyoung and her mother in law. the dysfunctional family or marriage trope is also applied to miyoung’s personal life as she struggles to raise her daughter, mina, alone. her husband is often far away in other countries for work, or in all honesty, to avoid his role in the relationship.
miyoung is a victim of hallucinations courtesy of the demons that the villagers believe in. she has to deal with multiple problems at once—her judgmental and demanding mother in law, her badly influenced daughter, her students being bullies, and the overall isolation she faces from the villagers who treat her as a foreigner. it is a creepy short story, and i think it would’ve made a better impression for me if the translation wasn’t a little awkward or stiff.
i do appreciate the originality of korean words not being translated such as meju. but i wish we were given more context to these korean words because i had to google what meju is instead of knowing what it is from the story itself. meju is a brick of dried fermented soybeans, btw.
i would definitely read more stories by kang hwagil, but perhaps from a different translator.
through kim miyoung’s perspective, there are elements of the integral part of youth, which is influence. it is so easy for children to be influenced by the people around them, the actions and words spoken carelessly without realizing the impact they would have on the youngsters. there’s also the generational differences in mentality and societal values, which is distinct between miyoung and her mother in law. the dysfunctional family or marriage trope is also applied to miyoung’s personal life as she struggles to raise her daughter, mina, alone. her husband is often far away in other countries for work, or in all honesty, to avoid his role in the relationship.
miyoung is a victim of hallucinations courtesy of the demons that the villagers believe in. she has to deal with multiple problems at once—her judgmental and demanding mother in law, her badly influenced daughter, her students being bullies, and the overall isolation she faces from the villagers who treat her as a foreigner. it is a creepy short story, and i think it would’ve made a better impression for me if the translation wasn’t a little awkward or stiff.
i do appreciate the originality of korean words not being translated such as meju. but i wish we were given more context to these korean words because i had to google what meju is instead of knowing what it is from the story itself. meju is a brick of dried fermented soybeans, btw.
i would definitely read more stories by kang hwagil, but perhaps from a different translator.
kirstenfindlay's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
halibut's review
5.0
A similar sense of unease to Fever Dream, in a very compact and claustrophobic story.
jackalop3's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
spacestationtrustfund's review
4.0
『손』 by Kang Hwagil (강화길), translated into English by Mattho Mandersloot. The word "손" can also mean "guest" (or "hand") as well as referring to a type of wandering evil spirit (방황하는 악령).
Great translation, and I also read an interview with Mandersloot that made me go full "but I'M me" for a couple of reasons: 1) studies classics, 2) studied translation, 3) practiced taekwondo, 4) works with Korean fiction, 5) said this: "The sheer joy I got out of ‘languaging’ made me want to translate for a living," 6) said this: "It’s absolutely fascinating to witness the interplay between all these different languages in my own head," 7) said this: "the euphoria when you dig up exactly the right phrase from the depths of your mind, the pleasure in knowing that you are introducing a number of people to new and exciting literature they would otherwise never have come into contact with, and obviously bickering with fellow translators about the minuscule difference between two synonyms" (shut up).
Great translation, and I also read an interview with Mandersloot that made me go full "but I'M me" for a couple of reasons: 1) studies classics, 2) studied translation, 3) practiced taekwondo, 4) works with Korean fiction, 5) said this: "The sheer joy I got out of ‘languaging’ made me want to translate for a living," 6) said this: "It’s absolutely fascinating to witness the interplay between all these different languages in my own head," 7) said this: "the euphoria when you dig up exactly the right phrase from the depths of your mind, the pleasure in knowing that you are introducing a number of people to new and exciting literature they would otherwise never have come into contact with, and obviously bickering with fellow translators about the minuscule difference between two synonyms" (shut up).