Scan barcode
A review by gofortori
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4 stars. Challenging / emotional / reflective / medium-paced.
“Multifaceted portraits of working women in Seoul reveal the importance of female friendships amid inequality.”
My second literary contemporary cultural debut novel this year (the first being “In Every Mirror She’s Black” which focuses on Black American and Black African women in homogeneous Sweden)! This time around, we explore the impact of impossible beauty standards and male-dominated family money on South Korean women.
I had no idea how normalized intensive plastic surgery was in South Korea. I looked it up and apparent it’s the cosmetic surgery capital of the world. I can’t imagine the pressure these expectations have on financially struggling women. Especially sad was Kyuri’s and Sujin’s ready acceptance of the side effects of their surgeries, including permanent nerve damage.
These portraits of four working-class women in modern-day Seoul reveal an array of societal constructs that are difficult to overcome, such as class, patriarchy and inequality — in addition to impossibly high beauty standards.
The story definitely highlights the differences in individualistic Western & collectivist Eastern cultures! I took a college course on Chinese culture and media, and one of the main tenets was unlearning that Western culture is better just because it’s what we grew up with. To the individuality-loving Westerner, Eastern social structures and hierarchies can seem rigid and harsh. Whereas vice versa, Easterners may view Western society as isolating and unsupportive. It’s disorienting but enlightening to read about the lives of Korean girls our age from within a Western bias.
“…a powerful and provocative rendering of contemporary South Korean society, one that might be considered bleak if not for the women themselves, who occasionally surprise with their compassion and bravery. At heart, “If I Had Your Face” is a novel about female strength, spirit, resilience — and the solace that friendship can sometimes provide.”
I’d love to know what happens to Ara, Kyuri, Wonna, and Miho — did Miho get her revenge? Did Kyuri achieve the career she never thought she’d grasp? The novel ends seemingly right before the conclusions to their arcs, but I also liked the nod to the reality that life continues on.
“Multifaceted portraits of working women in Seoul reveal the importance of female friendships amid inequality.”
My second literary contemporary cultural debut novel this year (the first being “In Every Mirror She’s Black” which focuses on Black American and Black African women in homogeneous Sweden)! This time around, we explore the impact of impossible beauty standards and male-dominated family money on South Korean women.
I had no idea how normalized intensive plastic surgery was in South Korea. I looked it up and apparent it’s the cosmetic surgery capital of the world. I can’t imagine the pressure these expectations have on financially struggling women. Especially sad was Kyuri’s and Sujin’s ready acceptance of the side effects of their surgeries, including permanent nerve damage.
These portraits of four working-class women in modern-day Seoul reveal an array of societal constructs that are difficult to overcome, such as class, patriarchy and inequality — in addition to impossibly high beauty standards.
The story definitely highlights the differences in individualistic Western & collectivist Eastern cultures! I took a college course on Chinese culture and media, and one of the main tenets was unlearning that Western culture is better just because it’s what we grew up with. To the individuality-loving Westerner, Eastern social structures and hierarchies can seem rigid and harsh. Whereas vice versa, Easterners may view Western society as isolating and unsupportive. It’s disorienting but enlightening to read about the lives of Korean girls our age from within a Western bias.
“…a powerful and provocative rendering of contemporary South Korean society, one that might be considered bleak if not for the women themselves, who occasionally surprise with their compassion and bravery. At heart, “If I Had Your Face” is a novel about female strength, spirit, resilience — and the solace that friendship can sometimes provide.”
I’d love to know what happens to Ara, Kyuri, Wonna, and Miho — did Miho get her revenge? Did Kyuri achieve the career she never thought she’d grasp? The novel ends seemingly right before the conclusions to their arcs, but I also liked the nod to the reality that life continues on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Ableism, and Abandonment