A review by estherb
When We Fell Apart by Soon Wiley

emotional reflective relaxing sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

When we fell apart is a beautifully written novel depicting cultural differences and what it’s like to be stuck in the middle of two different worlds. 


When Min is told of his girlfriend Yu-Jin’s death he can’t believe that she would have committed suicide. She was such a vibrant woman with her whole life ahead of her; she just wouldn’t have taken it away.

With a controlling father and two roommates - one aloof and one hiding something, Yu-Jin’s life was more complicated than Min had been led to believe.

What is the truth? Will he ever uncover what actually happened ? 

We learn quite early on that the relationship between Yu-Jin and So-ra is not as platonic as we are led to believe, and due to Korea’s views on same sex relationships and how it can affect your social standing, the women choose to hide it - hence the emergence of Yu-Jin’s relationship with Min.

This is dealt with delicately - as someone who lives in a society where homosexuality is largely accepted (some people still don’t) it’s strange to think that a county (or city like Seoul which is largely metropolitan) still has these archaic views on the LGBTQ+ community.

Showing stark differences between the two cultures, Yu-Jin has to acknowledge the decisions that she make, So-ra makes and the decisions of her family. Unfortunately they don’t necessarily lead to a happy ending.

(I have to add I have not researched this - these are the opinions I have formed from reading the novel )
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