A review by lostcanticles
The Evening Hero by Marie Myung-Ok Lee

3.0

The Evening Hero, though not exactly long, is what I would call a dense read. It took me longer than usual to finish because it’s not something that could just be skimmed. The themes are heavy, although the author made it feel satirical at times but serious on the other. The time jumps were also a bit jarring; I enjoyed the historical parts more than the present, it’s what made me warm up to the prose and made it a much easier read. The commentary on social issues was something I could commend, especially when it comes to the American healthcare system since “The Evening Hero” was a doctor. There’s a lot more to unpack here in the history of North and South Korea, as well as Korea and the US that deserves more marinating from the reader. 

The characters on the other hand, are what I think made this less engaging than it could have been. Dr. Kwak’s reflections took up a big part of this book, and sometimes in the middle of a dialogue he would think about something from his past that would take up a lot of paragraphs and pages that I would forget who he was originally talking to in the first place; things felt directionless in some instances so I had to backtrack a lot. After spending an entire book in Dr. Kwak’s head, he still wasn’t the character I looked to warmly. I wished Young-ae - his wife - had a POV at the very least, or his mother or younger brother, Young-sik. That said, maybe the author’s style just isn’t up my alley although it’s not something I’d call bad. I still found poignancy in the storytelling and was satisfied with the ending. 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!