A review by bookdragon217
When We Fell Apart by Soon Wiley

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"To not know what's going on inside someone else's head. Trust me. I see alot. Sometimes it's the people who seem perfectly fine that are going through hell on the inside. Somehow they're the best at hiding it." 

When We Fell Apart by Soon Wiley was stunning debut. It was a gorgeously written story about identity, agency, family and social restrictions, markers of otherness, self discovery and the masks people wear to deal with it all. Wiley depicts Seoul, Korea through the eyes of each character and you are introduced to how each sees Seoul as the metaphor a d actualization of who they want to become. This novel also touches on the ideas of safety, intimacy and the ways people hide within themselves as well as in relation to others. 

The story is told from the POV's of Min, a biracial American and Yu-jin, his girlfriend who dies by suicide. Each one is trying to find and connect to their authentic selves under the strict constraints of Korean society. Min doesn't accept Yu-jin's suicide and as the story unravels the pieces of the puzzle unravel and discovers all the buried secrets that were laying beneath the surface. 

I am left reflecting on:
 🇰🇷 how familial expectations can be suffocating when they reflect oppressive national views rooted in history
 🇰🇷 the ways that women bear burdens invisible to others
 🇰🇷 how biracial people have to constantly straddle the in between 
 🇰🇷 the masks people have to wear to be accepted
 🇰🇷 the ways that one's personhood is measured against otherness 
 🇰🇷 how suicide leaves a void with those left behind
 🇰🇷 how you never truly know someone else's breaking point
 🇰🇷 how pervasive homophobia still is globally
 🇰🇷 how the arts are an expression of ones identity and desires
 🇰🇷 how secrets slowly chip away at you and create shame
 🇰🇷 shame vs. desire vs. family 

Thanks to @duttonbooks for the gifted copy. If you are looking for a compelling, propulsion read for AAPI & Mental Health Month, I highly recommend this one as a buddy read. You will want to talk to someone about this story because there is so much to unpack. Wiley is author I will definitely read in the future. 

#WhenWeFellApart #SoonWiley #Korea #books 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia and Suicide