Scan barcode
A review by sebby_reads
Violets by Kyung-sook Shin
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Violets by South Korean writer Kyung-Shook Shin tells a story of Oh San and her lonely and repressive life. It was originally published in 2001 and has been recently translated into English by Anton Hur. I’ve been wanting to read this for quite some time. Thank you so much Feminist Press for a digital ARC.
The story started with San’s childhood in a village. Since her father abandoned them she had been living with her mother and grandmother. She was also neglected by her mother and she was only accompany by her friend Namae. One day, they had a moment of physical intimacy in a field of minari but afterwards San faced a violent rejection from Namae. Unbeknownst to the situation and her feelings at that time, San struggled to get her friend back but Namae continued to reject her.
Years later while working at a flower shop in Seoul, San became friend with Su-ae, the florist of the shop who later became her roommate. At the shop, she encountered a sexually aggressive businessman, and a photographer who came to take photos of violets for a magazine. After another encounter with the photographer, San developed an obsession with him. Since she left the village San never met Namae again but still wondered about that brief intimate incident from time to time.Scarred by her parents’ abandonment and Namae’s harsh rejection, San was traumatised and didn’t know how to deal with her feelings for the photographer Will she ever feel loved?
What a beautiful and haunting story. Through writer’s captivating and picturesque storytelling, I sauntered through San’s lonely life and found a lot to unpack for. The protagonist was shattered by the trauma of being abandoned since her youth and had been internally battling the repeated rejections of her closet people. She had also repressed her queer desire internally for a long time. The book depicted a society where patriarchy is still strongly presence and talked about domestic abuse and violence against women including sexual harassment, as well. It is a heartbreaking read. Kudos to Anton Hur for yet another eminent translation. Poignant and unforgettable.
Violets will be available on April 12th, 2022. This is my first book by Kyung-Shook Shin and I’ve heard or seen many great reviews of her book, Please Look After Mom which won her 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize. I have already put it in my TBR list and can’t wait to read it, too. Anton Hur is longlisted for this year’s International Bookers with two of his translated books, Cursed Bunny and Love in the Big City. I love both books and I would like to read his other translated works, too. This is my second book of #ManseMarch reading. I had very little reading in March but managed to finish this book in the evening of 31st March. Just in the nick of time. 😊
The story started with San’s childhood in a village. Since her father abandoned them she had been living with her mother and grandmother. She was also neglected by her mother and she was only accompany by her friend Namae. One day, they had a moment of physical intimacy in a field of minari but afterwards San faced a violent rejection from Namae. Unbeknownst to the situation and her feelings at that time, San struggled to get her friend back but Namae continued to reject her.
Years later while working at a flower shop in Seoul, San became friend with Su-ae, the florist of the shop who later became her roommate. At the shop, she encountered a sexually aggressive businessman, and a photographer who came to take photos of violets for a magazine. After another encounter with the photographer, San developed an obsession with him. Since she left the village San never met Namae again but still wondered about that brief intimate incident from time to time.Scarred by her parents’ abandonment and Namae’s harsh rejection, San was traumatised and didn’t know how to deal with her feelings for the photographer Will she ever feel loved?
What a beautiful and haunting story. Through writer’s captivating and picturesque storytelling, I sauntered through San’s lonely life and found a lot to unpack for. The protagonist was shattered by the trauma of being abandoned since her youth and had been internally battling the repeated rejections of her closet people. She had also repressed her queer desire internally for a long time. The book depicted a society where patriarchy is still strongly presence and talked about domestic abuse and violence against women including sexual harassment, as well. It is a heartbreaking read. Kudos to Anton Hur for yet another eminent translation. Poignant and unforgettable.
Violets will be available on April 12th, 2022. This is my first book by Kyung-Shook Shin and I’ve heard or seen many great reviews of her book, Please Look After Mom which won her 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize. I have already put it in my TBR list and can’t wait to read it, too. Anton Hur is longlisted for this year’s International Bookers with two of his translated books, Cursed Bunny and Love in the Big City. I love both books and I would like to read his other translated works, too. This is my second book of #ManseMarch reading. I had very little reading in March but managed to finish this book in the evening of 31st March. Just in the nick of time. 😊
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Abandonment, and Violence