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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
A wonderfully atmospheric read about a Korean-French woman searching for her identity in city where she feels excluded for appearing too foreign.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I could not tell you what Winter in Sokcho is about, but I can tell you about the reading experience. Relying heavily on atmosphere and mood, Dusapin's novel is bleak, eerie and has a fever dream-like quality to it. The whole book felt like a slow burn noir with vivid images of the town appearing while all the characters felt like ghosts.
Kerrand poses as an interesting character to examine contemporary Korea. A French-man who arrives hoping to set his next story in the quiet town if tense undercurrents due to it's close proximity to the North, Kerrand claim he wants to see an 'authentic' Korea, yet he visits the museums and avoids people on the streets, turning his nose up at local offerings. The novel holds an implicit accusation that Korea is consumable to the West when it is reduced to it's ongoing tensions with the North, glitzy pop or colourful homes.
The novel touched on several themes: culture, body image, alienation, belonging and how the past (or present) continues to haunt us.
Kerrand poses as an interesting character to examine contemporary Korea. A French-man who arrives hoping to set his next story in the quiet town if tense undercurrents due to it's close proximity to the North, Kerrand claim he wants to see an 'authentic' Korea, yet he visits the museums and avoids people on the streets, turning his nose up at local offerings. The novel holds an implicit accusation that Korea is consumable to the West when it is reduced to it's ongoing tensions with the North, glitzy pop or colourful homes.
The novel touched on several themes: culture, body image, alienation, belonging and how the past (or present) continues to haunt us.
a lot of nuance and reading between the lines, but i expected more "meat" to the story and a deeper dive into the culture of sokcho
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ive read Elisa’s Pachinko book over a year or so ago and I really enjoyed the peaceful observational narrative voice she writes in. There’s something quite meditative about it, that makes it very easy to glide through the world of the story like a fly on the wall.
She has a running theme of inter-generational communication across her books that I quite enjoy. Particularly between young women and elderly or middle-aged characters. There’s often tension and conflicting ideals between these characters who are well-meaning. Its comforting to see this clash of generations written and read from an outside perspective, and it helps me to understand my own experiences of conflicting opinions with well-meaning family.
Also an interesting depiction of the struggle of young women and body image/ED. I don’t know much about body image in Korea, but there are obviously similarities between the plastic surgery/body modification trends that (continue to) sweeping society.
I don’t know if this book actually wants to make you change your mind, or achieve anything huge. Its not life changing or groundbreaking. But I think it invites you to look beyond your day-to-day and asses whether you are truly happy with your surroundings and yourself or whether you’re truly *living*.
I don’t think the male protagonist is there for much more than to serve as an opportunity for the female lead to ‘break the mold’, and to dream of a world where she can desire and be desired… rather than treat herself as an afterthought (like others have treated her). In a way, its a role reversal from a typical novel. It doing what many novels do when there’s a male protagonist, in that a mysterious exotic woman will waltz into and out of his life, changing him forever. But the character of the woman will have very little substance… this book would be VERY different if written from the artist’s perspective. So I am thankful it is not.
Its three stars for me - but a pleasant three stars. I think this novel is good for someone wanting to be transported somewhere else for a short while. Needing something easy to read, not too challenging in terms of themes yet still does enough to intrigue.
She has a running theme of inter-generational communication across her books that I quite enjoy. Particularly between young women and elderly or middle-aged characters. There’s often tension and conflicting ideals between these characters who are well-meaning. Its comforting to see this clash of generations written and read from an outside perspective, and it helps me to understand my own experiences of conflicting opinions with well-meaning family.
Also an interesting depiction of the struggle of young women and body image/ED. I don’t know much about body image in Korea, but there are obviously similarities between the plastic surgery/body modification trends that (continue to) sweeping society.
I don’t know if this book actually wants to make you change your mind, or achieve anything huge. Its not life changing or groundbreaking. But I think it invites you to look beyond your day-to-day and asses whether you are truly happy with your surroundings and yourself or whether you’re truly *living*.
I don’t think the male protagonist is there for much more than to serve as an opportunity for the female lead to ‘break the mold’, and to dream of a world where she can desire and be desired… rather than treat herself as an afterthought (like others have treated her). In a way, its a role reversal from a typical novel. It doing what many novels do when there’s a male protagonist, in that a mysterious exotic woman will waltz into and out of his life, changing him forever. But the character of the woman will have very little substance… this book would be VERY different if written from the artist’s perspective. So I am thankful it is not.
Its three stars for me - but a pleasant three stars. I think this novel is good for someone wanting to be transported somewhere else for a short while. Needing something easy to read, not too challenging in terms of themes yet still does enough to intrigue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder