Shoko's Smile : Book review


Book Review

 

Title: Shoko’s smile

Author: Choi Eunyoung

Genre: Short stories/Translation (Korean)

 

Shoko’s smile is a collection of 7 stories of Korean Women whose lives have been heavily impacted by ghosts of their past and some political events. 

 

In the first story, we have the narrator Soyu who reflects on her friendship with a Japanese exchange student. Then we have a Korean woman who forms a deep connection with a Kenyan man. At some point their relationship goes awry and the narrator is unable to derive the reason for this. We have an ailing grandmother who reminisces about her granddaughter, a woman whose life is destroyed when her husband is thrown into prison for spying and then two families whose relationship gets marred over a heated discussion on the Vietnam war.

 

The writing is beautiful and tender. The emotions are raw, painting a vulnerable picture of characters. Perhaps this realistic portrayal of their lives is what makes them relatable to readers across multicultural backgrounds. The women in these stories are similar and different in their own way. Each one is flawed grappling with their sense of loss. Each story carries its own theme and message. The author covers a wide range of topics like mental health, terminal illness, the Vietnam war, philosophical musings about life and death, LGBTQ, faith and culture. It’s interesting to see some experimentation in form and points of view. The author has induced epistolary style in a couple of her stories. There are little gaps which are left to readers to form their own conclusion. Some of the stories have an eerie touch to it. 

 

My personal favorites were Shoko’s smile, Xin Chao Xin Chao and Hanji and Youngju. Overall this story collection is worth a read for its embellished prose, emotional quotient, understanding life, its challenges and changing dynamics between different people. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Heidi: Movie review

Image
I had read this classic by Johanna Spyri as a little girl. I won it as a prize along with my merit card when I was graduating from Primary to Middle School.  When I stumbled upon this on Amazon Prime, I was delighted. It always feels good to watch your favorite fictional characters on screen. Its often slated that the book is always better as it captures a lot more depth with regards to the plot and characters. However a couple of adaptations that I had seen in the recent past made a good watch. A couple of them ended up being a visual treat. One was The Call of the Wild which showcased the beauty of the Alaskan Wilderness. Another one was Heidi which exhibited the splendor of the snow clad Alps.  Heidi is the story of a young orphaned girl who is sent to live in the mountains with her rather eccentric grandfather-who is known as Alm Uncle by the villagers. Heidi manages to melt his heart as he develops an affection for her. She spends her carefree days in the mountains a
Read more

100 meters : Movie Review

Image
Watched this inspiring Spanish film over the weekend on Netflix!  100 meters is a based on a true story of a man named Ramon who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He is told that he will be able to even walk 100 meters in the next one year. Determined to prove this wrong, he takes up the challenge of doing the grueling Ironman race which involves 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking and 26.2 miles running.  With the help of his father in law with whom he initially shares a shaky relationship with, he begins to train relentlessly. Ramon faces challenges on the way and is almost pushed to the brink of being bed ridden. He overcomes every hurdle with grit and a positive frame of mind. It remains to be seen if he actually finishes the race.  This movie struck a chord in many ways. A triathlon is not just a race-its a humbling journey which alters your life forever. The training period is especially a challenging one as it demands a lot out of you. The film showcases the importance of f
Read more

My friend Ganesha: Friendship with God

Image
-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=b7ab149a-5f35-4861-8859-6a890ddb71fe Loneliness often propels one to longingly seek a friend. Times like these often push us into a solitary stance or we find our solace in the road to spirituality striking an unspoken friendship with God. My friend Ganesha is one such film which depicts this divine friendship between a child and the elephant faced God and takes you down the mythological lane. The movie revolves around a family consisting of Ashu, his parents, aunt and the maid Gangubhai who places her sincere devotion in Lord Ganapathy. Ashu is a lonely child devoid of any friends and to top it all he is bullied by his counterparts at every given opportunity. To make matters worse, his parents who are caught up with the corporate lifestyles hardly spend time with him. One day he ends up saving a little mouse from the harsh rains. On sharing this with the maid, leaves her enthralled enough to tell him of being the
Read more