A decent serving of literary stories exploring the complexities of modern Korean relationships—not unlike Western relationships excepting greater helpA decent serving of literary stories exploring the complexities of modern Korean relationships—not unlike Western relationships excepting greater helpings of live octopus and with more class tension and less affluence. The writing style is fairly straightforward and as a consequence pertains to the bland and conversational. ...more
This stunning novel is my second venture into Dalkey’s Korean Library, following the equally terrific At Least We Can Apologize. An unnamed protagonisThis stunning novel is my second venture into Dalkey’s Korean Library, following the equally terrific At Least We Can Apologize. An unnamed protagonist travels from motel to motel meeting people and assigning them numbers, writing them letters after their encounters and patiently awaiting at least one response so he can end his travels. En route he meets the authoress of Toothpaste and Soap who is struggling to sell copies of her novel to subway passengers, and the two travel alongside the protagonist’s dog Wajo into the final instalment of his trip, recounting past meetings all the while, and composing letters to his estranged family. This is a perfectly paced and plotted novel with some cunning tricks up its sneaky sleeves—a smoothly translated tale of loneliness, loss, and grief that leaves one champing at the bit for more. ...more
Emerging from the allegorical Institution—a brutal place where frequent illogical and inexplicable beatings plague the inhabitants—the narrator and SiEmerging from the allegorical Institution—a brutal place where frequent illogical and inexplicable beatings plague the inhabitants—the narrator and Si-bong take refuge at the home of a foul-mouthed alcoholic prostitute (Si-bong’s sister) and her companion known only as the man with the horn-rimmed glasses. Needing to contribute to the upkeep, the narrator and Si-bong offer their services as professional apologizers—baiting their first client the butcher by probing into the small-scale “wrongs” he has committed to his fellow shopkeeper across the road. This surreal, dark and hilarious narrative is a disquieting satire of a brutalising environment (parallels to Korean situation simple to draw) and a touching tale about that general poisonous bitterness that loves creeping into the lives of the poor and makes human existence an unbearable toil for no apparent reason and the alienness of compassion in these conditions. Dalkey’s proposed 25-book Korean Library is an exciting and unprecedented event in recent letters and this reader will be devouring more entries in the series on the basis of this stunning novel. ...more
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