Jung Yoon, the narrator, is a young woman in Seoul in the 1980s, a time of student protests and police crackdowns in South Korea. She is drawn to her friends: Myung Seo, a fellow student who leaves school and goes into hiding after political activity; Danyoung, a woman who carries her own wounds; and Miru, the young man who appears on the edge of the group. A telephone call from Myung Seo's mother returns Yoon to the years when they were close.
Kyung-Sook Shin writes about friendship, loss and the lasting effects of history. It suits readers who like quiet, emotional Korean fiction and who want to understand the period from the perspective of ordinary young people.
Inward-looking and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2010
- Language
- EN
