In a decaying guesthouse in the South Korean port city of Sokcho, a young woman of French-Korean heritage works for an eccentric manager during the frigid off-season. Her routine of cleaning and cooking changes when Yanand Kerrand, a French graphic novelist seeking inspiration for his final volume, arrives as a guest. The two form a tense, observational bond. The narrator navigates her mother’s obsession with toxic pufferfish preparation and her boyfriend’s preoccupation with Seoul’s beauty standards, while she and Kerrand scrutinize each other across a cultural and emotional divide.
Readers drawn to minimalist prose and cold, atmospheric settings will find a study of identity and physical alienation. This book suits those interested in the friction between Western perspectives and Asian traditions, specifically regarding body image and the leftover tensions of the Korean War. The reader walks away with a stark portrait of how individuals use art and silence to bridge distances, alongside a specific understanding of the isolation inherent in a border town during winter.
Inward-looking and thought-provoking; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2016
- Language
- EN
