Skull Water by Heinz Insu Fenkl was a book my local library had, and, being a spooky kind of person, I was entranced by the cover, and the title. I may have gotten more than expected!
Firstly, as I perused several other reviews by people more literary than me, I started to see the words that are frequently brought out when a novel defies conventional norms "Sweeping" "ambitious" "courageous" So, to be honest, I did not find this to be exactly "Sweeping" Nor did it seem "ambitious" or full of courage. It really seemed as if Fenkl had a story within him that needed to be told, and thus, he was getting it out there.
In short, Fenkl takes us between two timelines that are interconnected, Big Uncles timeline during the Korean Civil War, and Insu's timeline in 1970's Korea.
Insu has lived in many countries as he is the son of an Serviceman in the American Army, but his mother is Korean, so he is adept at straddling both worlds. He visits his Big Uncle, who has a gangrenous foot, and learns that "Skull Water" could be a cure for is ailment.
(Now, I've searched the interwebs and I can't find out too much about this Korean Myth, so I'm not sure if it is one that's super widespread. But I suppose, it's also one that people might not be wanting to talk about as it involves somehow aging a newly dead body and then drinking what's in the skull? YIKES!) DO NOT DO THIS - it seems fraught with infectious problems, plus there is no proof it works.
Insu decides, with his friends that they will be getting some skull water. We follow him as he travels about the black market in Sinchon, camps out in forbidden areas and experiences a terrifying ancestral ghost while he is also preparing to go back to the US so his father, who is ill can receive medical treatment. Insu knows without a doubt that his father is dying, but he never really confronts that fact full on. It's more of a shadow over everything. Will he obtain this Skull Water? Will Big Uncle be cured? What will become of his friends? If you read, you'll find out all of this, and more.
Overall, this is a coming of age story for both Insu our main character, but possibly also in part for South Korea. Both Insu and S. Korea were experiencing this blending and clashing of American and Korean culture in the 1970's. (Did this really Happen? YES, yes it did, the war was "over" but the American influence was not, click link for videos and discussion). I don't think I realized how many troops were still in S. Korea in the 1970's and remain there today as this area is hard to demilitarize. Not my specialty.
I felt like this book really hits home in the way it describes how war really just upended societies, and forever changes the dynamics of life. As I read about Insu making deals with government cheese and medical supplies, all while absorbing legends and folk beliefs and making sure to use auspicious numbers, I was struck at how delicate this coming together could really be, and how unique it is- outside of this reality, it would be hard to explain to anyone, while we all have similar emotions, we don't all have similar experiences.
Towards the end of the novel, Insu visits with a monk and this is probably the best part of the book where he and the monk discuss karma, and outcomes. It doesn't really quite fit with the rest of the book, but I feel like that may also be part of what's being conveyed Lots of things didn't exactly FIT as an ordered society, but they all had a place in that point in time. One thing I did not like, and this is just me, is that while the author kind of ties up the ends of Insu's pals lives, his is left fairly open ended, leaving me to just want to KNOW... What happened after Insu went to California? Did he ever go?
So... for me this was worth the read, I hesitate to recommend it to just anyone, due to some graphic animal abuse discussion/description. But for readers interested in Korea, coming of age, and Military child experiences, this might be one for you!
STATS
First Published 2023
Pages: 384
Available as an Audio Book : YES
Trigger Warnings: sexism, war, animal abuse, child SA, SA, drug use, alcohol, death
(this is not a full list, read responsibly)
No comments:
Post a Comment