Book Review One Hundred Shadows By Hwang Jungeun 3.75/5 Stars

 This novella is really a work of art. I was attracted to the book by the cover, and the description made me think this would be a bit of a jaunt through horror. 

Well...

The cover is beautiful and the writing is gorgeous...

The story, really is not a jaunt through horror.

It has some moments, but no it's not that. 

   Firstly,  it helps to read this book in context.  The author Hwang Jungeun notes that they were inspired by the Yongson tragedy of 2009.   I am embarrassed to say that I had to look this up- I had no recollection of this.  That spiraled into what was I doing in 2009...and ah yes,  that was a LONG time ago and most Americans were focused on financial news, the death of Michael Jackson, and Obama's first term.  

I was unaware of this context and jumped in blind  to a story where Eungyo and Mujae are lost in the woods.  I really thought some amazing creature was going to stalk them, but no... Eungyo starts to see her shadow rising and she fights not to follow it away. These two both work in an electronic market in a derelict area of Seoul. Eungyo describes her day to day life and interactions and notes that many people have started to see their shadows rising.  They are cautioned not to follow.  We get lots of stories about people who did give in to their shadow and their definite decline.  The buildings they work in are scheduled for demolition, and the occupants seem unphased, and unbothered, there's no great plan to migrate, just a stoic acceptance. As the process begins, nothing seems to really change, and the story sort of fades out with Eungyo and Mujae taking a trip that ends in a darkness, with a choice by Eungyo that propels them towards community and life. 

   This is a great little piece of literature that allows a reader to really explore different topics.  There's community, corporate greed/takeover, a delightful interaction where Eungyo and Mujae discuss that their area is considered a slum,  which is not how they see it at all, set against a somewhat bleak background. lots to talk about for the right book club.  Lots to avoid for the wrong book club.  

  As a whole,  The writing is gorgeous, even through translation, I really enjoyed reading the entire book.  It really is a mood piece, as there is not a plot with a beginning, middle and end, we are sort of invited in to observe this life, and then gently escorted out, leaving a reader to do the work of coming to their own conclusions. For me, even though I know the beauty of this is that the work can be interpreted in many ways, and that the reader interaction with the writing is the final step in the process, my pea-brain just wants to know...  

   Great book for the right book club, people interested in Korean life and culture, people wanting to read good books in translation, and those who tolerate those vague endings better than I do! 

STATS

First Published 2010 (Korean)

First Published in English 2016 (I may be wrong on this but it's what I found) 

Pages: 192

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings:  Death of parent, death, classism 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Skull Water By Heinz Insu Fenkl 3.25/5 Stars

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)