Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin – 254 pages
Book Blurb:
When sixty-nine-year-old So-nyo is separated from her husband among the crowds of the Seoul subway station, her family begins a desperate search to find her. Yet as long-held secrets and private sorrows begin to reveal themselves, they are forced to wonder: how well did they actually know the woman they called Mom?
Told through the piercing voices and urgent perspectives of a daughter, son, husband, and mother, Please Look After Mom is at once an authentic picture of contemporary life in Korea and a universal story of family love.
My Review: 3 stars
Iโm definitely glad I stuck with this book as it took some time to get used to the 2nd person point of view. At first it was disconcerting and Iโm still not sure if it was the translators doing or if it was meant to be that way. Either way, once the reader gets used to it, it becomes 2nd nature, no pun intended! This book is truly an homage to moms. Itโs about their silent selflessness, private loneliness, blatant ignorance of their own medicinal needs and their unconditional love. Unfortunately, itโs sad how often these traits go unnoticed until the โmomโ is missing or gone. Told from different points of view, this book tries to piece together the why, how and where this lost mom has gone as they slowly, through the gift of memory, recall who she really was. The description of both the Korean countryside and the city itself were beautifully recalled. This was written by a best-selling author from South Korea and Iโm glad I had the opportunity to read it.
Quotes I liked:
You were caught off guard. You had never thought of Mom as separate from the kitchen. Mom was the kitchen and the kitchen was Mom. You never wondered, Did Mom like being in the kitchen?โ
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– โBut Momโs headaches stole the smiles from her face. Her headaches jabbed at her soul and slowly ate away at it, like field mice with sharp teeth.โ
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– โBefore she went missing, you spent your days without thinking about her. When you did think about her, it was to ask her to do something, or to blame her or ignore her. Habit can be a frightening thing.โ
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– After your childrenโs mother went missing, you realized that it was your wife who was missing. Your wife, whom youโd forgotten about for fifty years, was present in your heart. Only after she disappeared did she come to you tangibly, as if you could reach out and touch her.โ
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– โPeople say that when a baby is crying the paternal grandmother will say, โThe baby is crying, you should feed her,โ and the maternal grandmother will say, โWhy is that baby crying so much, making her mom so tired?โโ
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– โLife is sometimes amazing fragile, but some lives are frighteningly strong. My elder daughter says that when you mowed down weeds with a tractor, the weeds cling to the wheels of the ย tractor and spread seeds, to breed even at the moment theyโre being cut.โ
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Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this multi-million-copy New York Times bestseller is the definitive manual for anyone interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control โ from the author of The Laws of Human Nature. I... read more
Review:The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar is another excellent example of creating a novel with richly layered characters while comparing Indian and American lifestyles. In this story, Remy returns to Bombay, which he has dubbed the museum of failures, as he sees his native country through the lens of his American life. Heโs there to meet his friendโs niece with the hopes of adopting her baby, as he and his wife are unable to conceive. This innocuous trip turns into a much more complex time as Remy is hit with roadblocks time and time again.Itโs the story about Remy and his mother that really got to me. He lived a life of never measuring up and feeling quite unloved by her. Through their time together in Bombay, he learns critical information that allows him to see her in a more thoughtful and understanding way. This time away has brought whatโs left of his shattered family back together.His trip extends much longer than anticipated and he realizes the value of being home. His American wife Kathy seemed too good to be true, but I did like their relationship, born of trust and equality. Remyโs life as a poet was buried away, but through his visit in India, he realizes the importance of doing work you love, not just working for a higher paycheck.Overall, this was a satisfying read and one that fans of Umrigar will appreciate. Her last book, Honor, along with The Space Between Us, are my two favorites of hers. I havenโt met an Umrigar book I didnโt enjoy!@thrity_umrigar @algonquinbooks ๐: Do you dress up for Halloween? If yes, what's your costume of choice? If not, what's a scary book you've read? ... See MoreSee Less