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jayisreading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
This was an unusual short story collection, in that it wasn’t really quite a short story collection. Instead, it read more like two entirely different novellas (of sorts)—with one being oddly separated—that somehow ended up in a book together. I want to say what connects all four stories/two “novellas” to one another (and, as a result, was why they ended up in one book) was this particular focus on the resilience of humans. Despite everything, the human characters in these stories pushed forward, driven by some force that fueled their determination.
“I’m Waiting for You” and “On My Way” (i.e., the first and fourth stories) focused on star-crossed lovers who coordinated their respective journeys across time and space to try and arrive back to Earth simultaneously in order to marry. There was something so tender about these two stories, and as cheesy as the overarching message was (love is timeless and can overcome all challenges; you know, that sort of thing), I enjoyed how the stories panned out through letters from each lover’s perspective. As I discovered from the notes in the back of the book, these two separate yet connected stories were actually written for a couple getting married that the author knew, and I think the realization that there was something deeply personal about these stories left a more lasting impression on me than expected.
“The Prophet of Corruption” and “That One Life” (i.e., the second and third stories) were harder to understand for me, and I can’t deny that this was where I really struggled. I wish I had read all the additional information in the back of the book (author’s notes and appendix), because I think that would have helped me somewhat better understand these two stories. There were more philosophical and mythological elements in these middle stories, and it became apparent to me that I was reading something that heavily turned to worldbuilding to slowly reveal the plot, characters, and themes. Unfortunately, this didn’t quite work for me, but I also don’t think I was in the right headspace for a story structured in this fashion. With that said, I did find the translators’ notes for these two stories particularly interesting, especially with regard to how they approached gender, especially given that English and Korean have very different approaches to gender, grammatically speaking: Korean doesn’t need gendered pronouns to form grammatical sentences (and the resulting ambiguity is something that these two stories rely on), while English requires them.
Even though I struggled through one of two sets of stories, I did find this book compelling enough that I want to check out Kim’s other works. I still wonder if it was the right decision to put these two story pairings together, since the tone and style were so different to the point that I found it jarring. I think your mileage may vary, depending on what you’re in the mood for. I still think this is a book worth checking out, especially if you want more exposure to Korean science fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Confinement and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Physical abuse
ahoyitsjoy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved the stories so much. They were all good, but Prophet of Corruption was especially interesting. It gave me so much to think about, and I can't stop thinking about it. I also loved the letters from the translators at the end, from the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic. I hope they were able to meet up together like they wished! They truly did an incredible job translating some conceptually difficult stories in a way that I barely remembered I was reading a translated work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Animal death and Pandemic/Epidemic
hello_lovely13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
As someone that doesn’t typically read sci-fi, this blew me away. I personally preferred the stories centered around the engaged couple because it was the easier ones to read. There was such a hopeful and determined voice to it that made me invested in the story and the couple finally reuniting (I started to tear up a bit when he found all the notes she left him in the church ). I really liked the other two, which were far more philosophical; they just took so much more brain power to read. It had a lot of interesting things to say about individuality versus community, and what it means to make rules and who is defined as an outsider or “right.” How the second story of this. philosophical set ended made sense, but also made me a bit sad. The fact that everything began over again, with Naban eventually fight for the underdog so that the "corrupted" beings weren't so persecuted or repressed was quite insightful and unexpected, but it was ultimately to the benefit of the message. Overall, I definitely recommend this; it is definitely now one of my favorite sci-fi books of all time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Confinement and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
rorikae's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
'I'm Waiting for You and Other Stories' by Kim Bo-young is a mix between a short story collection and a novel that tells two main plots across a few different stories. The book is bookended by the two sides of a letter correspondence between an engaged couple who are separated by space travel. In between these two stories are a few stories that follow a collection of gods that dive into and out of the human world. These gods have very specific views on what constitutes corruption and purity that speak to free will and individuality.
This book is unique in how it utilizes linked stories to tell two overarching narratives. I do think there is something to be said that the middle stories could also be interpreted as being in the same world as the letter stories. The letters were my personal favorites though the stories about the gods had me thinking a lot about free will, individuality, and community.
One of my favorite things about this book is that there are a number of additional pieces at the end that help flesh out the stories. One piece is a correspondence between the author and translator during 2020 that mirrors the letters written by the lovers. There is also a helpful piece about what inspired the letter stories including pieces by the people who requested the stories be written. In all, it feels like a full project that we get to see different aspects of. It comes together beautifully and was moving. If you're interested in something a little bit experimental and also enjoy learning about the backstory of why stories are written, I would highly recommend this book.
This book is unique in how it utilizes linked stories to tell two overarching narratives. I do think there is something to be said that the middle stories could also be interpreted as being in the same world as the letter stories. The letters were my personal favorites though the stories about the gods had me thinking a lot about free will, individuality, and community.
One of my favorite things about this book is that there are a number of additional pieces at the end that help flesh out the stories. One piece is a correspondence between the author and translator during 2020 that mirrors the letters written by the lovers. There is also a helpful piece about what inspired the letter stories including pieces by the people who requested the stories be written. In all, it feels like a full project that we get to see different aspects of. It comes together beautifully and was moving. If you're interested in something a little bit experimental and also enjoy learning about the backstory of why stories are written, I would highly recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
beccaand's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Physical abuse
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, and Murder
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