misspalah's review
4.0
“The station was like a maze and the subway map looked as intricate as a tangled ball of yarn. He followed the arrows to the transfer gate but soon lost track of them and had to stop. In the midst of those who seemed sure of where they were going, he noticed elderly people who were equally lost as him, or women from the countryside, looking as if it was their first time in Seoul. He would follow the orange arrows but would soon lose them and start to follow the green ones instead, winding up back at the platform where he had first gotten off the train. He found himself going in circles. There were things that weren’t marked by arrows. Sometimes, the arrows pointed straight ahead, and then changed directions abruptly. When he came across an arrow that pointed up to the ceiling, he stopped in his tracks. He had no choice but to ask someone.”
- Early Beans : Flowers of Mold & Other Stories by Ha Seong-nan
.
.
First of all, these stories is not of horror genre or dealt with supernatural kinda stories but they did give off weird vibes and some readers might felt uncomfortable reading this collection. The closest comparison of a book that i can think of would be ‘The Vegetarian by Han Kang’ if any of you are interested in reading this book. The writing did blur the line between reality and dream which made the stories bleak yet the way it was written is so beautiful. The prose is simple but it managed to capture the daily life of a person in the story and made us connect (understand?) with the tragedy that befallen them. The combination of ‘strange or disturbing subject matter’ with unreliable narrator/the unnamed characters’ brought you that unsettling and eerie feeling. From a woman whose memory is unreliable, a dead salesman dreading his job, a former athlete craving to fly even to a useless to a man’s obsession towards his neighbour led him to scavenge a trash bin, we were offered to view what’s life was like in the urban South Korea. This is ultimately an #OwnVoice Korean book of short stories. We may not understand the culture, not familiar with nuances and not able to stomach what just happened but at the end of the day, the book left you with an eerie feeling, and they left you wanting for more. This would have been 5 stars read if not for fatphobia and transphobia remarks (although subtle) , it did take away some enjoyment i have while finishing all these stories. As i’m trying to read more translated work this year, this is a perfect choice for South Korean literature which was published in Korean in 1999. Overall, A highly recommended book especially if you are into ‘unhappy / miserable / dark’ short stories.
.
.
Since summarising short stories imposing risk that it might spoil the whole plot, here are just what i jotted down after i finish the book. This also served as my notes for April’s book discussion with my reading buddies later. If you are intrigued to read any of these stories after going through my notes, then you should pick it up right away. This might be right up your alley:
1. Waxen Wings - Low Self esteem, Self Harm,
2. Nightmare - Rape, Revenge, Murder, Denialism
3. The Retreat - Murder , Class Differences
4. The Woman Next Door - Gaslighting, Manipulation , Mind Games (mentioned : shoplifting), Misogyny
5. Flag - Isolation , Delusions, Loneliness (Mentioned: Billboard Ad)
6. Your Rearview Mirror - Magic, Transsexual? (Mentioned : shoplifting)
7. Flowers of Mold - Stalking (Via Trash)
8. Toothpaste - Advertising job, Kissing, Letters to stranger (Mentioned: billboard Ad)
9. Early Beans - Accident, Subway Station, Peeping Tom
10. Onion - Double Suicide, Fishing, Sashimi (Mentioned : Billboard Ad)
- Early Beans : Flowers of Mold & Other Stories by Ha Seong-nan
.
.
First of all, these stories is not of horror genre or dealt with supernatural kinda stories but they did give off weird vibes and some readers might felt uncomfortable reading this collection. The closest comparison of a book that i can think of would be ‘The Vegetarian by Han Kang’ if any of you are interested in reading this book. The writing did blur the line between reality and dream which made the stories bleak yet the way it was written is so beautiful. The prose is simple but it managed to capture the daily life of a person in the story and made us connect (understand?) with the tragedy that befallen them. The combination of ‘strange or disturbing subject matter’ with unreliable narrator/the unnamed characters’ brought you that unsettling and eerie feeling. From a woman whose memory is unreliable, a dead salesman dreading his job, a former athlete craving to fly even to a useless to a man’s obsession towards his neighbour led him to scavenge a trash bin, we were offered to view what’s life was like in the urban South Korea. This is ultimately an #OwnVoice Korean book of short stories. We may not understand the culture, not familiar with nuances and not able to stomach what just happened but at the end of the day, the book left you with an eerie feeling, and they left you wanting for more. This would have been 5 stars read if not for fatphobia and transphobia remarks (although subtle) , it did take away some enjoyment i have while finishing all these stories. As i’m trying to read more translated work this year, this is a perfect choice for South Korean literature which was published in Korean in 1999. Overall, A highly recommended book especially if you are into ‘unhappy / miserable / dark’ short stories.
.
.
Since summarising short stories imposing risk that it might spoil the whole plot, here are just what i jotted down after i finish the book. This also served as my notes for April’s book discussion with my reading buddies later. If you are intrigued to read any of these stories after going through my notes, then you should pick it up right away. This might be right up your alley:
1. Waxen Wings - Low Self esteem, Self Harm,
2. Nightmare - Rape, Revenge, Murder, Denialism
3. The Retreat - Murder , Class Differences
4. The Woman Next Door - Gaslighting, Manipulation , Mind Games (mentioned : shoplifting), Misogyny
5. Flag - Isolation , Delusions, Loneliness (Mentioned: Billboard Ad)
6. Your Rearview Mirror - Magic, Transsexual? (Mentioned : shoplifting)
7. Flowers of Mold - Stalking (Via Trash)
8. Toothpaste - Advertising job, Kissing, Letters to stranger (Mentioned: billboard Ad)
9. Early Beans - Accident, Subway Station, Peeping Tom
10. Onion - Double Suicide, Fishing, Sashimi (Mentioned : Billboard Ad)
clammyheart's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
It was a fine collection, I enjoyed the first half of the stories before it started to drag on. Waxen Wings, Nightmare, and The Woman Next Door were good. I also liked Flag, but the rest were just alright. Your Rearview Mirror was… well, not even transphobic in terms of the characters thoughts or actions, but it being a plot twist by the author. Just goofy, weird, and anticlimactic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Vomit, Car accident, Child death, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, and Sexual violence
jhayden's review
3.0
I’m a bit conflicted about this collection of short stories but overall pleased. The feeling of things not being as they seem was a common theme and I enjoyed seeing that unfold.
Most of the stories are quite good but there were multiple that I felt like I was missing that last detail or aha moment that makes the story excellent. Maybe that’s because my audiobook comprehension is generally lower than physically reading or the nature of this subversive genre but it bothers me I can’t tell which is the case. I can go with the flow and don’t need everything explained (Earthlings, anyone?) but we’re talking a one or two sentence clincher to use to reframe what you just read. I definitely still enjoyed and understood these stories well enough and some I do think were excellent but others were frustratingly close to being so.
Favs were nightmare and woman next door.
Most of the stories are quite good but there were multiple that I felt like I was missing that last detail or aha moment that makes the story excellent. Maybe that’s because my audiobook comprehension is generally lower than physically reading or the nature of this subversive genre but it bothers me I can’t tell which is the case. I can go with the flow and don’t need everything explained (Earthlings, anyone?) but we’re talking a one or two sentence clincher to use to reframe what you just read. I definitely still enjoyed and understood these stories well enough and some I do think were excellent but others were frustratingly close to being so.
Favs were nightmare and woman next door.
mscoleman's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
literarypenguin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Flowers Of Mold took me on a ride that I was not expecting, while some stories were good others weren't as great. One of my favorites was 'The Woman Next Door' that was a tale about a woman who let's her new neighbor borrow a couple of things. That lead to the neighbor borrowing more than just material things from the woman, leading to her whole life being borrowed from her driving her into mental instability. The other stories weren't as memorable to me and I found myself quickly forgetting them after I read them. I wished that more of the stories had the same level as The Woman Next Door did, I did like how the author showed both sides of South Korea. The bright and appealing glamour that hide a dark and unsavory middle class life. I would love to read more horror stories from other countries and more from South Korea. This has encouraged me to read more stories like this and I hope I can find more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Misogyny
jiyoung's review
3.0
Ha’s primary skill is in pulling the most unnerving veins out of any number of common middle class Korean settings. But it may not be particularly difficult to isolate underlying perversity in a society that rules with conformity and forces an extensively codified social etiquette. Ha is also an expert in building up tension and intentionally withholding the release, a tendency that I imagine would polarize reactions: I can see some really appreciating it or finding it extremely suffocating.
as_a_tre3's review
5.0
I appreciate the consistency of the stories’ theme which basically about life in the urban South Korea. The plots are refreshing and the characters are even more so. Just when I thought I could predict the end of the story, the author surprised me with a different take. A recommended read to immerse ourselves in.
elenavarg's review
2.0
DNF
TW: transphobia
Sometimes I forget transphobes exist and then the book I’m reading decides to jump me out of nowhere.
The writing was quite good, sure, but I did get an icky feeling from the way the author describes fat people. To be honest, it’s so common I was willing to let it slide (which is sad in and of itself). My reading came to an abrubt stop when a short story called ’Your Rearview Mirror’ ends with ”shocking” twist: the woman the protagonist had fallen for is a trans woman.
The twist had all the hallmarks of a low-effort transphobic stereotype. The woman is a cunning magician, who’s WHOLE DEAL is tricking people (she’s also a part-time thief). The way we find out about her transness is so exploitative and afterward, she’s only called a man by the narration.
I don’t care if the rest of the short stories are interesting or worth reading, this really ruined my mood.
TW: transphobia
Sometimes I forget transphobes exist and then the book I’m reading decides to jump me out of nowhere.
The writing was quite good, sure, but I did get an icky feeling from the way the author describes fat people. To be honest, it’s so common I was willing to let it slide (which is sad in and of itself). My reading came to an abrubt stop when a short story called ’Your Rearview Mirror’ ends with ”shocking” twist: the woman the protagonist had fallen for is a trans woman.
The twist had all the hallmarks of a low-effort transphobic stereotype. The woman is a cunning magician, who’s WHOLE DEAL is tricking people (she’s also a part-time thief). The way we find out about her transness is so exploitative and afterward, she’s only called a man by the narration.
I don’t care if the rest of the short stories are interesting or worth reading, this really ruined my mood.
danimacuk's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kater_tot's review
dark
mysterious
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
4.75