Reviews with content warning for Death - Shoko's Smile

All the stories featured in the book are heart-wrenching. Each of them examplifies different types of relationship,makes the book relatable,all of them made me very emotional(even the author and translator's note has me sobbing😭).

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my_plant_library's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.0

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bookaholiz's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A solid collection of short stories that explore some of the heavier themes of Asian women's lives: sexism, generational trauma, mental health, and touch on some political themes such as classes and activism. Every story is human, vulnerable and very, painfully real. There is a generally suffocating atmosphere throughout the entire book, which can be hard to read at times, but you cannot deny how the author understands her characters intimately. The stories are written in first person's point of view, which bring a lot of nuance and introspection to the storytelling, and allow the reader to immerse in the thoughts of the characters. Though I'm not sure if non-Asian people can understand and empathise or if they would find these characters infuriating; for me, I would instantly find myself connect with the themes that are being explored. Keep in mind though, miscommunication is the constant in every story, so it might feel like you are in a loop of unresolved problems - it can be depressing to read at times.

Overall, I am genuinely impressed that the quality of each story is more or less on the same par, which doesn't always happen as short stories collections more often than not have hit and miss. Surprisingly though, the titular story did not stand out with me as much as the others. My favourite is probably Xin chào xin chào, though I'm biased on that front. Hanji and Youngju infuriates me but also is the one that cut the deepest. I would say that some of the themes (even within one story) are better presented than others: some very cleverly follow a "show don't tell" strategy and you have to read between the lines, while some are a bit on the nose which can be rather jarring.

All in all, I would definitely consider this a solid debut for the author.

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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

this is a beautiful collection of short stories, each distinct yet threaded w/ a commonality of bittersweet reflection thats tinged w/ melancholy.

shoko's smile both squeezes and fills my heart w/ its perceptive meditation on life and - perhaps most astonishingly - its mastery in capturing and somehow succinctly articulating all the subtle ways ppl drift from one another, the oft confounding how's and why's relationships - even and esp dear ones - tense, transform, and taper off over time. it's both life's tragedy and happiness that ppl can find so much solace and love in one another, yet nothing can ensure that any of it will endure.

i also admire how choi brings up and explores so many underrepresented and maybe-taboo topics in her stories - esp considering her home country's social and political climates - some of which include korea's own little-known war atrocities abroad; disability; state violence and unjudicial repression; feminism and local rigid age-based social hierarchy; and ofc, the sewol tragedy. and they're all examined thru various types of relationships as well, be it friends, families, lovers, neighbors, those from other cultures, etc.

the book's overall calm, sparse feeling + writing, and melancholic yet a lil hopeful rumination on life strike a chord with(in) me, even reminding me of my lifetime fav kitchen, and this has for sure become another fav, albeit a bittersweet, heartrending one.

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lucykateburns's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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santreads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I sit in my dark room sobbing quietly as I write this 'review'. This isn't going to be coherent but WOW, this book!!

Absolutely stunning writing. The character sketches, the underlying grief and sadness of each character and the situation, the incorporation of a social/political issue of Korea in the stories - just WOW.

These stories weren't anything great, anything that felt like huge monumental stories - I feel like you'll read this book after seeing this review and expect to be wowed and maybe you will and maybe you won't, but it made me feel things. It made me feel the character's pain and love and loss and made me want to write. And for that I'm grateful.

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sydneybedell's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-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

5.0

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