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A review by jord_reads_books
The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories by Caroline Kim
4.0
In The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories you will find tales of humans across the Korean diaspora, told in first, second, and third points of view.
The stories range from the early 1900s to modern-day, and feature characters both old and young as they deal with difficult situations and learn both about themselves and the world around them.
There’s a sixteen-year-old who watches as the mental health of a woman at her church slowly unravels. A boy who is growing up during the Korean War. A girl growing up in 80s America. Mr. Oh, an immigrant struggling with both mental and physical health. And my personal favorite, a suburban housewife using a therapy robot.
Mental health and well-being is a major theme across this collection, but what also connects these stories is the search for human connection and understanding.
Caroline Kim was the winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize for this collection, and it’s easy to see why. The stories are powerful in their own right, each with a distinctive and beautifully crafted voice. But together they tell the story of something everyone can relate to: the search for someplace that feels like home.
The stories range from the early 1900s to modern-day, and feature characters both old and young as they deal with difficult situations and learn both about themselves and the world around them.
There’s a sixteen-year-old who watches as the mental health of a woman at her church slowly unravels. A boy who is growing up during the Korean War. A girl growing up in 80s America. Mr. Oh, an immigrant struggling with both mental and physical health. And my personal favorite, a suburban housewife using a therapy robot.
Mental health and well-being is a major theme across this collection, but what also connects these stories is the search for human connection and understanding.
Caroline Kim was the winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize for this collection, and it’s easy to see why. The stories are powerful in their own right, each with a distinctive and beautifully crafted voice. But together they tell the story of something everyone can relate to: the search for someplace that feels like home.