Hwang Jung-eun

I find it hard to evaluate this novella. I know I'll read it again. This is a haunting, hesitant narrative, about a real world of working class labour in an electronics market is threatened with destruction for the purposes of gentrification. It is shot through with a miasma of personal shadows with their own life force. This is the world in which a friendship between Eungo and Mujae tentatively develops. They share soups, they sing to one another, they wonder at the power of words, though they themselves speak little.

This is eloquent, spare prose which got under my skin, though sometimes I hardly understood why.… (más)

In the aftermath of the 2009 Yongsan Disaster, a Seoul slum marked for demolition witnesses the inexplicable rise of residents' shadows. Electronics-repair-shop duo Eungyo and Mujae, amidst the crumbling landscape, can only watch as their community dissolves, shadow by shadow. The novel dances with understated yet emotional magical realism, exploring futility in a capitalist society. Against the uncaring ruling class and the enigmatic shadows, Eungyo and Mujae find solace in their growing connection, but it may not be enough to fend off the impending shadowscape.

Pros:
… (más)

This is a slight and somewhat confusing book, but one that creates an atmosphere and mood wonderfully. There are elements of magic realism in the unexplained rising shadows. There is a touching, developing romance between the two central characters. And there is the spectre of gentrification threatening to take away their workplace, which also functions as a second home and community for most of the characters. It started some interesting discussions at my book group, and was a quick yet memorable read.… (más)