Soon Wiley

Soul to Seoul
Review of the Viking paperback edition (May 2022) of the original Dutton hardcover (April 2022)

Korean-American Min Ford has come to Seoul, South Korea to discover his Korean identity after growing up feeling an outsider in the USA where he was born to a Korean mother and an American father. He becomes the boyfriend of university student Yu-Jin and befriends, by association, her roommates, the dance student So-Ra and a mysterious Japanese student Misaki. Both Min and Yu-Jin are treating the relationship as a passing thing without commitments, but when Yu-Jin inexplicably commits suicide, Min becomes obsessed with discovering the reason behind the apparently questionable death.

See photograph at https://images.thestar.com/fi9TIWm7iYUGaBUR1XQC5nv1gbg=/1086x690/smart/filters:c...
Actors Marcelo Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg in the famous Trevi Fountain scene from La Dolce Vita (1960) by dir. Frederico Fellini. Yu-Jin's reenactment of the scene for a film studies class becomes a key plot element of 'When We Fell Apart.' Image sourced from the Toronto Star.

Both of the roommates are initially reluctant to share any information, but Min does find an ally in the police investigator of the case. That is probably the weakest part of the novel, in the extent that the investigator shares an enormous amount of information with a civilian, and a non-Korean at that. The reason for the sympathy is given a reason though later in the book. Min learns that Yu-Jin's father is the Korean government's Minister of National Defense and his suspicions are raised that something nefarious is going on. The suspicion is heightened further by learning that the authorities arrived at the apartment even before the roommates had discovered the body.

First time novelist Soon Wiley builds effective suspense in this debut where we discover that each of the 4 main protagonists are seeking to define their identities in a world where they feel they do not fit in. The story toggles between alternating chapters of Min's search for the truth after Yu-Jin's death and flashbacks of Yu-Jin's own story leading up to it. Aspects of Korean history and its independence movement are built into the plot. South Korea itself is given an aura of being a more repressive society than I had otherwise imagined from my own casual acquaintance through films and music. Perhaps that was required to build up the noir ambiance and tension of the story.

Korean-American author Wiley lived through somewhat similar identity experiences when he taught English in Seoul after graduating college in America as he explains in his bio introduction to the Book Club kit linked below.

Trivia and Links
Author Soon Wiley introduces When We Fell Apart in a brief YouTube clip.

You can download a Book Club kit for When We Fell Apart at author Soon Wiley's website here.

R.J. Julia Booksellers interviews author Soon Wiley on the 7-year process of writing the book on YouTube here.… (más)

When We Fell Apart is Soon Wiley's debut novel. Which, I have to say surprised me. His writing is simply beautiful.

Min is a young Korean -American man who has taken a job in Korean. He has always felt like he never quite fit into his life. Perhaps moving to Seoul and exploring his heritage will bring a sense of belonging. He meets and begins to date Yu-jin, a young woman also trying to find peace in her life, a place, a belonging. She is an only child and is expected to excel and achieve the goals her parents have laid out before her.

Now, this isn't a spoiler as it's front and center in the publisher's description. Yu-jin dies. Was she murdered? Or was it suicide? This news hits Min extremely hard. He can't understand why or how she died and takes it upon to seek out the answer to those questions.

Wiley tells his story in dual timelines - the present for Min and the time before her death for Yu-jin. Wiley did a fantastic job of bringing Yu-jin to life for me, from memories as a young child to the young woman questioning her life, her goals, her wants, her needs and more. As an observer, we can see the danger just waiting to cross her path.

Min becomes focused on nothing but the reasons for her death and who is responsible. We come to know him through his thoughts and actions. The mystery of Yu-jin's death consumes him and as he chases answers, and he realizes he didn't know the real Yu-jin at all. My suppositions on whodunit changed often as I read.

I loved the vibrant descriptions of Seoul, the people, the food, the attractions, the shops, the karaoke bars and more.

Wiley deftly explores family relationships and their expectations, the search for one's identity, culture, love and more. His prose are eloquent and nuanced, making for thoughtful, introspective reading.

"In Korea they call it Han. It's a feeling of sorts A kind of collective despair in response to being conquered and oppressed for long periods of time, over generations. To choose you own destiny - that's what an individual, a nation, craves most. Han is a result of that most basic desire being crushed. "… (más)

"To not know what's going on inside someone else's head. Trust me. I see alot. Sometimes it's the people who seem perfectly fine that are going through hell on the inside. Somehow they're the best at hiding it."

When We Fell Apart by Soon Wiley was stunning debut. It was a gorgeously written story about identity, agency, family and social restrictions, markers of otherness, self discovery and the masks people wear to deal with it all. Wiley depicts Seoul, Korea through the eyes of each character and you are introduced to how each sees Seoul as the metaphor a d actualization of who they want to become. This novel also touches on the ideas of safety, intimacy and the ways people hide within themselves as well as in relation to others.

The story is told from the POV's of Min, a biracial American and Yu-jin, his girlfriend who dies by suicide. Each one is trying to find and connect to their authentic selves under the strict constraints of Korean society. Min doesn't accept Yu-jin's suicide and as the story unravels the pieces of the puzzle unravel and discovers all the buried secrets that were laying beneath the surface.

I am left reflecting on:
🇰🇷 how familial expectations can be suffocating when they reflect oppressive national views rooted in history
🇰🇷 the ways that women bear burdens invisible to others
🇰🇷 how biracial people have to constantly straddle the in between
🇰🇷 the masks people have to wear to be accepted
🇰🇷 the ways that one's personhood is measured against otherness
🇰🇷 how suicide leaves a void with those left behind
🇰🇷 how you never truly know someone else's breaking point
🇰🇷 how pervasive homophobia still is globally
🇰🇷 how the arts are an expression of ones identity and desires
🇰🇷 how secrets slowly chip away at you and create shame
🇰🇷 shame vs. desire vs. family

Thanks to @duttonbooks for the gifted copy. If you are looking for a compelling, propulsive read for AAPI & Mental Health Month, I highly recommend this one as a buddy read. You will want to talk to someone about this story because there is so much to unpack. Wiley is author I will definitely read in the future.

#WhenWeFellApart #SoonWiley #Korea #books… (más)