About Book Marks
Recent Reviews
Ed Park
Rave The Atlantic \"The novel seems to take its stylistic inspiration from the 13th-century text Samguk Yusa, a chronicle of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, as well as from the postmodern virtuosity of writers such as Thomas Pynchon and Roberto Bolaño. The book’s scale is enormous; it contains multiple storylines that cross from the past to the present and a generous cast of characters. Most important, in this novel, is that history is alive: It is an overflowing conversation that never ends ... The relationship between Parker’s and Soon’s storylines is ambiguous, but fitting Park’s characters and events into a basic scaffolding of plot is beside the point. Parker’s role in the novel seems to be more symbolic; as a Korean War veteran and an American, he bridges the worlds of war and peace, Korea and America, and the past and present ... In Park’s world, the counterpoint to historical reality is yearning. In a scene from the third \'dream\' document, a youthful Yi Sang has a last reunion with Gum, his former lover. She sings to him, \'Life is but a wandering dream or a dream of wandering.\' The book wanders through the life and desires of various Korean characters, some famous, others forgotten or invented, who are, at heart, all seekers. In the end, the novel coalesces into an artful, painful dream—a fantasy of future unity.\
Marcel Theroux
Positive The Guardian (UK) \"Arguably the most thematically interesting aspect of The Sorcerer of Pyongyang is its examination of the fictive reality of North Korea ... The great irony central to life in North Korea is highlighted by the narrative structure ... Reading The Sorcerer of Pyongyang is an informative and entertaining way to learn about North Korea. Theroux’s painstaking research intimately reveals the workings of North Korean society, in the public and private spheres. Its greatest achievement, however, is occasionally its greatest weakness. The lively, page-turning narrative sometimes falters into thinly disguised nonfiction that overshadows the characters and the development of their relationships ... The storytelling is fast-paced, sometimes too much so. The action relies on improbable coincidences, and Jun-su’s motives are not always convincing, particularly in the concluding pages. Yet Theroux also writes with intelligence, compassion and an occasional quiet lyricism. Most crucially, the novel powerfully embodies the plight of North Koreans in the state’s vast shadow.
Anna Fifield
Rave The Washington Post Anna Fifield forcefully demonstrates that the North Korean leader is far more savvy, ambitious and ruthless than his ludicrous nicknames suggest. Writing a biography of Kim is a notoriously difficult undertaking. False information abounds, and testimonies of North Korean escapees and refugees can be unreliable. To overcome these hurdles, Fifield has cross-checked a wealth of facts, relied on extensive primary and secondary sources, and engaged in old-fashioned shoe-leather reporting ... The Great Successor is a hard-earned, comprehensive portrait of Kim and his country’s uncertain future ... essential reading for anyone seeking insight on one of the world’s least-understood leaders.
Angie Kim
Positive The New York Times Book Review As people descend from \'hero to murderer in an hour,\' Miracle Creek becomes a fascinating study of the malleability of truth in the courtroom. For the reader, learning the killer’s identity matters less than parsing the moral compromises each character makes to guard his or her own version of truth ... The interior life of the characters gives Miracle Creek depth ... The unique perspectives in Miracle Creek aren’t matched by an equally daring narrative style. Kim is capable of striking descriptions, but for the most part, she doesn’t take any risks. Still, Miracle Creek is a brave novel that challenges assumptions of reality.
Hwang Sok-Yong
Positive The Guardian ...one of South Korea’s most venerated novelists urgently examines the darker side of modernisation through the micro-society of a rubbish dump ... The novel’s most impassioned passages depict garbage as a social phenomenon, the visible evidence of capitalism ... Familiar Things is not particularly notable for vividly rendered detail, singular language or voice. But the measure of a novel is not only its artful telling, but also the power and value of the story being told.
Vaddey Ratner
Positive The Guardian Despite the grim circumstances, In the Shadow of the Banyan yokes the beauty of the lush terrain and farmland with haphazard cruelty and violence. The chapters are enlivened by the poems that Raami's father writes and recites, and myths and folk tales that live on in Raami's memory ... Historical breadth and a narrative momentum are the novel's greatest strengths. Vaddey Ratner traces the reign of the Khmer Rouge to its demise in a mere 315 pages, narrating the manifold tragedies that took place... is a compelling saga of a country during a troubled time little understood in the west, but it also shares similar weaknesses ... Ratner is a fearless writer, and the novel explores important themes such as power, the relationship between love and guilt, and class.
Min Jin Lee
Rave The New York Times Book Review ...[a] stunning novel ... Like most memorable novels, Pachinko resists summary. In this sprawling book, history itself is a character. Pachinko is about outsiders, minorities and the politically disenfranchised. But it is so much more besides ... Despite the compelling sweep of time and history, it is the characters and their tumultuous lives that propel the narrative. Small details subtly reveal the characters’ secret selves and build to powerful moments ... The numerous shifts are occasionally jolting, but what is gained is a compassionate, clear gaze at the chaotic landscape of life itself. In this haunting epic tale, no one story seems too minor to be briefly illuminated.