Told from four viewpoints, of a son, a daughter
and a husband, as well as “mom,” this short novel explores family relationships
and the inability for any of us to truly know and understand even those closest
to us. When 69 year old “mom,” traveling
from her rural home with her husband to visit her son in Seoul, is separated from
him in the busy subway station while he is boarding the train, she
disappears. Fliers are made and
distributed. Days pass, then weeks and
months. Mom, illiterate and suffering
somewhat from dementia, has vanished although occasionally someone will report
having seen someone like her. Each of
her family reflects on their relationship with her. This acclaimed novel has been widely
translated, but I found it difficult to really completely understand despite
the universality of its theme. 272 pp.
No comments:
Post a Comment