This book is probably one of the most emotional and powerful book I’ve read in years. Based on the synopsis, I did in a way expect that there will be drama in it but what I did not expect is the intensity of it and how it will affect me. It is more than just a family drama. The book raises the question, what will you do if one day your mother went missing? No traces, no clues, no whatsoever. How far can you go to look for her? Up to what extent can you sacrifice to look for her? It’s a book I will surely never forget reading.
The book follows the story of Park So-nyo, a 69-year old wife and mother who disappeared in a subway station in Seoul. The husband and her 5 children then desperately looked for her. Adding to their worries is the fact that she is not of the best of health, having recently suffered a stroke. While looking they had to deal with questions that were never asked when the before the mother went missing. On their quest of looking for her, questions about who really is to blame, what sacrifices should be made, and the relationship of each of the characters to each other were asked. The book was divided in 4 sections: the oldest daughter, the oldest son, the husband and the mom herself. Each section telling the story in their own voices and perspectives. The relationship of the mother to her husband and children was thoroughly examined. The family’s history and relationship was presented in a way that I was able to connect to each of the voices. I was able to understand the dynamics of their relationship as a family. I come to know that the mother knows deeply and by heart her husband and children but that is not the case with her family to her.
“You realize that you habitually thought of Mom when something in your life was not going well, because when you thought of her it was as though something got back on track, and you felt re-energized.”
― Kyung-Sook Shin, Please Look After Mom
The lost of their mother triggered the avalanche of emotions rooted upon questions about the past. The sacrifices that went unnoticed, relationships that were questioned, disappointments and expectations between the characters, confessions and resentments that were never talked about, secrets and guilt that became all too consuming, and uncertainties that went unanswered.
While weaving the story, I like how the author also introduced me to contemporary Korean life and culture like the Full Moon Harvest. Aside from vividly describing the setting, the atmosphere and the emotions of each of the scene was also described. It has that “feel” to it.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. It has a sad theme to it but after reflecting on it, it no only talks about loss but also talks about understanding and taking time to know the people close to you specially our family, our parents. This talk about the sacrifices of mothers, or parents in general, that we as children happens to overlook at. I like how this book gave me this “guilt-trip” feeling. Like, am I really doing enough for my parents? Do I really know my parents as much as they know me as their child? It made me realize my shortcomings and not only realize the things that I could have done but more on things that I can still do. The book is a good reflection of our actions as members of a family and its impact to each other. I am reminded that it’s never too late to establish relationships with our parents and it’s never a bad thing to acknowledge their efforts despite that some would say that it’s their role being our parents.
“Only after Mom went missing did you realize that her stories were piled inside you, in endless stacks. Mom’s everyday life used to go on in a repeating loop, without a break. Her everyday words, which you didn’t think deeply about and sometimes dismissed as useless when she was with you, awoke in your heart, creating tidal waves.”
― Kyung-Sook Shin, Please Look After Mom
5 Stars out of 5.
BOOK SPECIFICATIONS:
Author: Shin Kyung-sook
Translation: Chi-Young Kim
Format: Hardbound
Source: Bought
Release Year: April 2011
Publisher: Knopf
No. of Pages: 237 pages
About the Author:
Kyung-Sook Shin is a South Korean writer. She is the first South Korean and first woman to win the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2012 for ‘Please Look After Mom’. (Goodreads)
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