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29th out of 128 books
—
76 voters
The Guest: A Novel
Based on actual events, The Guest is a profound portrait of a divided people haunted by a painful past, and a generation's search for reconciliation.
During the Korean War, Hwanghae Province in North Korea was the setting of a gruesome fifty-two day massacre. In an act of collective amnesia the atrocities were attributed to American military, but in truth they resulted from...more
During the Korean War, Hwanghae Province in North Korea was the setting of a gruesome fifty-two day massacre. In an act of collective amnesia the atrocities were attributed to American military, but in truth they resulted from...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
October 7th 2008
by Seven Stories Press
(first published 2005)
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In Korea, the term ‘the guest’ refers to Smallpox, a western disease that wiped out many hundreds of people across the nation. The local shaman would preform a ritual to exorcise ‘the guest’ by going through twelve rounds that cross between the boundaries of the dead and the living.
The Guest in this novel is not smallpox, but two other foreign intruders – Christianity and Marxism. According to Hwang Sok-Yong, the people in North Korea typically blame the Americans for the horrific atrocities tha...more
The Guest in this novel is not smallpox, but two other foreign intruders – Christianity and Marxism. According to Hwang Sok-Yong, the people in North Korea typically blame the Americans for the horrific atrocities tha...more
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A wonderful way to portrait history and politics in an amazing well-written novel. Even though in some of the pages I had to go back and read it all over again to make sure I’m still on the right track with the characters and sequence of the story .in the end of all the chapters and pages it turns out that there weren’t any good and bad side just a big misunderstanding. In addition, in the end of it all everyone came out with his or her own ideology. The books entire philosophy can be explained...more
The Guest isn't an easy book, especially for those who are not very familiar with recent and past Korean history. Even to those who are familiar with it, it will be a challenging read, as it contains an uncommon overview on the history of Korea. The novel is divided into twelve chapters, that correspond to ritual steps of an exorcism, the stages of a trip towards purification that both the living and the dead exposed to the same historical events are bound to complete in order to free themselves...more
For the Chronicle.
This book is very detailed and it takes a while to engage,
especially if you don't have some background on what happened
in North Korea during the war. It also blends reality with fantasy
in a fluid and sometimes ambiguous way. It's a very powerful story
that shows how people in the same community can be driven to tear
each other apart based solely on ideology. Highly recommended,
but not a quick, easy read by any means.
especially if you don't have some background on what happened
in North Korea during the war. It also blends reality with fantasy
in a fluid and sometimes ambiguous way. It's a very powerful story
that shows how people in the same community can be driven to tear
each other apart based solely on ideology. Highly recommended,
but not a quick, easy read by any means.
I actually put this book down and didn't finish it. I rarely do that, but I just couldn't get into it. The only interesting parts to me were the main character's observations of the tone of the current North Korean regime. The rest of the book was boooooring.
Jun 19, 2013
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review of another edition
Shelves:
christianity,
history,
autobiography,
memoir,
politics,
non-fiction,
religion,
korea,
socialogy
Apr 23, 2013
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He was born in Hsinking (today Changchun), Manchukuo, during the period of Japanese rule. His family returned to Korea after liberation in 1945. He later obtained a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Dongguk University(동국대학교).
In 1964 he was jailed for political reasons and met labor activists. Upon his release he worked at a cigarette factory and at several construction sites around the country....more
More about Hwang Sŏk-yŏng...
In 1964 he was jailed for political reasons and met labor activists. Upon his release he worked at a cigarette factory and at several construction sites around the country....more
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