Kyung-sook Shin is a best selling Korean author who is finally in
translation here in the States. And, oh my, how glad I am. Her
writing is mesmerizing, deep and beautiful. She pushes the reader
into the story by literally using referring to "you" as the narrating
character. "You" are looking for your 69 year old mother who
disappeared in a Seoul subway station on the way to a birthday dinner.
Sometimes "you" are the oldest daughter, other times "you" are the
favored son. Sometimes you are looking through the lives and memory
of the negligent husband, sometimes "you" are the ever-working but
never appreciated mother of the family. The intensity of this way of
story telling is heart-breaking and addictive--putting this book down
is almost impossible. Keep some tissues handy, and make sure you have
a free evening, then dive into this book and ride the emotional tidal
wave--you will close the book exhausted but grateful for the journey.