信任的模樣

by Sang Young Park, 朴相映, 尹嘉玄 (Translator)

因為《在熙，燒酒，我，還有冰箱裡的藍莓與菸》入選國際布克獎而成為話題的小說家朴相映，隨後因作品同步改編為電影《在熙的男，朋友》及影集《大都市的愛情法》成為焦點。《在熙，燒酒，我，還有冰箱裡的藍莓與菸》描述無懼傷害奮不顧身陷入熱戀的二十世代年輕人們的火熱歲月，《信任的模樣》則描寫了成為社會新鮮人的三十世代的人們。這個階段的人們，除了在職場要面臨艱苦的奮鬥，也夢想著更美好的生活及穩定的關係，最終卻可能難以兼得。

《信任的模樣》由四篇小說組成，每篇分別描述一個主角的故事。這些人物年齡相近，但大學科系、步入社會的年齡、性格、家庭背景皆各不相同。四個故事的主角以奇妙的連結而交纏在一起，分別是四部作品的主角，也是其他故事的配角，增添了小說合輯的閱讀樂趣。朴相映以四篇小說串起四個人的故事，這種合輯式的串連不僅呈現了我們生命中複雜的聯繫，更呼應著真實的人生：每個人或許都是他人生命中的配角，更是自己生命的主角。

《信任的模樣》中的四篇小說，各自以第一人稱敘述了自己的故事，也各有不同的主題。〈現在的年輕人〉鎖定主人翁們初入職場時的經歷，呈現了南韓高壓嚴苛的辦公室文化縮影。〈半個月後的愛〉則描述疫情時期的封鎖經歷，當年的隔離制度及確診人數讓全球人心惶惶，同居的戀人也面臨了隔離的考驗。〈成為我們的瞬間〉聚焦在親情及友誼關係，也透過女性角色試圖對社會僵固體制做出無聲抗議。〈關於信任〉的主人翁則面臨了信任及信念的雙重考驗：情感上的信任危機同時摧毀了自己的生活信念……

小說所有張力集中在最後一篇，隨著四篇故事的主人翁娓娓道來，讀者逐漸明瞭幾位主角的關係，劇情卻在最後一篇出現反轉。朴相映以此質疑愛情的意義，也誠實描繪了人們在愛情間游移的灰色地帶。故事以當年的疫情為背景，傳達出無論多麼努力，生活也隨時可能化為泡影的危機感，同時以此質疑脆弱的情感關係：是否無論多麼堅固，最終也會像沙雕一樣崩潰？朴相映透過小說探討信任、信仰及信念的含意，書名中的「信任」具有多重意義：能夠指涉愛情中的信任，也能夠代表人們對於生活的信念及信仰。故事也如同朴相映在序言裡所說：「疫情帶來前所未有的考驗，這些人卻沒有放棄對愛情的希望，並且持續努力尋找對生活的信念。我希望能在書中描繪出這樣一群不放棄的人的身影。」

Genres: Asia, Queer, Fiction, LGBT

272 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 2022

About the author

Sang Young Park was born in 1988 and studied French at Sungkyunkwan University. He worked as a magazine editor, copywriter, and consultant before debuting as a novelist. The title story of his bestselling short story collection, The Tears of an Unknown Artist, or Zaytun Pasta, was one of Words Without Borders’ most read pieces ever. He is the author of Booker International-longlisted Love in the Big City (translated by Anton Hur). He lives in Seoul.

Reviews

[Michela · Rating 5 out of 5]

DEVASTANTE. NON PARLATEMI.

Ho pianto per tutte le ultime 100 pagine. Mi ha toccato tanto quanto Love in the big city (se non di più!) e It happened one summer.

Credo sarà il mio preferito dell’anno e uno dei preferiti della vita.

SANG YOUNG PARK ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

[예헌 · Rating 5 out of 5]

“순간 나는 영원에 대해서 생각했다. 그리고 또다시 믿음에 대해서 생각했다. 언제고 깨어지고 흩어져버릴 유릿조각 같은 믿음에 대해서.“

현대 퀴어 서사에서 빠질 수 없는 걸작… 마지막 장은 내내 울면서 읽음 :(

[Bobbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ 3,5

[Chiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️

[Tun Yen Chiang · Rating 4 out of 5]

「開始同居以後，第一個月時光飛逝，宛如夢境般一轉眼就過去了。
只不過，這場夢的型態並不全然美好。
從牙膏應該從哪裡開始擠這種同居常見的小爭執開始，到摺棉被的習慣、沒有將用過的餐具泡水等，我們為了各種大大小小的問題爭吵過。⋯⋯儘管日常生活中會遇到這些小磨難，可是每當和南俊一起躺在床上時，依然會有一種將原本散落的碎片全部拼湊完整的感覺，那是超越單純的性慾或愛戀感，是某安定的感覺，在心中不斷蔓延，彷彿我周遭的所有支柱和我自己都在深深向下扎根的那種信賴感，那正是我生命中最缺乏的東西。」

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0
similar to love in the big city, i like the author's writing, which has a certain atmospheric quality that draws me in and keeps me submerged somehow. i think it lacks a bit of that emotional punches but still overall a fascinating read

[Michael Choi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Park's third book in his trilogy of modern love in Korea. It certainly wasn't his best, but it still captured the idiosyncrasies of work and love in contemporary Korea. Some of the references were particularly timely and topical as they relate to COVID-19, which devastating effects not only destroyed the local economy but also created fissures in the love life of many couples.

However, I couldn't help but feel that some side characters were gratuitous, such as Eunchae. After having read all three books comprising the modern love trilogy, it is evident that Park likes to introduce a strong-willed female companion to support the male protagonist. However, Eunchae's role in this book was not as memorable (or even necessary) compared to Jaehee (in "대도시의 사랑법") and Munee (in "1차원이 되고 싶어").

Ultimately, contrary to the title of the novel, I'm not sure how much more we learn about 믿음, whether it is to be translated as "faith" or "fidelity". Perhaps the author was trying to highlight the futility of both in the face of insurmountable forces of nature (pandemic or lust).

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I slightly more understand why some people can't be honest. But like the title says... what is about faith? 🤔 Is it the society which stops us to be trustful? 🤔🤷🏻‍♀️

[Clair C · Rating 4 out of 5]

作者對於人物的刻畫細膩又立體，可以感覺到每個人物的成長背景及其心理活動的方式。
也是第一次看到很清楚描述疫情間梨泰院的狀況，疫情期間對於各行業的打擊、或新興行業的興起，在2020-2022年感覺世界像停止的期間，卻有很多不同的故事軸再繼續。