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Blood Sisters
Blood Sisters tells the story of Jeong Yeoul, a young Korean college student in the 1980's, when the memory of President Chun Doohwan's violent suppression of student demonstrations against martial law was still fresh. Yideum captures with raw honesty the sense of dread felt by many Korean women during this time as Jeong struggles in a swirl of misguided desires and hopelessness against a society distorted by competing ideologies, sexual violence, and cultural conservatism. Facing this helplessness, her impulse is to escape into the world of art. Blood Sisters is a vivid, powerful portrayal of a woman's efforts to live an authentic life in the face of injustice.
250 pages, Paperback
First published March 12, 2019
13 people are currently reading
2032 people want to read
About the author
Kim Yideum
4 books19 followersKim Yi-deum was born in Jinju, South Korea and raised in Busan. She studied German literature at Pusan National University, and earned her doctoral degree in Korean literature at Gyeongsang National University. She made her literary debut when the quarterly journal Poesie published “The Bathtubs” (욕조 a에서 달리는 욕조 A를 지나) and six other poems in its Fall 2001 Issue. Her poems have attracted attention for their sensual imagination and violence.
Kim was a radio host for “Kim Yi-deum’s Monday Poetry Picks” (김이듬의 월요시선), which aired on KBS Radio Jinju. In 2012, she spent a semester at the Free University of Berlin as a writer in residence, sponsored by Arts Council Korea. Based on her experience there, she wrote her fourth poetry collection Bereulin, dalemui norae (베를린, 달렘의 노래 Song of Berlin, Dahlem), published by Lyric Poetry and Poetics in 2013. She also participated in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa.
Kim was a radio host for “Kim Yi-deum’s Monday Poetry Picks” (김이듬의 월요시선), which aired on KBS Radio Jinju. In 2012, she spent a semester at the Free University of Berlin as a writer in residence, sponsored by Arts Council Korea. Based on her experience there, she wrote her fourth poetry collection Bereulin, dalemui norae (베를린, 달렘의 노래 Song of Berlin, Dahlem), published by Lyric Poetry and Poetics in 2013. She also participated in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
May 7, 2020
Kim Yideum has written a raw, angry novel about systemic sexism, gendered violence and societal pressure in South Korea - in a way, it's a companion piece to Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982. Protagonist and narrator Jeong Yeoul is a college student who experiences the political unrest in the 1980s and struggles with her designated role as a woman while trying to evade the expectations that are put upon her. Many of the women she encounters who could potentially help her - her mother, her stepmother, her boss, one of her friends - are so blinded by the standards that are generally accepted as normal that they become accomplices to Yeoul's plight. And of course, the men are also affected, often showing behaviors that can only be called pathological.
Yeoul has severed ties with her family (we learn why as the novel progresses) and now lives with her friend Jimin, an activist and fellow student. When Jimin kills herself, Yeoul tries to uncover her beloved friend's motivations - until she herself is assaulted by the man who drove Jimin to suicide. As the story progresses, we learn about the multiple pressures that are put upon Yeoul, both to conform to societal standards and to remain silent about the various forms of violence she suffers. Yeoul is highly intelligent and resilient, but she also has her limits, and the fact that she is not acknowledged as a person drives her to the edge.
Kim Yideum's language mirrors Yeoul's internal struggle, her clear, bleak thoughts about her experiences and the world around her, her anger born out of oppression, her grief about the people she has lost. The story is a map of her trauma, a hall of mirrors she tries to escape by running and shattering glass. While the author is a poet, the language is intentionally unruly and willful like the narrator.
This novel certainly isn't always a pleasure to read, it does not care about smoothness and intricate plotting, but that's the point: Kim Yideum, the feminist, tells a raw, relentless story about dire experiences of women in a conservative, patriarchal society while also illuminating some facets of the situation of progressive students in the 1980s. An unusual, highly interesting book.
Yeoul has severed ties with her family (we learn why as the novel progresses) and now lives with her friend Jimin, an activist and fellow student. When Jimin kills herself, Yeoul tries to uncover her beloved friend's motivations - until she herself is assaulted by the man who drove Jimin to suicide. As the story progresses, we learn about the multiple pressures that are put upon Yeoul, both to conform to societal standards and to remain silent about the various forms of violence she suffers. Yeoul is highly intelligent and resilient, but she also has her limits, and the fact that she is not acknowledged as a person drives her to the edge.
Kim Yideum's language mirrors Yeoul's internal struggle, her clear, bleak thoughts about her experiences and the world around her, her anger born out of oppression, her grief about the people she has lost. The story is a map of her trauma, a hall of mirrors she tries to escape by running and shattering glass. While the author is a poet, the language is intentionally unruly and willful like the narrator.
This novel certainly isn't always a pleasure to read, it does not care about smoothness and intricate plotting, but that's the point: Kim Yideum, the feminist, tells a raw, relentless story about dire experiences of women in a conservative, patriarchal society while also illuminating some facets of the situation of progressive students in the 1980s. An unusual, highly interesting book.
June 24, 2019
난 그저 이 세상을 두리번거리다가 생각난 듯 외침인지 탄식인지 모를 소리를 허공에 내지르는 패배한 청춘일 뿐. 난 이런 나의 훌륭한 패배근성이 맘에 든다.
I’m just a defeated youth, a scream, a lamentation thrust into the sky. I enjoy my excellent loser attitude.
블러드 시스터즈 - the title the Korean phonetic equivalent of Blood Sisters - was the 2011 debut novel by poet 김이듬 (Kim Yideum), and has been translated into English by Jiyoon Lee, who also translates her poetry.
Set in 1987-88, it is narrated in the first person by 정여울 (Jeong Yeoul), a 19 year old student. As the novel opens she is living with a friend, an older student Jimin, her blood sister:
"Ever since we started living together - well ever since I started leeching off her, to be specific - our period cycles starting synching up. Together we bleed profusely, struggling with the pain, and argue over the slightest provocation. We share sanitary products and philosophy."
The 1987-88 backdrop puts the novel firmly in the time of pro-democracy protests and student activism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_St...), which certainly form an important background, but the novel focuses more on the personal and visceral (including the sanitary towels on the book cover). The author, discussing her poetry, has said:
Music plays a key role - it's the sort of novel where a Spotify playlist would have been handy - from K-pop to 1970s prog-rock. The band Metamorfosi (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sygmj...) also lead to a Korean pun that Lee nimbly translates: the Korean word 변태 can mean both transformation - hence is a translation of the band name - but also means deviant, which is what Yeoul assumes the band's name means.
Lee generally does an excellent job with what can't of been an easy translation. She doesn't oversmooth - the style at times feels quite Korean - but still renders the book into powerful and lyrical English, and she adds sufficient glosses (and the occasional footn0te) without being over-intrusive.
In particular, the use of honorifics in Korean speech plays an important role, and, particularly, the titles that are often used in place of names. E.g. Yeoul calls Jimin 선배, sunbe, a term used for an elder at university/work, which necessitates the first footnote. But generally, Yeoul defines herself by refusing to obey conventional, respectful terminology:
I speak with my own mouth, so I will address others on my own terms.
See here https://www.asymptotejournal.com/blog... for an interview where the translator discusses various aspects including the above.
There is one small misfire. On a bus, after the 1987 Presidential election, Yeoul overhears a conversation:
The man insists that now an average joe like Roh Tae-woo has become the president, the world is gonna get better. He calls the previous presidents, Kim Yong-sam and Kim Dae-jung, country ruining bastards.
Having checked the original Korean, the 'previous presidents' isn't there, and instead is a gloss added by Lee for the English translation - but an incorrect one. Kim Yong-sam and Kim Dae-jung were the defeated candidates in the 1987 election (having split the anti-establishment vote https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_So...) and, as it happens, were to become (but the speaker in 1987-88 of course wasn't to know this) the two succeeding presidents.
This is the latest book from the excellent Asympote Book Club (see https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... for a complete list) and their take on the book is here: https://www.asymptotejournal.com/blog...
Overall a powerful work - 4 stars.
I’m just a defeated youth, a scream, a lamentation thrust into the sky. I enjoy my excellent loser attitude.
블러드 시스터즈 - the title the Korean phonetic equivalent of Blood Sisters - was the 2011 debut novel by poet 김이듬 (Kim Yideum), and has been translated into English by Jiyoon Lee, who also translates her poetry.
Set in 1987-88, it is narrated in the first person by 정여울 (Jeong Yeoul), a 19 year old student. As the novel opens she is living with a friend, an older student Jimin, her blood sister:
"Ever since we started living together - well ever since I started leeching off her, to be specific - our period cycles starting synching up. Together we bleed profusely, struggling with the pain, and argue over the slightest provocation. We share sanitary products and philosophy."
The 1987-88 backdrop puts the novel firmly in the time of pro-democracy protests and student activism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_St...), which certainly form an important background, but the novel focuses more on the personal and visceral (including the sanitary towels on the book cover). The author, discussing her poetry, has said:
A female writer needs to fight to build her own language against the default system. I'd say a male writer writes after philosophical contemplation and meaning-making, while a female writer writes with the language of her body, her womb, tits, tears, blood and that very process is part of creating meaning. She, perhaps, is always writing with the language of the body.Jimin commits suicide - for reasons that gradually become clear to the reader and to Yeoul, and Yeoul herself suffers an attempted rape as well as troubled relationship with both her father and long-absent mother, and is blamed for the death in an accident of her stepbrother, to whom she is very close. But this is also a novel that contains friendship and hope.
https://themissingslate.com/2016/10/0...
(see also https://aaww.org/kim-yideum-korean-fe... for similar sentiments)
Music plays a key role - it's the sort of novel where a Spotify playlist would have been handy - from K-pop to 1970s prog-rock. The band Metamorfosi (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sygmj...) also lead to a Korean pun that Lee nimbly translates: the Korean word 변태 can mean both transformation - hence is a translation of the band name - but also means deviant, which is what Yeoul assumes the band's name means.
Lee generally does an excellent job with what can't of been an easy translation. She doesn't oversmooth - the style at times feels quite Korean - but still renders the book into powerful and lyrical English, and she adds sufficient glosses (and the occasional footn0te) without being over-intrusive.
In particular, the use of honorifics in Korean speech plays an important role, and, particularly, the titles that are often used in place of names. E.g. Yeoul calls Jimin 선배, sunbe, a term used for an elder at university/work, which necessitates the first footnote. But generally, Yeoul defines herself by refusing to obey conventional, respectful terminology:
I speak with my own mouth, so I will address others on my own terms.
See here https://www.asymptotejournal.com/blog... for an interview where the translator discusses various aspects including the above.
There is one small misfire. On a bus, after the 1987 Presidential election, Yeoul overhears a conversation:
The man insists that now an average joe like Roh Tae-woo has become the president, the world is gonna get better. He calls the previous presidents, Kim Yong-sam and Kim Dae-jung, country ruining bastards.
Having checked the original Korean, the 'previous presidents' isn't there, and instead is a gloss added by Lee for the English translation - but an incorrect one. Kim Yong-sam and Kim Dae-jung were the defeated candidates in the 1987 election (having split the anti-establishment vote https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_So...) and, as it happens, were to become (but the speaker in 1987-88 of course wasn't to know this) the two succeeding presidents.
This is the latest book from the excellent Asympote Book Club (see https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... for a complete list) and their take on the book is here: https://www.asymptotejournal.com/blog...
Overall a powerful work - 4 stars.
August 25, 2019
"Blood Sisters tells the story of Jeong Yeoul, a young Korean college student in the 1980's, when the memory of President Chun Doohwan's violent suppression of student demonstrations against martial law was still fresh. Yideum captures with raw honesty the sense of dread felt by many Korean women during this time as Jeong struggles in a swirl of misguided desires and hopelessness against a society distorted by competing ideologies, sexual violence, and cultural conservatism."
This feels very contemporary with fragments, broken families, complicated relationships, and this darker threat in the background. A good read for Women in Translation month.
I received a copy from Deep Vellum through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review, but by the time I was able to read it, the book had already come out - July 30, 2019.
This feels very contemporary with fragments, broken families, complicated relationships, and this darker threat in the background. A good read for Women in Translation month.
I received a copy from Deep Vellum through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review, but by the time I was able to read it, the book had already come out - July 30, 2019.
August 9, 2019
Lmao my mom keeps giving me books that are about sad, fucked up young women doing a bad job processing trauma and I’m like girl but I also eat that shit right UP. This book takes place in 80s Korea which was a really interesting setting to explore queerness, sexual violence, censorship, student activism all themes with parallel relevance to the US today! Rly liked this book also thought the translator did a great job
February 27, 2024
Na pewno jest to dobra książka, ale wydaje mi się, że przez zastój czytelniczy w ogóle nie zwróciła na dłużej mojej uwagi i nie wzbudziła konkretnych emocji.
July 28, 2022
Ugh. On paper this sounded totally up my street so it was disappointing to find that the novel didn't live up to the promise of the blurb. The setting of Korea in the 1980s amidst student led political protests felt like it held so much potential, but I found the plot to be muddled and the protagonist underdeveloped. The translation also felt super clunky, but maybe this was how the book was originally written? Either way this was not for me!
April 25, 2020
Not as "poetic" as I was expecting given the author's fame as a poet, but very powerful and affecting nonetheless. The ending is just stunning- a real body-blow to the emotions; it took my breath away and the final image haunted me for days.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
March 9, 2020
I swear I am not hostile-looking, nor am I the kind of trash who mugs children. I'm just a defeated youth, a scream, a lamentation thrust into the sky. I enjoy my excellent loser attitude. The squirming heap in the darkness whispered into my ear: You coward. What are you afraid of? Go on. Destroy yourself. You have the right to self-destruct. Good thing I wasn't naive enough to be persuaded by nonsense like "a right to dream" or "a right to self-destruct".
A fantastic novel that I didn't really want to stop reading. For all its unstable propositions and volatile moods, the novel has such an unusually propulsive power that to pick it up at any point is to be plunged into the protagonist's erratic state of mind, to be engulfed by the foreignness of trauma in which everything appears scrambled or is in disarray. And its logic is so singular and unique that I inhaled it in one go. I also quite liked Kim Yideum's poetry and would definitely read more of it.
Read
June 4, 2019Blood Sisters is a novel about Jeong Yeoul, a young woman trying to get by as she mostly fails at college, is estranged from her parents, and rootlessly moves from place to place. The novel takes place in 1980s Korea, where there is a constant undercurrent of political unrest. Friends encourage Yeoul to find a political purpose for her life, but she resists. She seeks escape in the world of art, but even there she finds disappointment. She and her friends are faced with sexual violence, as they try to make their way through a conservative, patriarchal environment. It’s a powerful novel, one that stays close to Yeoul’s thoughts and feelings and takes the reader to some dark places. She is a memorable narrator: honest and intense in her search for self-understanding and a way to exist in the world.
https://bookriot.com/2019/06/01/june-...
https://bookriot.com/2019/06/01/june-...
June 18, 2020
A case of « back cover summary makes it out to be better than it actually is ». The praised raw style of writing felt more clumsy to me, and throughout the book, I was unsure if the problem was style or translation. The pacing was a bit odd too and I found myself completely unreactive and apathic to the key moments. Through the unnatural dialogue, I was unable to feel attachment to the characters and only felt like reading through for the sake of finishing the book.
April 9, 2019
Review to come soon.
October 23, 2020
The abruptness of the ending captures the essence of the book.
October 18, 2022
내 문제는 소설이 아니라 바로 영어로의 번역이지....이 정도 번역하지 못하면은 그냥 번역하지 말든가... 부끄로운 줄 아셔야지.
December 3, 2025
After hearing the author read her poetry aloud I had to put in my hold for her novel. I understand now why she is considered a feminist icon and why her works are seen as relevant even today. This is the complete opposite of cosy/healing fiction. It is very difficult to be immune to the soft power that South Korea has or to the allures of idolising a celebrity whose entire image is carefully controlled by multiple employees. In my personal experience, I feel that most people do not want to engage with the lived realities of the actual country because the fantasy world presented on screen is more palatable. I mean, just talk to any Korean woman, look at the birth rate, read translated news. There can be any number of documentaries, books, and anecdotes by Korean women, but people outside of Korea—and here I mean women—can somehow ignore all that and focus on their oppa worship.
'Blood Sisters' is set in the 80s and follows a young woman, Yeoul, who is defined by her alienation and not belonging anywhere. Abandoned by her mother and pushed out by her father's new family, she's crashing at a college sort-of girlfriend's place. Her girlfriend dies as a result of violence, the kind enacted on women by men who repeatedly get away with it, knowing that society will protect them. Yeoul ends up dependent on her employer whose nephew is the perpetrator. She wants to avenge her friend but she's barely able to keep it together or keep herself safe, and all around her is the pressure to give in, conform, become passive.
What I found especially damning is not the unflattering portrayal of the two types of men (1. a mummy's boy who's sexually repressed/inept, 2. an entitled macho-type serial rapist who believes himself above the law) but how the women themselves do not stand up for or protect each other. When harm is done, they are likely to side with the man because of their own fear of retaliation and internalised misogyny. To fight against the tide alone would drive anyone to the brink.
'Blood Sisters' is set in the 80s and follows a young woman, Yeoul, who is defined by her alienation and not belonging anywhere. Abandoned by her mother and pushed out by her father's new family, she's crashing at a college sort-of girlfriend's place. Her girlfriend dies as a result of violence, the kind enacted on women by men who repeatedly get away with it, knowing that society will protect them. Yeoul ends up dependent on her employer whose nephew is the perpetrator. She wants to avenge her friend but she's barely able to keep it together or keep herself safe, and all around her is the pressure to give in, conform, become passive.
What I found especially damning is not the unflattering portrayal of the two types of men (1. a mummy's boy who's sexually repressed/inept, 2. an entitled macho-type serial rapist who believes himself above the law) but how the women themselves do not stand up for or protect each other. When harm is done, they are likely to side with the man because of their own fear of retaliation and internalised misogyny. To fight against the tide alone would drive anyone to the brink.
January 23, 2024
/3.5⭐️/ a raw and unflinching exploration of the challenges faced during 1980s korea, especially by women in an unsafe political and social environment. the novel's portrayal of difficult themes, e.g suicide and rape, makes it a hard but important read. however, as with many translated works, I found that some of the emotional depth and authenticity may have been lost in translation, making it harder to fully connect with the story.
January 9, 2023
Took a bit to get into. Enjoyed this v weird little novella.
August 23, 2021
good story but slow. Main character is selfish and annoying but it’s understandable do to her past, however, she needs to do something about her problems instead of complaining. The letter at the end made me cry she should’ve ended up With Sol not the dentist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2019
The story mostly takes place in Busan, South Korea, so if you’re visiting Busan, this book is a good travel companion. Many places are named, like Taejong beach, Youngdo, Jagalchi open market, Gwangbok intersection and temple Beomuh subway station. The main character, Yeoul, also takes a trip to Gyungho river in Sanchung via Jinju and to Hadong. More than any other book I’ve read from Korean authors, you can follow the path the main characters take in the story.
The story is set some years after the student uprising in Gwangju and many students are still involved in the demonstrations, like the friends of Yeoul, with the police watching over them closely.
Yeoul is from a dysfunctional family and basically has to take care of herself throughout the story. She is depressed, lonely and doesn’t know what to do with her life and just settles with the first guy that suggests going through life together just because she can’t think of a better alternative. The author doesn’t shy away from themes like sexual orientation, disability, political viewpoints and dealing with rape, loss and suicide.
I really liked the writing style and the references to art, culture and philosophy. I enjoyed this book very much, but it might not be for everyone because of the subjects and thoughts in it.
Check out https://wheretokim.com/books-south-ko... for more Korean books.
The story is set some years after the student uprising in Gwangju and many students are still involved in the demonstrations, like the friends of Yeoul, with the police watching over them closely.
Yeoul is from a dysfunctional family and basically has to take care of herself throughout the story. She is depressed, lonely and doesn’t know what to do with her life and just settles with the first guy that suggests going through life together just because she can’t think of a better alternative. The author doesn’t shy away from themes like sexual orientation, disability, political viewpoints and dealing with rape, loss and suicide.
I really liked the writing style and the references to art, culture and philosophy. I enjoyed this book very much, but it might not be for everyone because of the subjects and thoughts in it.
Check out https://wheretokim.com/books-south-ko... for more Korean books.
February 18, 2023
Societal pressure, systemic sexism, gendered violence, complicated relationships, finding your place in a time of political unrest and change - I loved the angry and raw tone Kim Yideum used to write her novel.
I sadly wasn’t able to connect with our main protagonist Yeoul as well as I would have liked; she often felt very distant to me. I also couldn’t understand some of the decisions she made, hence only three stars.
I sadly wasn’t able to connect with our main protagonist Yeoul as well as I would have liked; she often felt very distant to me. I also couldn’t understand some of the decisions she made, hence only three stars.
August 28, 2019
A fascinating, fictional portrayal of Korean society, sexuality, and the rise of feminism in 1980's Seoul. You can tell that Yideum is a gifted poet, as there are moments of breathtaking prose that prompted me as a reader to pause and take in the beauty and power of her descriptions. This book is a poetic education.
January 24, 2022
"Eunyong curses, lies, and plays hooky fluently. She doesn't seem like that on the surface. A lovely girl. But I won't love anyone ever again. The people I love died because of my love--I know they are with me at all times, hovering around me. How many things are right next to me but can't be seen?"
Yeoul isn't sure what she wants, though a lot of people tell her what she needs. Is it political extremism? Feminism? A job? A revolution? But when she falls into a job that pays more than minimum wage, she can sigh a breath of relief. It's something steady, something that doesn't tell her what to do. Though set in the late 80s, this book feels fresh and reflective of struggles women face today, even women across the world.
There are plenty of women willing to help Yeoul. A café owner, a doctor, her friends. But to receive their assistance, Yeoul must adhere to their rules and standards. To marry. To be political. To remain quiet of all the trauma she has endured at the hands of men. Yeoul sees an escape through marriage, sees an opportunity in a mother she's never known. And yet a husband's love, a mother's love, are just as conditional as everything that had come before it.
Where Yeoul may have previously been generically annoyed at the state of the world and her personal life, she grows into a hostility enacted upon her whose life may be ruined if she dares open her mouth. Besides, even if she did speak, who would listen? She cannot be--refuses to be--what others need, so she takes matters into her own hands and becomes who she needs to be in an act of self-preservation and rage that we can all admire.
Yeoul isn't sure what she wants, though a lot of people tell her what she needs. Is it political extremism? Feminism? A job? A revolution? But when she falls into a job that pays more than minimum wage, she can sigh a breath of relief. It's something steady, something that doesn't tell her what to do. Though set in the late 80s, this book feels fresh and reflective of struggles women face today, even women across the world.
There are plenty of women willing to help Yeoul. A café owner, a doctor, her friends. But to receive their assistance, Yeoul must adhere to their rules and standards. To marry. To be political. To remain quiet of all the trauma she has endured at the hands of men. Yeoul sees an escape through marriage, sees an opportunity in a mother she's never known. And yet a husband's love, a mother's love, are just as conditional as everything that had come before it.
Where Yeoul may have previously been generically annoyed at the state of the world and her personal life, she grows into a hostility enacted upon her whose life may be ruined if she dares open her mouth. Besides, even if she did speak, who would listen? She cannot be--refuses to be--what others need, so she takes matters into her own hands and becomes who she needs to be in an act of self-preservation and rage that we can all admire.
May 29, 2021
Rating ⭐⭐⭐
Berlatarkan situasi politik Korea Selatan era 80an, dibawah pemerintahan represif Chun Doo-Hwan. Blood sisters menceritakan kehidupan Yeoul, seorang mahasiswi pergerakan, anak dari keluarga dengan kultur konfusianisme berat, dan penyintas kekerasan seksual.
Isi buku didominasi sama pikiran-pikiran destruktif Yeoul, soal dirinya yang sudah putus asa dan gak bisa ambil keputusan apapun terkait hidupnya sendiri. Yeoul berusaha keras lepas dari trauma masa kecil, tapi dipersulit karena adanya cobaan berturut-turut.
Buku ini page turning!. Ditulis Kim Yideum, penyair feminis terkenal. Tema buku ini berkutat soal kekerasan. Budaya kekerasan yang dijelaskan di buku ini tidak cuma dari pemerintah dan militer aja, tapi kekerasan seksual dan domestic abuse juga dipaksa jadi makanan sehari-hari semua karakter perempuan di buku ini. Selain soal kekerasan, ajaran konfusionisme dikritik, Yeoul sempet nolak pakai honorific ke orang sekitarnya, menurut Yeoul semakin tua seseorang, bukan jaminan jadi lebih noble.
Kelemahan buku ini buat aku sih dari plot cerita random, beberapa dialog lumayan cringe, dan karakter utama yang dijadikan tidak pernah konsisten. Tapi mungkin ini bisa saja disengaja sama authornya, mungkin karena plot lompat-lompatnya ini kalau dibaca dalam bahasa aslinya (Hangul) akan lebih ada nilai estetikanya? Dan untuk Yeoul yang sangat gak bisa ditebak, menurutku wajar, akibat trauma yang diterima sejak Yeoul kecil.
Akhir kata, Blood Sisters recommended sih, Kalau kamu suka baca buku Laut Bercerita, Kim Ji Young : Born 1982, atau nonton drama korea Reply 1988 dan drama Youth of May, aku yakin buku ini sangat menghibur.
Berlatarkan situasi politik Korea Selatan era 80an, dibawah pemerintahan represif Chun Doo-Hwan. Blood sisters menceritakan kehidupan Yeoul, seorang mahasiswi pergerakan, anak dari keluarga dengan kultur konfusianisme berat, dan penyintas kekerasan seksual.
Isi buku didominasi sama pikiran-pikiran destruktif Yeoul, soal dirinya yang sudah putus asa dan gak bisa ambil keputusan apapun terkait hidupnya sendiri. Yeoul berusaha keras lepas dari trauma masa kecil, tapi dipersulit karena adanya cobaan berturut-turut.
Buku ini page turning!. Ditulis Kim Yideum, penyair feminis terkenal. Tema buku ini berkutat soal kekerasan. Budaya kekerasan yang dijelaskan di buku ini tidak cuma dari pemerintah dan militer aja, tapi kekerasan seksual dan domestic abuse juga dipaksa jadi makanan sehari-hari semua karakter perempuan di buku ini. Selain soal kekerasan, ajaran konfusionisme dikritik, Yeoul sempet nolak pakai honorific ke orang sekitarnya, menurut Yeoul semakin tua seseorang, bukan jaminan jadi lebih noble.
Kelemahan buku ini buat aku sih dari plot cerita random, beberapa dialog lumayan cringe, dan karakter utama yang dijadikan tidak pernah konsisten. Tapi mungkin ini bisa saja disengaja sama authornya, mungkin karena plot lompat-lompatnya ini kalau dibaca dalam bahasa aslinya (Hangul) akan lebih ada nilai estetikanya? Dan untuk Yeoul yang sangat gak bisa ditebak, menurutku wajar, akibat trauma yang diterima sejak Yeoul kecil.
Akhir kata, Blood Sisters recommended sih, Kalau kamu suka baca buku Laut Bercerita, Kim Ji Young : Born 1982, atau nonton drama korea Reply 1988 dan drama Youth of May, aku yakin buku ini sangat menghibur.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2024
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5onvs-g9...
"Blood Sisters"(블러드 시스터즈), by Kim Yideum (김이듬), was originally published in Korean in 2011. It was translated into English by Lee Jiyoon and published by Deep Vellum (@deepvellum ) in 2019.
The novel is set in the late 80s, in South Korea. It follows 21 year old Jeong Yeoul, as she is navigating life and relationships. It is a first-person narrative filled with youth angst. Being in Yeoul's head sometimes made me think back at my confused teen-early adult years, and sometimes it made me want to give her a hug (that she would most likely scoff at and push back).
The novel is written in short chapters and is easy to read despite being quite heavy in terms of themes. Yeoul's life was and is not an easy one, and there are multiple mentions of abuse, physical and psychological.The student protests of the 80s in South Korea are also a prevalent theme, even though not quite at center stage. The novel also tackles sexuality and intimacy and gets a bit graphic with a sexual assault scene.
It was a good book that I've been meaning to read for a while, and I started during #koreanmarch but only finished in April.
The author, Kim Yideum, owns a bookstore in Korea that I would love to visit one day. 😍
"Blood Sisters"(블러드 시스터즈), by Kim Yideum (김이듬), was originally published in Korean in 2011. It was translated into English by Lee Jiyoon and published by Deep Vellum (@deepvellum ) in 2019.
The novel is set in the late 80s, in South Korea. It follows 21 year old Jeong Yeoul, as she is navigating life and relationships. It is a first-person narrative filled with youth angst. Being in Yeoul's head sometimes made me think back at my confused teen-early adult years, and sometimes it made me want to give her a hug (that she would most likely scoff at and push back).
The novel is written in short chapters and is easy to read despite being quite heavy in terms of themes. Yeoul's life was and is not an easy one, and there are multiple mentions of abuse, physical and psychological.The student protests of the 80s in South Korea are also a prevalent theme, even though not quite at center stage. The novel also tackles sexuality and intimacy and gets a bit graphic with a sexual assault scene.
It was a good book that I've been meaning to read for a while, and I started during #koreanmarch but only finished in April.
The author, Kim Yideum, owns a bookstore in Korea that I would love to visit one day. 😍
January 21, 2025
I just reviewed A Magical Girl Retires, which confirmed what I felt about this book—Korean lit is very reminiscent of Bangla lit, but it is definitely going to take me some practice to be able to glean the same feelings when reading it translated to English. The similarity with Bangla lit surprises me, perhaps because our media is otherwise so different. But I did keep thinking about the social impact a novel like this could have made today if written by a Bangladeshi author. It certainly would have felt very appropriate for the times, despite being set decades ago in Korea.
Bangla literature I’ve read often doesn’t feel the need to have an explicit Point, or even a linear plot, and this book is much the same. The darkness of truly harrowing events (the blurb absolutely makes the book sound way bubblier than it is) is melded so seamlessly into the protagonist’s point of view that they almost seem surreal. It gets intense but it doesn’t *feel* as tangibly action-packed as it should.
From the translator’s note I also think the author is really cool! She writes fiction and poetry about queer women and owns a bookstore café, which is truly the dream. 4.25⭐️
Bangla literature I’ve read often doesn’t feel the need to have an explicit Point, or even a linear plot, and this book is much the same. The darkness of truly harrowing events (the blurb absolutely makes the book sound way bubblier than it is) is melded so seamlessly into the protagonist’s point of view that they almost seem surreal. It gets intense but it doesn’t *feel* as tangibly action-packed as it should.
From the translator’s note I also think the author is really cool! She writes fiction and poetry about queer women and owns a bookstore café, which is truly the dream. 4.25⭐️
October 13, 2024
I picked this up at a bookstore during my holiday in Copenhagen - had never heard of it before, and I managed to start and finish it before I even got back home! This was a very good and entertaining book about many topics that one can often find in translated Korean literature, like systemic issues regarding gender and patriarchy, but I really enjoyed how this one came together. This is a dark and serious novel at times, with a few harrowing scenes, but the main character has a sardonic worldview and gives several sarcastic quips that add some off-kilter and occasionally humorous layers to the story.
This is nothing original or innovative, but it was easy to read, and despite the occasional awkward phrasing in the translation during scenes of dialogue, I'd say this was a pretty successful book at analyzing Korean history, politics, inequality with a queer edge that I appreciated. Very glad to own this and would widely recommend to anyone interested in Korean literature.
This is nothing original or innovative, but it was easy to read, and despite the occasional awkward phrasing in the translation during scenes of dialogue, I'd say this was a pretty successful book at analyzing Korean history, politics, inequality with a queer edge that I appreciated. Very glad to own this and would widely recommend to anyone interested in Korean literature.
August 18, 2024
1980-luvun Koreaan sijoittuva romaani käsittelee nuoren opiskelijanaisen elämää. Opiskelujensa, seksuaalisuutensa ja elämänsä kanssa solmussa oleva Yeoul on karannut isänsä ja äitipuolensa luota ja löytänyt tiensä opiskelija-aktivisti Jiminin kotiin. Kun Jimin tekee yllättäen itsemurhan, Yeoul päättää selvittää syyn - ja joutuu samalla kohtaamaan korealaisen patriarkaalisen yhteiskunnan ikävimpiä puolia. Teoksessa kuvattiin hienosti nuoruuden haahuilua ja epävarmuutta sekä tyttöjen ja naisten alisteista asemaa niin opiskelumahdollisuuksissa kuin parisuhdemarkkinoilla. Puistattaa ajatuskin suojelijamiehestä, jonka ykköstavoitteina ovat avioliitto ja naisen siveys. Jotkin tapahtumat tuntuivat hieman kärjistetyiltä, mutta kokonaisuutena teos oli puistattava katsaus sukupuolten väliseen eriarvoisuuteen ja huono-osaisuuteen.
March 23, 2024
mencabar ye hidup mc ni. dgn family berantakan. mak ayah dua2 ignorant. kena abused dgn stepmother lagi. toxic relationships. persekitaran pun tak membantu, so many deaths, and suicide. self blame lagi, emotionally unstable too, kat tempat kerja pun jumpa org pelik2. this one is a lot to take in. trigger warnings everywhere. 🤧 so depressing aku penat.
but on a deeper level, ada kena mengena dgn political issues time tu, how women’s were portrayed, how the system actually rigged, this is raw and very interesting discovery for this year.
but on a deeper level, ada kena mengena dgn political issues time tu, how women’s were portrayed, how the system actually rigged, this is raw and very interesting discovery for this year.
July 22, 2019
I only read maybe 10-15 pages into this novel, but the narration was so jumbled and confusing that I couldn't get drawn into it. The story is written as if directly copied from the main character's mind, where she jumps from topic to topic and timeline to timeline in almost every paragraph. There is very very minimal introduction of the main character, so we are just thrown into her jumble of thoughts, which I found very very confusing. I just couldn't get a grip, and couldn't figure out where this novel might go, so I decided to put it down.
DNF in July 2019
DNF in July 2019
January 26, 2020
Story takes place in 1980s South Korea. Feminism, sexuality, student demonstrations then, family, trauma, etc. Many of the places in the story I've been to in Busan.
The author is a poet--this is her first novel.
I kept at it, even though the style was unfamiliar to me. Found it interesting to read a foreign fiction novel unlike what I am accustomed to reading. It's a very dark story. The main character struggles through the sadness/traumas of her past and the present. Violent.
The author is a poet--this is her first novel.
I kept at it, even though the style was unfamiliar to me. Found it interesting to read a foreign fiction novel unlike what I am accustomed to reading. It's a very dark story. The main character struggles through the sadness/traumas of her past and the present. Violent.
April 7, 2020
Much of the prose is beautiful and showcases why Kim Yideum is a well-regarded poet in Korea. While reading, I struggled with some of the dialogue and plotting, but the more I reflect on the story, the more I enjoy it in retrospect. I do think I would have benefited from more familiarity with 1980's Korea, particularly with Chun Doohwan's rule and the student movements against martial law.
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