As I sit in my room writing this, I can't help but feel dejected. I know part of my feelings stem from the dull, rainy weather that I can clearly see out my window a gloom worsened by the book that I just finished reading and now must write about. Normally, I do not cry when I read depressing books (my entire 11th-grade English class thought I was a robot when I revealed that I did not cry when I read "Les Miserables"), but I felt my eyes well with tears on multiple occasions while reading Kyung-Sook Shin's "Please Look After Mom."
Released in South Korea in 2009, "Please Look After Mom" was recently translated into English and released in the United States on April 5. It is a deep, dark and emotional novel that tells the story of a family's quest to find their mother, Park So-nyo, after she goes missing in a Seoul subway station.
While the premise of the book may seem simple, the complexity of the book arises from Shin's decision to tell the story from the perspectives of multiple characters: Park's husband, eldest son, eldest daughter and even Park herself. This constant change in perspective reveals the varying shades of guilt Park's son, daughter and husband feel for being ungrateful towards her. As a traditional housewife, Park unwaveringly prioritizes the needs of her children and husband above her own, even hiding a debilitating illness so as not to trouble anyone. Once she is missing, her family begins to re-evaluate their relationships with Park, realizing her sacrifices that they had ungraciously ignored and coping with their ensuing remorse. The multiplicity of perspectives in the novel not only increased my sympathy for Park, but also rendered the story more engaging than a narrative told from the perspective of only one character. Although I was trying to keep up with four viewpoints, the book had my full attention throughout.
The book is also narrated in the second person, as if the reader is the character. Through this literary device, I felt the emotions of the characters. When they were consumed by guilt, I was consumed by guilt; when they were frustrated, I was frustrated. My emotional engagement with the story led me to feel as if I had lost my own mother. As soon as I finished the book I felt compelled to call my mother and make sure that she was alright (and warn her not to go to any crowded subway stations).
"Please Look After Mom" is a uniquely narrated, powerful novel that flows well and engages the reader. All in all, I would recommend "Please Look After Mom" to anyone looking for a substantial read, bearing in mind that this is not a light, fluffy novel and won't cure any post-midterm depression.
