Whale

Such a unusual read, it makes me want to read more Korean literature.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Fantastic and bizarre and tragic multi generational saga with memorable characters. Maybe too grotesque for some, but I loved it!

Whale is a disturbing and unsettling book, however, it is well told and a page turner. I genuinely wanted to find out more about the strange characters and tales that make up the book. It could be described as a series of intertwined modern folk tales. It’s episodic, but definitely a novel and not a series of short stories. It never drags or gets boring and is told very cinematically. (Cheon Myeong-kwan started as a film writer and changed to novels when he couldn’t get films made.) Finding books like this is why I read books in translation – they open up other worlds for me. I would not recommend this book to everyone – the subject matter is disturbing, but I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the strange unsettling world of Korean cinema.

I didn't know what to expect from this book but I was very pleasantly suprised and it has made me excited to read more literature from around the world. It was a bizarre read that had me confused for most of it but that is what I loved most

In Whale, we follow the eventful lives of Geumbok and, later, her daughter Chunhui. Their lives are guided by fate, and their futures are entwined with those of an ugly old crone and her one-eyed daughter. Geumbok is a beautiful, strong-willed and intelligent woman who escapes from a traumatic childhood of loss, and is hurled into the big wide world. The Whale, which she spots breaching the surface of the wide ocean as she begins this new life, is used symbolically throughout the story to represent her inner strength and constant desire for more, bigger, better. This combined with her intelligence makes her a fantastic entrepreneur and throughout her life she builds various majorly successful businesses from the ground up.

Chunhui, her daughter, is vastly different from her mother and resembles more her father, built like a house and seemingly of sub-par intelligence. Mute, but with the ability to converse with Jumbo the elephant, Chunhui lives a simple life, following the paths she is guided down by those raising her.

I loved this book. This is absolutely one of my all-time favorite reads. The characters are so well formed that they feel real and I found myself genuinely feeling for them, and wanting good things to happen to them. A beautiful picture of life in Korea and how their society, and circumstances, changed so drastically over the course of their lives. It borders on fantastical at times but reads less like fantasy and more like a fairy tale, a truly epic novel and so wonderful well translated!

There's a huge emphasis on female strength and power throughout and, while there are some memorable and loveable male characters, many of the men featuring throughout the novel lack even the basic dignity of a name, and instead are referred to as the fishmonger, the lumberjack, the truck driver, and so on. Men are not demonized, it is simply that a name is not necessary or important to the furthering of the story. I also got the feeling that being named is the narrators way of showing the most significant and beloved men in their lives.

Later in the novel, surprising events occur which entirely change the tone, in such a way that feels like a commentary on society's expectations of men and women, which is a theme i always love reading about. Its hard to say much more without giving away spoilers!

This is a stunning translation and a story that will remain with me for a long time. Unique and absorbing, I would recommend this book to everyone.

This is such a bizarre book I encountered this year. It doesn't have macabre theme & probably has sort of folklore stylish. It also has a storytelling written style with such beautiful language. Nothing is happy here, just full of sombre and disturbing tone here.

There are a lot of trigger warnings in this book and a lot of female characters were treated unjustly. The time & place settings here are pretty appealing. It spans from 3 generations while living through Korea's political situations. I love how dramatic the story goes and can't stop thinking about it.

Thanks ever so much to @europaeditionsuk for sharing this title with me on @netgalley! Spotted in @waterstonesreading this morning.

Whale (고레) by Cheon Myeong-Kwan and translated into English by Chi-Young Kim is an epic romp through several generations of a Korean family that is beset by misfortune. I’d seen someone liken it to One Hundred Years of Solitude and, now that I’ve finished it, I think it’s a very valid comparison. The narrative is infused with elements of magic realism, there’s a wacky array of characters, and the final section had me hooked, much like Garcia Márquez’s masterpiece. It was almost post-apocalyptic in its scope - and thus, right up my street. Pyeongdae felt like the second coming of Macondo, condemned to disappear off the face of the Earth.

I would say the one downside is the vile treatment of women throughout the novel. They are repeatedly assaulted, beaten, discarded… men seem to only be able to act on primal instincts and it’s very disheartening. Nothing ever gets better for them even when the rest of society seems to be moving forward (perhaps there’s an element of social commentary there?) Nevertheless, I’m sure the author could’ve found something else to link these women together other than intergenerational violence and trauma.

All in all, this was a rich, imaginative, and plot-driven novel (a must!) that has kept me good company for days. More Korean fiction in translation, please! Keep it coming.

4/5

What a weirdly wonderful book.
I didn't really know what to expect with this one but having read and enjoyed several books by Korean authors of late, I was drawn to this one and multi generational family saga's are one of my favourite type of genre.
It took me a couple of attempts to get going with this one and there was almost a dreamlike ( nightmarish at times) quality to the writing. I didn't always fully understand where the story was going and yet was intrigued and compelled to keep reading. Guembok was fantastic character , her ambition and determination were a joy to read. I want to visit Korea even more now after reading this and had a strong desire to cook fish when reading!
I need to buy a paperback and revisit this one, I think I would get more from a second reading..
An unusual captivating read, unliike anything I have read before.

Whale is the first novel by Cheon Myeong-Kwan translated into English by Kim Chi-Young. It follows the story of multiple generations of women moving the ladder progressively throughout the year. It focuses mainly on Geumbok, a young woman whose mother passed away and whose father is a drunkard that becomes more and more aggressive. To avoid a terrible accident, Geumbok decides to flee and make her own life. During her journey, she encounters several men who will reveal her true self and the woman she wants to be. Among them is an old fishmonger with whom she puts her ambitious instincts into action; an extremely strong man whose quiet nature she is attracted to; a man in a cinema who will spark her deep love for American movies...etc. Every person who crosses her path is blessed with incredible luck and terrible events. Meanwhile, we also dive into Chunhui's life. Chunhui is Geumbok's and the strong man's daughter, and her silent life and strong physical abilities will make her the most interesting woman South Korea has ever encountered.

This story turned out to be super interesting! It lays out a vision of South Korea over the twentieth century that is very rare in the translated literature of today. The special insight into women's conditions was riveting, as well as the fact that the narration was that of Geumbok; I liked her ambitious nature and her tenacity when it came to taking her life between her hands and creating new opportunities. She knows what she wants and doesn't hesitate to get her hands dirty or face awful rumours propagated by the inhabitants of Pyeongdae. In a way, though, I thought it incredibly unsettling that she lived through many hardships (mostly inflicted by men, physically and mentally), and she is very critical of other young women.

I think readers who wish to give a chance to this novel should really take seriously what the summary says: "brimming with surprises and wicked humour, Whale is an adventure-satire of epic proportions". It sure reveals incongruous plot twists, touching various points like, surprisingly, queerness. I was shocked by one particular plot twist about this near the end of the second part, but it was very imaginative and thoughtful in some sense.
I'd like to invite publishers to put trigger warnings to this novel, however, for it is very graphic in terms of violence, sexual abuse, tragic events, etc. Some themes I know could disturb more than one reader.

Overall though, I really encourage readers to read this novel, especially those who have an interest in knowing more about the conditions of women who faced poverty in rural cities in Korea. I believe some people will find this book dragging in length near the end; I admit that was my case. The story is so dense and spanning over several years that it came to a point I was wanting it to end, to see the final point. But still, it was a very agreeable read, with a wonderful translation.

Thank you Netgalley and Europa editions for the opportunity of reading an advanced copy of this book and for allowing me to review it.

'What's going to happen to us? Chunhui asked, scared.
We're disappearing for good. But don't be scared. Just like you remembered me, you exist if someone remembers you.'

Longlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize, this is a stunning work of fiction that reads more like a fable or fairy tale. But don't be mistaken, this is a dark book, with disturbing scenes and content that is seriously troubling. An inter-generational tale of the struggle to survive, with some serious observations on Korean society, some may find this a bit too much, but I found myself utterly immersed in the characters and the setting. A rewarding and important work of fiction.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)