1.75 stars. honestly i'm not sure why i didn't like this more and why it was hard for me to get into. this isn't the first time i've tried to listen to it and at first i didn't have trouble starting it (like i did last time) but i think i lost myself a bit in the middle. by the end i was much more interested again, and i like what she was doing here and how she was talking about debt as the source of the problems here, which we don't see too often. i like the surprising turns toward the end, although i do slightly wonder if that was me having zoned out a bit and missing something earlier on, which would have made it less surprising. i don't know, i'm excited by other books by this author and have been looking forward to reading her and see some elements that i really like here but just wasn't as excited by this one as i wanted to be. ( )

This is my third Pyun and second on audio; Caroline McLaughlin narrated this one.

There are two storylines in this novel. I found it hard to sort them out at first, I'm not sure if it was due to being on audio, the construction of the novel, or the narration. We have Se-Oh and Ki-jeong, two single women who have close relatives that have recently died and been ruled suicides--and neither agree. Their stories slowly come together, as they search for those involved in the secrets their loved ones kept.

This isn't really a mystery novel, per se. There is a mystery, but we get no clues, we follow along with the characters to see where it leads (the actual connection between the two made me laugh--such a good setting for a novel!). But this also isn't a thriller, it's more of a slow burn. But I also felt like there was a lot of detail that did not go anywhere--Se-Oh has been a virtual hermit, and now that she has lost her home she is forced into the world. That plot point goes virtually nowhere, she's fine. The debt collector becomes a major point in Se-Oh's storyline, but doesn't get pulled into Ki-jeung's, which felt weird, as though Ki-jeung's story wasn't as "big", having no related or similar character.

This felt like two different stories that were turned into one novel, but they aren't equal in weight. It was certainly very interesting but the ending wasn't satisfying, and their connection was not as satisfying as it might have been. However, I also did not love the narration. T narrator had one voice, but then the debt collector's elderly mother had a girlish voice, Se-Oh and Ki-Jeung didn't have separate voices (the narrator)--I think this was part of my problem following the storyline. ( )

As this novel opens, Se-Oh returns home from an errand her father sent her on to find their home in flames. She has lived the past several years as a recluse for reasons which only become clear over the course of the novel. Her father's death in the fire is ruled a suicide, but Se-Oh suspects foul play and begins to investigate.

In an alternate narrative, Ki-jeong, a teacher, learns of the death of her estranged sister, which was also ruled a suicide. Ki-jeong, like Se-Oh, is not convinced, and begins to delve into her sister's life. One thing she discovers is that her sister made several attempts to contact Se-Oh before her death. In parallel narratives the stories of Se-Oh and Ki-jeong begin to converge.

I enjoyed this book, but based on the reviews and descriptions I had read, I expected it to be much more in the psychological thriller genre. Instead, it's much more literary and philosophical. There is very little action, just glimpses of contemporary life in Korea, a novel of character, not crime.

Recommended.

3 1/2 stars ( )