As she approaches her third decade, Jin Han, a photographer, is at a pivotal juncture in her life. Her creative life is lacklustre, and her recent work does not satisfy her own standards. Simultaneously, her personal life is in disarray. Her 11-year-old marriage is on the rocks due to her husband’s inability to satisfy her masochistic sexual needs. To complicate matters further, he has expressed a sudden desire to start a family, something which Jin does not reciprocate.
During this turbulent period, Jin unexpectedly meets a captivating ballerina, Lidija. Lidija, a Korean by birth, took the name to reflect the Slavic origin of her idols. She is currently taking a break following an injury. Feeling no pressure to uphold a facade, Jin feels comfortable revealing her innermost desires to Lidija, drawing them closer and leading them down a path filled with intense joy and disorder.
In her book ‘Kink’, Kwon honours the often shamed and stigmatised world of kinks, particularly for women. She delves into the guilt women may carry for their desires, challenging the stereotype of the obedient and submissive Asian woman. Intertwining the main narrative, Kwon explores the cost of female desire from the perspective of Kisaeng, a ghost of a courtesan that torments Jin’s family with a curse.
The prose is richly descriptive and engaging. “Lidija’s collar bones, bold and elevated as if ready for take-off.” Some narrative elements, however, come across as artificial. The extensive use of names in dialogues seem like an attempt to engage readers but often falls flat. The ornate prose can sometimes veer into ambiguity and diversion. “His mournful song, a gust of exhausted love, surges spitefully from the void he left behind.”
‘I Will Show You How It Was’ serves as a cautionary tale of how much worse things could have been for Ukraine. As ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ marks its 75th anniversary, the relevance of George Orwell’s dystopian novel only grows stronger. ‘Welcome to Glorious Tuga’ is a touching novel exploring travel, identity, and a sense of belonging.
Ruminations of the Principia: a brief narrative by Lisa McInerney
The display probes deeply into the concept of homosexuality and how it is conventionally viewed by the elderly as a “strange, foreign affliction, impacting caucasians but not Koreans.” Kwon’s earlier literary work, The Incendiaries, similarly delves into the contrasting themes of evangelistic fervour and lack of faith, feminine yearning and embarrassment, as well as the individual.