A bestselling and award-winning debut collection from one of South Korea's most prominent young writers.
In crisp, unembellished prose, Eun-young Choi paints intimate portraits of the lives of young women in South Korea, balancing the personal with the political. The title story, 'Shoko's Smile', is about the fraught friendship between a Korean girl and a Japanese girl unfolding over thirteen years as they struggle with their dreams.In 'Hanji and Youngju', a Korean geology student and a young Kenyan man bond at a French monastery but inexplicably grow apart on day. 'Xin Chao, Xin Chao' is about a Korean family and a Vietnamese family who meet as friendly neighbours but an unexpected argument about the Vietnam War ruins their relationship forever. In 'Secret', the parents of a teacher killed in the Sewol ferry disaster hide her death from her ailing grandmother.
In the tradition of Sally Rooney, Banana Yoshimoto, and Marilynne Robinson--writers from different cultures who all take an unvarnished look at human relationships and the female experience--Choi Eunyoung is a writer to watch.
