#Book11of2024 | Review | Violets, by Kyung Sook

Violets begins with the birth of a girl unwelcomed by her family. Mother hands over the baby to the grand-mother and father abandoned the duo shortly after. So begins the story of Oh San, a rather unremarkable girl.

The novel actually draws a portrait of the self-destruction, that unreciprocated and unheard desire can spark in a person. San's mother is addicted to men. And all through her growing up years, San has seen her mother go after a slew of men, and be regularly abandoned.

But the author isn't criticizing the mother. She is critiquing the social norms, the patriarchy, the privileges men and their desires have, and the underlying perception, that a woman is hollow and meaningless if not a man's desire.

San knows nothing about love or being loved. Fast forward years and San begins work in a Seoul flower shop where she meets her new soon-to-be roommate Su-ae. These two women form what seems to be an intimate bond until San's own mental illnesses sends her into a tailspin of loneliness and internal traps. Even when she finds a strong friendship in Su-ae, she is largely fixated on emptiness.

This story is about all of those women, who ache in silence. They could be our friends, mothers, sisters or even ourselves - just like violets, we see these women everywhere.

AI Chat bot wrote this nearly perfect poem, as a summary for this book and here it is:

"In Fields where Violets quietly bloom, a young heart's whispers paint the air.

She seeks a voice in the silent room, amidst the shadows of despair.

In Seoul's cold streets, her spirit fights.

Loneliness her constant friend. With fragile hope, and muted lights.

She dreams of love that will not bend. "

Final Verdict? ****Highly Recommend****