Reviews
“Affecting . . . Poignant and psychologically revealing . . . Readers should find resonance in this family story, a runaway bestseller in Korea poised for a similar run here.� - Publishers Weekly “ Please Look After Mom is an authentic, moving story that brings to vivid life the deep family connections that lie at the core of Korean culture. But it also speaks beautifully to an urgent issue of our time: migration, and how the movement of people from small towns and villages to big cities can cause heartbreak and even tragedy. This is a tapestry of family life that will be read all over the world. I loved this book.� -Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story “A suspenseful and moving book. We join this family as soon as we open these pages and we never quite leave it. Or it never leaves us. Cleverly structured and brimming with secrets and revelations, Please Look After Mom is a powerful and memorable read.� -Edwidge Danticat, author of Breath, Eyes, Memory and Brother, I’m Dying “Kyung-sook Shin has managed some kind of alchemy in this novel. Weaving together four vivid voices-of daughter, son, husband, and mother, each with the immediacy of a whispered confession-she has created a heartbreaking family mystery. Here is a deeply felt journey into a culture foreign to many-yet with a theme that is universal in its appeal. A terrific novel that stayed with me long after I’d finished its final, haunting pages. This is a real discovery.� -Abraham Verghese, bestselling author of Cutting for Stone “A direct and affecting account of a modern Korean family’s tragedy that also provides an intimate window into the history and custom of the country.� -Janice Y. K. Lee, bestselling author of The Piano Teacher From the Hardcover edition., "Kyung-sook Shin has managed some kind of alchemy in this novel. Weaving together four vivid voices-of daughter, son, husband, and mother, each with the immediacy of a whispered confession-she has created a heartbreaking family mystery. Here is a deeply felt journey into a culture foreign to many-yet with a theme that is universal in its appeal. A terrific novel that stayed with me long after I'd finished its final, haunting pages. This is a real discovery." -Abraham Verghese, bestselling author of Cutting for Stone "A direct and affecting account of a modern Korean family's tragedy that also provides an intimate window into the history and custom of the country." -Janice Y. K. Lee, bestselling author of The Piano Teacher, "Indelible . . . In four distinct voices, the character of Mom-a rural farmwoman whose 'hands could nurture any life'-is reassembled by her eldest daughter, whose books Mom couldn't read; her eldest son, for whom she could never do enough; her husband, who never slowed down; and finally Mom herself as she wanders through memories both strange and familiar. Shin's breathtaking novel is an acute reminder of how easily a family can fracture, how little we truly know one another, and how desperate need can sometimes overshadow even the deepest love. VERDICT: Already a prominent writer in Korea, Shin finally makes her English-language debut with what will appeal to all readers who appreciate compelling, page-turning prose. Stay tuned: Mom should be one of this year's most-deserving bestsellers." -Terry Hong, Library Journal "A mother's disappearance exposes family consciences, secrets and dependencies . . . An enormous publishing success in South Korea, this simple portrait of a family shocked into acknowledging the strength and heroic self-sacrifice of the woman at its center is both universal and socially specific. . . . The narration by four different family members exposes guilt and insights all around, from unmarried daughter Chi-hon, a novelist, to [the mother] herself. Partly a metaphor for Korea's social shift from rural to urban, partly an elegy to the intensity of family bonds as constructed and maintained by self-denying women, this is tender writing." - Kirkus Reviews "Affecting . . . Poignant and psychologically revealing . . . Readers should find resonance in this family story, a runaway bestseller in Korea poised for a similar run here." - Publishers Weekly "Here is a wonderful, original new voice, by turns plangent and piquant. Please Look After Mom takes us on a dual journey, to the unfamiliar corners of a foreign culture and into the shadowy recesses of the heart. In spare, exquisite prose, Kyung-sook Shin penetrates the very essence of what it means to be a family, and a human being." -Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of March " Please Look After Mom is an authentic, moving story that brings to vivid life the deep family connections that lie at the core of Korean culture. But it also speaks beautifully to an urgent issue of our time: migration, and how the movement of people from small towns and villages to big cities can cause heartbreak and even tragedy. This is a tapestry of family life that will be read all over the world. I loved this book." -Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story "A suspenseful and moving book. We join this family as soon as we open these pages and we never quite leave it. Or it never leaves us. Cleverly structured and brimming with secrets and revelations, Please Look After Mom is a powerful and memorable read." -Edwidge Danticat, author of Breath, Eyes, Memory and Brother, I'm Dying "Kyung-sook Shin has managed some kind of alchemy in this novel. Weaving together four vivid voices-of daughter, son, husband, and mother, each with the immediacy of a whispered confession-she has created a heartbreaking family mystery. Here is a deeply felt journey into a culture foreign to many-yet with a theme that is universal in its appeal. A terrific novel that stayed with me long after I'd finished its final, haunting pages. This is a real discovery." -Abraham Verghese, bestselling author of Cutting for Stone "A direct and affecting account of a modern Korean family's tragedy that also provides an intimate window into the history and custom of the country." -Janice Y. K. Lee, bestselling author of The Piano Teacher From the Hardcover edition.
