This is my first dive into Korean literature. This story was very bleak. I resonated with growing up in ahorbent communities. This story was rich is imagery and symbolism.

one hundred shadows is set in the slums of Seoul. the two characters this focuses on, eungyo and munjae, are trying to find their way through a world in which dire social situations are echoed in their environment. the buildings they work in are supposed to be demolished, the marginalisation of the poor greatly influencing their lives. the budding friendship (maybe even romance?) between these two characters felt real in a way I was unprepared for but greatly enjoyed.

throughout the book, the reader encounters people's shadows rising - my interpretation here being that the shadow rises once a person "collapses," similarly to their neighbourhood, meaning they ultimately give in to their fear. while this is cleverly integrated into the story, I sometimes struggled with small parts, such as the discussion of the word "whorl" (had to look the meaning of that up).

Overall, this is a clever and atmospheric read that I would recommend to anyone fascinated with Korean literature!

I requested to read this book on Netgalley because I was intrigued by the description and the book cover. When I started reading it, I was truly captivated by the surrealism- or should I say the atmosphere of the book, whereas the dialogue between the main characters Eungyo and Mujae were very much present, the concept of human shadows rising and Mr. Yeo's account of his own experiences, made me pause to connect the dots and given the backstory of what inspired the writing of this book, the pain of mistreatment of the poor, classism and importance of housing and communities in S. Korea stood out. I know readers would draw different insights to this book, because it is not just a simple read. There are layers to the characters and when the demolitions take place, there are even layers to the activities thereafter and somehow the plot felt more like a constant hum/flow.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

One Hundred Shadows is a wistful little novella that voices the dilemmas and experiences of the working class. It gives the feeling that all the stories and lives around us will eventually fade around us.

This is a world where shadows have the ability to rise up and act on their own accord sometimes. It gives a sinister vibe to the story but at the same time, it's a story of everyday workers whose lives are being upended by corporations and gentrification.

Eungyo works in a cramped electronics market that sprawls five buildings. A community has been built amongst those living and working here which is threatened when the buildings are marked for destruction, possibly being replaced by parks and such forcing workers to be displaced. Eungyo tries to navigate her life, working in her shop that may be shut down, finding beauty in little things, and trying to maintain a relationship with another worker Mujae all while being aware that their shadows are rising.

It's inspired by the Yongsan disaster where police and hired guards attacked protesting displaced tenants of a building marked for redevelopment and the resulting blaze killed and injured many. It's one of the many signs of Korea's rapid development even at the cost of the laboring class.

Many of the vignettes are steeped in Korean culture and superstitions. The working class perspective is rooted in reality with their hopes and dreams but also the melancholic feeling of being stuck while being afraid of change.

I don't know if it's the fault of the translator or if the writing is that way but the dialogue sometimes felt stilted and lazy. The writing could also use some editing with the grammar and syntax, and writers these days doing away with quotation marks is something I will never understand. And that is why I had to take off a star for my rating

Eungyo and Mujae live in a poor area of town, with buildings being demolished one after the other. Then there’s their shadows, which seem to want to escape from them all the time, and there’s lots of talk of not following your shadow once it does. It’s all very metaphorical, but my interpretation is that the shadows are their vices, mental health problems, dark thoughts, bad habits-that sort of thing, but I’m not entirely sure.

It’s very much a slice of life story which I find hard to get into. There’s not much plot, nothing is really moving the story forward. The prose is nice and it’s a lovely little slice but I found myself a bit bored unfortunately. I did really enjoy Eungyo’s relationship with Mr. Yeo and his little shop, that was my favourite part of the book

It’s very easy to read but it’s a style of writing that somehow keeps me at arms bay, that doesn’t draw me in and allows me to feel like I’m part of the story. I very much feel like an outside observer, and I think that’s why it doesn’t work for me. I think at the end of the day it’s just not my type of book, and nothing necessarily wrong with the book itself.

This book has an interesting premise having to do with shadows rising and luring their owners, residents and workers in a Seoul slum, to chase them away from themselves, in a poetic exposition on capitalism (or so the book description says).

As someone who is drawn more to plot than writing, more to realistic and historical fiction than magical realism, this book wasn’t for me. The scenes are vivid but mundane and meandering and I find the writing style arty and distracting. There are no quotation marks and the story is written in first person with dialogue coming and going making it read like a stream of consciousness.

The sky looks amazing, Mujae sighed.
It really does.
Whenever I see this kind of scene, I always end up thinking that humans are truly strange creatures.
Strange?
They’re needlessly loud and always in a rush, and violent too, in many ways.

Originally published in 2010, a new edition is coming out in July 2024 featuring an introduction by Han Kang, a historical note about the Yongsan tragedy that inspired One Hundred Shadows, and an exclusive interview with the author. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this advanced reader copy.

I really liked this novella. The atmosphere was quite dreamlike and this is was I enjoyed the most. Some parts of the plot, when the shadows are at the core of it, were truly interesting. The only thing I did not particularly like is the main guy and his controlling behavior towards the girl. Also, the attempt at building a romance did not appeal to me very much.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Very vague, very slow going, very dreamy. Almost reads like a fever dream. The themes portrayed of how the poor are treated was nicely done, and the use of the shadows was creative.

One Hundred Shadows was truly an amazing piece of literature that is a social commentary on how the poor are treated. And while the author and the story are inspired by events in S. Korea anyone who's been poor can relate to this. And I have to admit that the thing I found most relatable here was how the Shadows are a metaphor for just how tiring it is to be poor. I genuinely don't even know why, I just felt that in my very soul and I appreciate the author being able to voice something I've never been able to voice. And as a person who literally was in the same situation with my own husband at the end of the book, car breaks down after trying to do something normal like going on a date, I appreciated that sentiment even more. I don't think people really realize how hard it is to actually even begin a relationship when both of you have no money. Something like taking a small trip to get dinner can become a literal bill.

Now, in terms of the translation and for those considering this to be your first Korean read, as I've seen a few complaints on that level. Honestly I don't see any issues there as well. Very little actual Korean words are used, there are some cultural things that may not make sense to Western Readers but they are few and far between and do not detract from the story.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this short read that has such an important commentary on something that effects people internationally. Koreans are certainly not the only people on the planet who have read an article or watched a story on the news and found out that other people, including your own government considers the place you call home a "slum".

A short book but with lots of thought put into it. I feel like this is a genre - slow paced, a bit dreamy - South Korean authors excel at The translator did a good job.

Not sure about what I’ve just read, tbh. Not much in terms of the whys and hows of these so-called shadows, but I enjoyed reading about the friendship between the two MCs.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc!

I must start by saying how fever dream like this book is. Written almost whimsically but with the touch of darkness I love.

This was a beautiful book that was written with a light and ethereal touch. While short, it was full of commentary on class, gentrification, relationships, and family. While I sometimes got confused about the timeline, it didn’t have a big impact on my enjoyment of the novel, and I would read more by this author.

This book had a distinctive aura around it that had me in an atmospheric haze. I stuck with it for the vibes although it didn't really stick for me in general. Overall a decent read but not a favourite.

what a delightful little novella. I love feeling like I'm in a part of the world I've never been to (and may never get to) and seeing what people there are like. this was a lovely sort of vignette into foreign life and turns out their meanderings are similarly existential to my own. highly recommend this story.
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especially because I'm reading this in translation, I wish they used quote marks when people are speaking, as it's sometimes hard to follow the text without it.

Well this was a weird read.

Very short, very vague, very odd.

This felt like a really fragmented and gloomy read.

There were touches of magic realism but nothing really ‘felt magical’, in fact the only emotion I felt while reading this was hopelessness and boredom - not an ideal combination.

There were glimpses of an enjoyable read here and there, I enjoyed the many themes that were touched on (slums, tearing down markets, family dynamics etc.) but nothing seemed to really hit home for me and it was all just very fragmented. The only section which has really lingered for me was the brief discussion on debt and how no one is born without it - it was thought provoking commentary simply and plainly written, and it is what I had hope this book would have had more of.

I think ultimately this just isn’t the right book for me. Prose was sparse, which isn’t to my taste typically. Narrative is deliberately vague and confusing, which I very rarely enjoy. The social commentary was there but so politely touched upon it didn’t seem to have any teeth… Overall this is not a bad book at all, it’s simply not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

Thanks to Kensington Books, Erewhon Books, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
One Hundred Shadows is an interesting urban fantasy/ literary fiction following two protagonists who are awaiting the demolition of their small community in place of larger corporations taking over.
There is no happy ending here but rather two nihilistic characters and their social commentary on their respective situations.
The main theme of the book is the discussion around your shadow. Overall, the discussion of the shadow was a social commentary on the lives of those who live in the darker parts of society. I found the parallels between mental health and the shadow pretty interesting. As times get bleaker the shadow gains more agency which can be a commentary towards one’s mental health. The imagery of bleakness and the shadow was very well done by the author.
I found the narrators unreliable since it was difficult to understand their thought process at certain instances, it was also difficult to understand since there were no quotation marks. Some parts were fragmented and overall a bit strange ( for example the discussion of a whorl). There was a part in the story where I was unsure who was speaking to the audience as the narrator switched in the middle of the chapter. I also would have appreciated more understanding on some of the Korean words, possibly a footnote from the translator or something along those lines to help understand some of the lingo used within the text.
Overall an interesting read and made me consider reading more Korean literature. #bookstagram #books #bookstagrammer #bookshelf #booksofinstagram #netgalley #review #booksofinstagram #bibliophile #instabook #love #bookshelf #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookaholic #libros #reader #bookphotography #b #booklove #art #author #libri #literature #instabooks #booklovers📚