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Please Look After Mother
Please Look After Mother | Kyung-Sook Shin
Combining a unique setting with universal themes, PLEASE LOOK AFTER MOTHER is a beautifully rendered novel about sacrifice, guilt, and the ties of family love. PLEASE LOOK AFTER MOTHER is the story of So-nyo, a wife and mother, who has lived a life of sacrifice and compromise. In the past she suffered a stroke, leaving her vulnerable and often confused. Now, travelling from the Korean countryside to the Seoul of her grown-up children, So-nyo is separated from her husband when the doors close on a packed train. As her children and husband search the streets, they recall So-nyo's life, and all they have left unsaid. Through their piercing voices, we begin to discover the desires, heartaches, and secrets she harboured within. And as the mystery of her disappearance unravels, we uncover a larger mystery, that of all mothers and children: how affection, exasperation, hope and guilt add up to love. Compassionate, redemptive and beautifully written, PLEASE LOOK AFTER MOTHER will reconnect you to the story of your own family, and to the forgotten sacrifices that lie at its heart.
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review
Jaimelire
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

I can appreciate how well written this book is. But I found it very depressing. This entire family (especially the husband) treated the mother poorly. Only once she goes missing do they reflect on all she did for them.

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TracyReadsBooks
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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#12Booksof2023

My pick for March is the story of a mother who goes missing while traveling to Seoul (with her husband) to visit her children. Told from multiple POVs, this is a powerful story about family, relationships, secrets, and how a seemingly ordinary person is so much more when you start peeling back the layers. Excellent translation of this book which is a bestseller in South Korea.

@Andrew65

Andrew65 A good read by the sound of it. 10mo
23 likes1 comment
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Lunakay
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

Haunting and the story pulls you in.. I finished it in 2 or 3 days. I get that the author wanted to show all sorts of motherly sacrifices but it felt a bit much to me, the mother being almost a saint and everyone else being selfish to the extent of gross negligence.

I am currently travelling through Korea, the pic shows the Starlight Library in Seoul.
(The bookshops here look just as great, almost tragic that I can't read anything)😄

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Lunakay
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Another "book-matching-outfit-incident"?

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SamAnne
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Mehso-so

For my IRL book club. At times a beautiful reckoning of the love of a mother told by varying viewpoints: son, daughters, husband and mother. What they regret as they realize what they really didn‘t know about her. But the writing fell flat for me at times.

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TracyReadsBooks
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this story about a mom on her way to visit her children in Seoul who goes missing & never arrives. Told from multiple perspectives including those of her children & her husband, the story is a thoughtful & compelling examination of motherhood, family, sacrifice, lives shared/lives hidden, the weight of the past/history, obligation, & love. I‘ll definitely read more by this author.

Ncostell I read this book years ago and still think of it from time to time, especially any time I take the subway anywhere! 2y
25 likes1 comment
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TracyReadsBooks
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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It‘s one of those days when there just isn‘t much time for reading (the worst sort of days!) but I finally have a few quiet moments so I‘m going to continue with this one which so far is really interesting.

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TracyReadsBooks
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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This afternoon‘s reading…

#OutAndAbout #ReadingOnTheTrain

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Pigpen_Reads
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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#Scarathlon #ScarathlonDailyPrompts #Missing

This books is about a mom who goes missing. While the family looks for her, some secrets are uncovered.

@StayCurious

13 likes1 comment
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yourfavouritemixtape
Please Look After Mother | Ky?ng-suk Sin, Chi-Young Kim
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Mehso-so

Read this for one of my Bookclubs. I didn‘t really like it. Probably because it hit too close to home in between the lines. Probably also not the right time for me to read it.

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PuddleJumper
Please Look After Mother | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Mehso-so

Interesting story about a missing woman and her family reflecting on her life and what they never said to her.

I didn't enjoy the second person narrative. I understand why it was used and it worked in this book but I dislike it. Took me awhile to connect back into the story when the narrative switched.

The book didn't really have an end which I disliked. There was no resolution. It just finished.

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Nute
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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#MayMoms - Lonely:
I guess that every mom is a lonely mom at some time or another. When a child no longer desires to hold your hand while crossing the street. When children choose the company of their friends in place of the company of their mother. When a child opts to attend out-of-state college a thousand miles away from home. When a child declares the discovery of her/his lifetime partner and now the newfound keeper of all👇🏽

Nute their secrets, hopes and dreams. A mother‘s heart requires looking after in the wake of these vulnerable and lonely times. A mother‘s heart then recovers and expands to encompass an ever widening scope of love.

Possibly solitary in this space of time, but no longer lonely…
2y
Eggs Well done 💗💚💗 (edited) 2y
rmaclean4 This is one of my all time top reads! 2y
See All 9 Comments
Leftcoastzen Lovely post! 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks This is where I am now 💔😢 you always have the perfect words… 2y
Nute @Eggs Pink and green right back at you, Sherri!💚💗💚 And a big smile!😃 2y
Nute @rmaclean4 It seems to be under appreciated or without wide readership. I‘m happy to see your enthusiasm, Rebecca!🤗 2y
Nute @Leftcoastzen Thank you, Linda!💕 2y
Nute @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you, Misty! Parenting is definitely a full gamut of emotions. Thank goodness the overload favors the more good feelings ones.🥰 2y
93 likes2 stack adds9 comments
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Texreader
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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This has been on my tbr list so I snatched it right up now that the ebook is on sale for $1.99.

Erinsuereads That one cent credit really made it didn't it?? 🤣🤣🤣 2y
Texreader @ErinSueMreads I know! Isn‘t that hilarious? It‘s like when you see a markdown at the grocery store by one cent. What the heck? 😂😂😂 2y
46 likes2 comments
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Ellen_C
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

Poignant story about a family‘s search for their missing mother. Deals with matters of health/dementia, generational conflict. Shifting viewpoints help reader to know the missing woman better than anyone in her family. Beautiful! https://cannonballread.com/2022/04/please-look-after-mom-elcicco/

11 likes1 stack add
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asterese
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

Haunting is the word that comes to mind after reading this. I think it's not a book that you read for enjoyment, but it's a book that needs to be read nonetheless. In this story, mother becomes an all-encompassing identity for some, and we forget that they're people too, with their own dreams and frustrations in life. You do end up with a lot of thoughts reading this.

⭐: 4

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mirnas
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

One day a 69 years old So-nyo disapers in Seoul and her children and husband desperatly try to find out what happen... Secrets and memories start to ome out. They all have to face the question: how well did they really know their Mother/Wife?

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Soytoosaucy
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
Mehso-so

It‘s about a mother who goes missing at the Seoul train station. It has different perspectives of the two daughters, son, and husband. It has their takes on who their mother was to them. Revealing that many took advantage and mistreated their mom, only to realize they never took the time to say all the things they wanted to say. It was sad, but I feel the story dragged and I had to force myself to finish. I also hate when I get no clear closure 😪

Yuririn Same here.. the ending is hanging but from the story it seems like the ending is already there when the mother narrates. 4y
8 likes1 comment
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Hestapleton
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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I always have a stack of books for #readinglater on my coffee table! It probably annoys my hubby, but I like being able to just reach over and grab the next book when I finish one! #summerfun

BennettBookworm A Man Called Ove!!! 😍 4y
57 likes1 comment
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beaconhillbooks
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

Wow powerful book perfect before Mother‘s Day.

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Soytoosaucy
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Since this whole, 🦠 virus situation has been happening.. I‘ve been having the worst insomnia!! Therefore, I am reading nonstop, back to back books. 🥴 Just to keep my mind busy, stop worrying, keeping my loneliness at bay, and trying to wind down after a toddler filled day. Books are my escape.

Drop comments! Why do you love reading? General interest in the subjects? Escaping reality, like me? Learning about new things? All of the above!

BookishMarginalia All of the above! 5y
8 likes1 comment
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Readswithcoffee
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

This novel examines the dynamics & memories of a family whose mother/wife has disappeared at Seoul Station. It is told from the viewpoint of the various members of the family and much of it is in second person narrative. Overall, a good listen, especially if you enjoy books about Korean culture & traditions.

44 likes1 stack add
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PaperbackPirate
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

Tonight I binged the end of this book for book club tomorrow. The story captures the sacrifices a parent makes for their children, but this mom is extra!
One thing I did not like is that some of the chapters are told in 2nd person narrative which I‘m not a fan of, then on top it‘s told from different characters‘ points of view. It got really confusing at times.
Do you like 2nd person? Sorry I meant, You like 2nd person.
🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷

37 likes1 stack add
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PaperbackPirate
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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“They say that if you take in a person he will betray you, and if you take in a dog he will pay you back.”
🐕 Captain Skippyjon Jones pays me back in snuggles and Bookstagram modeling.
#dogsofLitsy

Leftcoastzen Awwww!🐶 5y
StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego Thank you for the lovely Christmas card! ❤ 5y
PaperbackPirate @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego 💙 Thank you for being a fun pen pal! 5y
33 likes1 stack add3 comments
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DJasmine
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Genre: Fiction
Date Started: November 14, 2019
Date Completed: November 29, 2019
How did you choose this book: Recommended by someone and I read the summary of the book and was interested.
Summary: [in the comment section]
*254 pages*

DJasmine A 69 year old woman is separated from her husband between the crowds of Seoul subway station. Her family begins to use every possible way to find her; putting up flyers, asking other people if they have seen their wife/mother, etc. As they (her family) look for them, they find out things that they never knew about their mother and wonder if they actually knew the woman they call their mom.
5y
DJasmine In chapter 3, it talks about how the husband just thought of his wife as his children‘s mother. But after his children‘s mother went missing, that was the moment he realized that it was his wife that went missing; his wife that was present in his heart but was forgotten until that moment.
[*continuation in the next comment*]
(edited) 5y
DJasmine I believe that in this chapter, the saying ㅡ “You only realize the importance of someone when they are gone” ㅡ is shown because the husband only realized how important his wife was to him. He also acknowledged the fact that he took his wife for granted. (edited) 5y
DJasmine I believe that the theme of this story/novel is family love. This is because even though they find out things they never knew about their mom and they realize their sorrows, they didn‘t give up but instead kept searching for her. 5y
5 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Cinfhen
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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#AyUpAugust A book that‘s been on my #TBR for way to long🙄When a mother goes #missing on a crowded subway stop in Seoul, the family dynamics are put to the test. Told in alternating voices & perspectives an intimate look of family life/ obligations from a different culture. Another book I‘ll be looking for today, on my #BookShoppingDate with @MicheleinPhilly 💕💕💕

erzascarletbookgasm 🙌 I was just going to post this book! 😉 5y
Cinfhen Have u read it @erzascarletbookgasm ?? I‘m getting ready to post a small parcel to you ~ hope it doesn‘t take too long 5y
erzascarletbookgasm Still tbr! Thanks Cindy for thinking of me. Slowly but surely it‘ll reach me..🙄 5y
See All 12 Comments
squirrelbrain Sounds interesting! Have a great shopping trip! ❤️📚 5y
Cinfhen I‘m a little worried @squirrelbrain 🙄 @MicheleinPhilly is not known for her restraint when it comes to book enabling 😜 5y
squirrelbrain @MicheleinPhilly sounds like a wonderful booking buying companion! Who needs restraint when buying book?! 📚📚📚🤣 5y
Cinfhen Oh God!!! I see you‘re no better @squirrelbrain 🐿🐿🐿🐿 5y
MicheleinPhilly Psssh. Restraint? Who needs restraint??? @squirrelbrain 5y
squirrelbrain Exactly @MicheleinPhilly @Cinfhen - you need large tote bags, but you can leave the restraint at home! Post #bookhauls later please! 5y
MicheleinPhilly @squirrelbrain Her husband might hunt me down and kill me. 😬 5y
bullbunny I read tagged book from them, and enjoyed it. I would like to read more 5y
gradcat Hope you‘re having a great time over here, @Cinfhen ! Good shopping 🛍! 5y
88 likes2 stack adds12 comments
review
alisonrose
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
Mehso-so

This is a quick but heavy read, which alternates between being a bit tedious and dry to being really emotional and moving. I thought the author handled the multi-narrative style well for the most part, but the characters fell a bit flat for me. I do always like a story about an older woman who is so much more/different than her family and friends realize. Kept me interested and a worthy read, but only good, not great. 3/5 ⭐️

34 likes1 stack add
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alisonrose
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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I‘m usually not super into faces on book covers, but I like the composition of this cover a lot. #nowreading

Crazeedi Curious if you enjoy this 6y
42 likes1 stack add1 comment
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erzascarletbookgasm
Please Look After Mother | Kyung-Sook Shin
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When a mother is separated from her husband in a subway and vanishes in the crowd, the family was thinking #ohmother where are you?! ...and begins a citywide search that continues for months.. a moving reflection on motherhood. #anewchapter

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Sounds good!!!! 6y
89 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Abailliekaras
Please Look After Mother | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

An exquisite novel set in Seoul. A family searches for their mother, who has gone missing. Crystal-clear writing - thoughtful but fluid. She gives her characters space to reflect, but on each page there‘s a tension or event to propel the reader forward. It‘s infused with South Korean culture yet there‘s so much we can all relate to (especially re motherhood). The final scene is stunning, heart-breaking and redemptive. Highly recommended.

LeeRHarry Sounds fab - stacked ! And love the photo 😊 6y
Abailliekaras @LeeRHarry thanks! ☺️ 6y
Cinfhen Great review!!! One of the newer books you recently purchased!!! Nice ❤️ 6y
See All 6 Comments
Ncostell This was a great book that I still think about from time to time despite having read it a long time ago. I always think about it on the rare occasions that I take the subway! 6y
Abailliekaras @Cinfhen thank you! Yes a recent purchase and now I want to read all of her books. 😃 6y
Abailliekaras @Ncostell yes it‘s stayed with me too! 6y
48 likes6 stack adds6 comments
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Abailliekaras
Please Look After Mother | Kyung-Sook Shin
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#bookhaul at one of my favourite indie book stores, South Seas at Port Elliot. ❤️📚 I‘m keen to read Kyung-Sook Shin after hearing Matthew Sciarappa rave about her!

Emilymdxn I really loved the tagged book! 6y
Cinfhen This has been on my TBR for a long time!!! Can‘t wait to hear your thoughts!! And nosy me is trying to see the rest of your titles...please share😄 6y
batsy I spy Yoko Tawada (I really want to read that one!) and the da Vinci bio 🧐😆 6y
See All 8 Comments
Abailliekaras @Emilymdxn I can‘t wait to read it! 6y
Abailliekaras @batsy yes the Yoko Tawada sounds interesting (can‘t recall where I first heard about it) & I‘ve been hearing people rave about Leonardo so 🤷🏼‍♀️ I had to have it. 😉 6y
Abailliekaras @Cinfhen last children of Tokyo by yoko tawada, Leonardo da Vinci by Walter isaacson, east of eden by John Steinbeck (for London book club) and notes by Jan Morris (whose travel writing I love). 📚☺️ 6y
Cinfhen Thank you!!! Lots of interesting genres 🤓 6y
Abailliekaras @Cinfhen yes it‘s a mix! And I didn‘t even get to look properly at the fiction shelves. Will have to go back. 😉😂 6y
61 likes4 stack adds8 comments
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GatheringBooks
Please Look After Mother | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

#ReadingResolutions Day 23: Iphigene reviews this Korean novel in 2012: This book‘s strength lies in its ability to let the reader experience the range of emotions every character felt as they dealt with the tragedy of losing their wife & their #mother, while at the same time examining a common human experience. Ironically, as dementia makes the family lose a #mother and wife, it is this loss that forces them to reconstruct their idea of #mother⬇️

GatheringBooks Link to full review here: https://wp.me/pDlzr-3xQ 6y
tammysue Beautiful review! 💜 6y
82 likes1 stack add2 comments
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mhillis
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Thanks to reviews by @Currey and simona
I decided to read this book for #readaroundtheworld #southkorea
When mom goes missing in the Seoul subway station, we learn that even those closest to her didn‘t really know about her life. The author‘s use of different points of view and a four part structure were effective. I can see why it is so popular!

70 likes3 stack adds
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Currey
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

#readaroundtheworld #southkorea My 2nd book from South Korea this month. I agree with Simona that it is well worth reading for the intimate portrayal of a contemporary family experiencing radical change from village life to urban existence. The story is told uniquely through 1st, 2nd and 3rd person narration as we hear about the disappearance of the mother in a Seoul subway station through 4 different perspectives.

Currey I believe the author pulls off the core theme of how little someone can know about the inner life of another person. However, the book has missteps with unnecessary drama toward the end. 6y
Simona @Currey I was quite surprised by the end, because author managed to escape melodramatic vibes through the story... 6y
17 likes2 comments
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Simona
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

Family members, after the disappearance of the mother, start to realize that no one knew the Mom/wife as a person with wishes and dreams, but merely by her role in family. Although the story has a very melodramatic end, for me this book is a pick-mainly because of the dynamic structure and narrative perspective which alternates between characters from a first to second and a third-person perspective. Sad story about motherhood, guilt and regrets.

MayJasper I admire your reading abilities ❣ I am not sure I could cope with a book that keeps changing persons. 6y
Simona @MayJasper It‘s odd at the beginning, but when you figure it out when/why this alternation happen - becomes easier. 6y
See All 6 Comments
BarbaraBB This sounds really good. Thanks for the review! 6y
Currey I am going to try and read this also @Simona 6y
Simona @BarbaraBB @Currey Is not a perfect book, but the general message is given very clearly and in an interesting way. 6y
50 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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Michael_Gee
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

Happy Mother‘s Day! And in honor of today, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite books of the past years. It is compelling, addictive, and positively dangerous to read in public if you have issues crying in public. It is a story about a mother gone missing told in a dry, honest manner that is touching for its detail and truth. The regrets of the characters urge the reader to take nothing for granted.

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GatheringBooks
Please Look After Mother | Kyung-Sook Shin
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#ReadingResolutions Day 13: One of the GatheringBooks ladies, Iphigene, featured this book about #Mother(s) a few years back at GatheringBooks, a moving story about a missing mum, separated from her husband in a crowded Seoul subway station. Here is the link to the full review: https://gatheringbooks.org/2012/04/25/please-look-after-mother/

Cinfhen I‘ve always meant to read this book!! 6y
Smrloomis I loved this book so much! 6y
81 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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stargazerblue49
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

Exploring more MN pizza options and finishing another book. I‘m so confused by this one because I was really intrigued by the structure of the book, but I‘m not really sure what actually happened or why, and none of the characters were really all that likable except for Mom. I will have to keep pondering and hope to read more from Kyung-Sook Shin. #lastnightshift #pizzaalldayerreday

mom2bugnbee The writing in second person kinda threw me off in this book. And I'm still not exactly sure what happened, but I think that's by design? 7y
stargazerblue49 @mom2bugnbee Yeah! Especially in the section from Mom‘s POV... I was trying to decide if Mom intentionally got lost or if she died (she talks about being that bird at some point). I guess we‘ll never know. 7y
40 likes1 stack add2 comments
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stargazerblue49
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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This has been my environment this week on nights (still have tonight and tomorrow). I have been reading this between admissions. This is the first time I‘ve really questioned things in a translated work - like, did they change this because it wouldn‘t make sense to Americans if they left it as close as possible? 🤔🧐 I am really liking it, hoping to finish before I switch back to days next week. #nightshift #iamthewatcheronthewall

35 likes1 stack add
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rmaclean4
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
Pickpick

5 Star read!!! This book broke me in a beautiful way. The nuance of the portrayal of Mom and her unique relationships with her diffrent children was wonderful. A rare and beautiful find! Highly recommend this novel. I have also wanted to add more translated fiction to my reading. What a great start.

3 likes1 stack add
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rmaclean4
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin

Just started this today since we have a snow day here in Knoxville TN. I am already loving it. I have been wanting to read more work in translation.

4 likes1 stack add
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mom2bugnbee
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

Crossed off my first square (Endorsed by Liberty Hardy) for my #LitsyReadingChallenge. I wasn't terribly satisfied with the ending, because it's a mystery & you're not quite sure exactly what happened, but I think that's by design & I can appreciate the author's choice. I also don't love reading in second person. But wanting to know what happened kept me reading, & it's a beautiful commentary on family. ⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#LitsyReadingChallenge2018

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BooksForEmpathy
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

I loved this haunting tale of a mother getting lost at a subway station in Seoul and the intimate look into her children and husband‘s minds while she is missing. Kyung-Sook Shin explores the hidden lives of our mothers (hidden in plain sight) and how often we forget that they are much, much more than we like to believe. We can forget they are human, like us, with needs and desires and a heart that beats with fury or regret or joy or pride.

MariettaSG Great review! 7y
silentrequiem Great review! I'm sold. 7y
Blaire Love your review! Stacked. 7y
minkyb Coincidentally, I heard about this on a podcast a couple of days ago and was interested. Your review sealed the deal! 7y
82 likes6 stack adds4 comments
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BooksForEmpathy
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Sunday lunch and book 💕.

Hello Litsy!

Dolly French fry ...salad? 😆 7y
BooksForEmpathy @Dolly YES!! Isn‘t it just the best!? 7y
Jaimelire I have to make a french fry salad...you just opened up a whole new food idea for me! 😍 (edited) 7y
Beck9lol I was wondering if you got a secretsantagoespostal package yet? My sources said it was delivered, but just wanted to make sure. Thanks 🎄❄️🙂 7y
100 likes4 comments
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BooksForEmpathy
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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New book mail and some avocado toast from earlier today! And some ginger kombucha 👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻! I‘m so ready for this read - Korean characters, a mystery, family dynamics... YAY!

TheWordJar Ugh, this book was so good!! I loved it! ❤️ 7y
saresmoore Mmm, delicious. 7y
ReadingSusan Yummy! 7y
diovival Ooooo I have this on the shelf. Looking forward to seeing your thoughts. 7y
107 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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BookHermit
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Look what @KassKho sent me along with the next #restingbookface instalment. I am always interested in expanding my Korean literature in translation section and I look forward to diving into this novel soon. Thank you Kass! 😍

@lrh9 Thank you for picking a slim book and a light as air notebook! 👍😂❤️

#RBF members: I am in possession of two books. Are we still in parking mode @elkeo ?

elkeOriginal Yes! I will update you all via email. 7y
KassKho Yay! Glad you got this one! Like I mentioned I willing to do a read along if you want :) 7y
BookHermit @KassKho I would love to do a read along! 7y
lrh9 Enjoy, @BookHermit !!! 7y
TheWordJar Nice! I loved Please Look After Mom! 7y
29 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
llwheeler
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Pickpick

This is one of the best books I've read this year. To me, the cover is misleading. I expected a crime/mystery missing persons story. Instead it is more literary fiction, quiet, introspective, focused entirely on family relationships and the things we misunderstand, don't realize, understand too late. And guilt. So much guilt. Really good, but not an easy read.

llwheeler Also I should note, imo excellently translated. 2nd person POV is not too common in English fiction (maybe it is in Korean? I dunno) but it felt very natural. 7y
19 likes1 stack add1 comment
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llwheeler
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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I think it's a lefty thing to fix on every rare mention of lefties in books/shows... looks like prejudice against left-handedness exists in Korea too. Honest question, is there any culture that didn't/doesn't have a prejudice against left-handedness? Why does that seem to be so deeply rooted?

Libby1 My young son is left handed. He hasn‘t faced any resistance where we live in Northern Ireland, but he did once when we visited the US. It‘s so incredibly odd to me. I love the fact that he‘s left handed! 7y
llwheeler @Libby1 Glad he hasn't faced anything where you live! I love being a lefty and I didn't face any overt discrimination, just the little "oh that's weird" moments/having to adjust to right-handed tools. But I knew from a very young age that my mom's uncle was beaten for being left-handed so I knew it hadn't always been "ok" (Canada) 7y
10 likes2 comments
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llwheeler
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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Saturday morning book and tea. The dust jacket of this book really doesn't do justice to how gorgeous the book is underneath, with deckled edges, tall thin pages, and that beautiful leaf on the front. And the book itself is great so far too.

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GreenKelly
Please Look After Mom | Kyung-Sook Shin
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I thought this was a pretty neat paragraph in the story from the dynamic way it jumps back and forth to what she was doing in that moment. For me, it really accurately pictured the way I, or we, sometimes worry: wishing we could be there in the present moment, what we would of done if we were there to help someone versus where we were at that moment. I think Kyung-Sook Shin really captured that.