so-soSouth Korea
I had such high hopes for this, the synopsis was great. Unfortunately the storytelling didn't live up to it for me. The characters are annoying. What do you mean you move into an apartment building where you are required to have more kids and you are upset that you might be hearing sex noises? Then the character finds out it is a husband beating up his wife and she is annoyed they kept her up at night? Whiny and not flushed out.
pickThere's quite a bit of food for thought in this small book. I struggled to get through it but that was a me- thing and not reflective of the book. When I could focus I did enjoy it.
#CurrentRead
When I can focus, I'm enjoying the social commentary in this. I am having a hard time keeping the names straight and remembering which people belong to which families. Some of that is due to my lack of experience with South Korean names, but some is also due to the stress of current events. My brain is spinning and even reading- my typical sanctuary - is difficult right now.
First audio of the year! So many things to say on parenthood, especially motherhood, and the division of labor inside the home. We follow four couples in a sort of new, experimental government apartment complex. They have all pledged to have three children in ten years and raise the children communally. Of course opinions differ on the best way to rear children, be a neighbor, and be a partner. No one minds their own business, but that‘s the plan.
pickThe latest book by Gu, author of The Old Woman with the Knife, translated into English is a story about four families who move into a government sponsored communal living building. What should be an idyllic home in the countryside becomes something else as each of the young couples struggle, in different ways, to acclimate to their new home & new lives. A quiet book about relationships, how they are maintained & sometimes fracture. A good read.
Apartment Women | 
