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The Mountain
From Paul Yoon, the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of Once the Shore and Snow Hunters, comes a luminous collection of short stories set throughout the world from the Hudson Valley to the Russian Far East across periods of time after World War II.
In The Mountain, Paul Yoon displays his subtle, ethereal, and strikingly observant style with six thematically linked stories, taking place across several continents and time periods and populated with characters who are connected by their traumatic pasts, newly vagrant lives, and quests for solace in their futures. Though they exist in their own distinct worlds (from a sanatorium in the Hudson Valley to an inn in the Russian far east) they are united by the struggle to reconcile their traumatic pasts in the wake of violence, big and small, spiritual and corporeal. A morphine-addicted nurse wanders through the decimated French countryside in search of purpose; a dissatisfied wife sporadically takes a train across Spain with a much younger man in the wake of a building explosion; a lost young woman emigrates from Korea to Shanghai, where she aimlessly works in a camera sweat shop, trying fruitlessly to outrun the ghosts of her past.
Hailed by New York magazine as a quotidian-surreal craft-master and a radiant star in the current literary firmament by The Dallas Morning News, Yoon realizes his worlds with quiet, insightful, and gorgeous prose. Though each story is distinct from the others, his restrained voice and perceptive observations about violence to the body, the landscape, and ultimately, the human soul weaves throughout this collection as a whole, making The Mountain a beautiful, memorable read."
In The Mountain, Paul Yoon displays his subtle, ethereal, and strikingly observant style with six thematically linked stories, taking place across several continents and time periods and populated with characters who are connected by their traumatic pasts, newly vagrant lives, and quests for solace in their futures. Though they exist in their own distinct worlds (from a sanatorium in the Hudson Valley to an inn in the Russian far east) they are united by the struggle to reconcile their traumatic pasts in the wake of violence, big and small, spiritual and corporeal. A morphine-addicted nurse wanders through the decimated French countryside in search of purpose; a dissatisfied wife sporadically takes a train across Spain with a much younger man in the wake of a building explosion; a lost young woman emigrates from Korea to Shanghai, where she aimlessly works in a camera sweat shop, trying fruitlessly to outrun the ghosts of her past.
Hailed by New York magazine as a quotidian-surreal craft-master and a radiant star in the current literary firmament by The Dallas Morning News, Yoon realizes his worlds with quiet, insightful, and gorgeous prose. Though each story is distinct from the others, his restrained voice and perceptive observations about violence to the body, the landscape, and ultimately, the human soul weaves throughout this collection as a whole, making The Mountain a beautiful, memorable read."
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 15, 2017
76 people are currently reading
2376 people want to read
About the author
Paul Yoon
17 books361 followersPaul Yoon was born in New York City. His first book, ONCE THE SHORE, was selected as a New York Times Notable Book and a Best Debut of the Year by National Public Radio. His novel, SNOW HUNTERS, won the 2014 Young Lions Fiction Award.
A recipient of a 5 under 35 Award from the National Book Foundation and a fellowship from the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, he is currently a Briggs-Copeland Lecturer at Harvard University along with his wife, the fiction writer Laura van den Berg.
A recipient of a 5 under 35 Award from the National Book Foundation and a fellowship from the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, he is currently a Briggs-Copeland Lecturer at Harvard University along with his wife, the fiction writer Laura van den Berg.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
August 15, 2017
!! NOW AVAILABLE !!
Almost two years ago, I read Paul Yoon’s novel “Snow Hunters”, a beautiful story with spare prose and lovely, ethereal setting. This collection of short stories in his “The Mountain: Stories” Six heartbreaking, lovely stories about fragile, lonely, abandoned people trying to find their way through this life.
This short story collection is linked by the pain and suffering endured, across continents, across different eras, each involving some traumatic event, traumatic pasts. Uprooted lives lived without a place to call home, each person on a quest for the peace they believed in their hearts they were worthy of, and could hope to attain.
“A Willow and the Moon” – Having grown up in a sanitarium in Hudson Valley, a woman relays the story of her years lived there, her father’s abandonment, and a secret just shy of being taken into the grave. Set in New York and England. This was my favourite of this collection. 5 stars
“Still a Fire” – a post WWII story of the years 1947-48, a man, Mikel, and a woman, Karine, his nurse, and their individual battles to live to tell their tales. This takes a decidedly war-time look at pain and suffering, and includes some battles with addiction. Set in France. 4 stars
“Galicia” – Antje, a loving and faithful wife, meets Félix, a stranger, at a train station. Though she loves her husband, she follows this man Félix, as though under a spell, unable to bring herself to change her course of action. Set in Spain. 3 stars
“Vladivostok Station” – On his way home Misha sees someone he used to know, and reconnects with this old childhood friend and his father. 4 stars
“The Mountain” – a twenty-six year-old woman in South Korea, Faye, homeless, sitting at a bus stop, is approached about a job by a young, handsome, well-dressed man. He gives her the details of a ferryboat, the time, the pier number, the day and the time. He speaks to her in Mandarin, saying “Come back home.” 4 Stars
“Milner Field” – a soon-to-be-divorcee, his daughter, his father, and a story the father shares with his son, one he’s never shared before. A journey, a quest, soon follows to connect with this family of his father’s childhood. Set in New York and England, in the present. 5 stars
Yoon’s gift is that he can turn these sad stories, each involving some heartbreaking, tragedy-filled moments, and weave them quietly into lovely, poetic, breathtakingly austere works of art, paced to perfection, each deliberately chosen word, space, pause speaks volumes about tragedy and its role in this shared human experience we call life. Our hearts breaking over and over, daily it seems anymore, each act of violence, all the suffering in every corner of the world, and yet we still hold fast to our dreams, to hope.
”When the silence isn't quiet
And it feels like it's getting hard to breathe
And I know you feel like dying
But I promise we'll take the world to its feet
And move mountains
We'll take it to its feet
And move mountains”
Rise Up, Andra Day - Written by Cassandra Monique Batie, Jennifer Decilveo
Pub Date: 15 Aug 2017
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Simon and Schuster
Almost two years ago, I read Paul Yoon’s novel “Snow Hunters”, a beautiful story with spare prose and lovely, ethereal setting. This collection of short stories in his “The Mountain: Stories” Six heartbreaking, lovely stories about fragile, lonely, abandoned people trying to find their way through this life.
This short story collection is linked by the pain and suffering endured, across continents, across different eras, each involving some traumatic event, traumatic pasts. Uprooted lives lived without a place to call home, each person on a quest for the peace they believed in their hearts they were worthy of, and could hope to attain.
“A Willow and the Moon” – Having grown up in a sanitarium in Hudson Valley, a woman relays the story of her years lived there, her father’s abandonment, and a secret just shy of being taken into the grave. Set in New York and England. This was my favourite of this collection. 5 stars
“Still a Fire” – a post WWII story of the years 1947-48, a man, Mikel, and a woman, Karine, his nurse, and their individual battles to live to tell their tales. This takes a decidedly war-time look at pain and suffering, and includes some battles with addiction. Set in France. 4 stars
“Galicia” – Antje, a loving and faithful wife, meets Félix, a stranger, at a train station. Though she loves her husband, she follows this man Félix, as though under a spell, unable to bring herself to change her course of action. Set in Spain. 3 stars
“Vladivostok Station” – On his way home Misha sees someone he used to know, and reconnects with this old childhood friend and his father. 4 stars
“The Mountain” – a twenty-six year-old woman in South Korea, Faye, homeless, sitting at a bus stop, is approached about a job by a young, handsome, well-dressed man. He gives her the details of a ferryboat, the time, the pier number, the day and the time. He speaks to her in Mandarin, saying “Come back home.” 4 Stars
“Milner Field” – a soon-to-be-divorcee, his daughter, his father, and a story the father shares with his son, one he’s never shared before. A journey, a quest, soon follows to connect with this family of his father’s childhood. Set in New York and England, in the present. 5 stars
Yoon’s gift is that he can turn these sad stories, each involving some heartbreaking, tragedy-filled moments, and weave them quietly into lovely, poetic, breathtakingly austere works of art, paced to perfection, each deliberately chosen word, space, pause speaks volumes about tragedy and its role in this shared human experience we call life. Our hearts breaking over and over, daily it seems anymore, each act of violence, all the suffering in every corner of the world, and yet we still hold fast to our dreams, to hope.
”When the silence isn't quiet
And it feels like it's getting hard to breathe
And I know you feel like dying
But I promise we'll take the world to its feet
And move mountains
We'll take it to its feet
And move mountains”
Rise Up, Andra Day - Written by Cassandra Monique Batie, Jennifer Decilveo
Pub Date: 15 Aug 2017
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Simon and Schuster
August 1, 2017
When I started reading this, I realized that I really should no longer say that I don't read short stories very often. This is the fifth collection of stories I have read this year. I also almost always say that I have a hard time with short stories because I want more of the story. That may still be the case because it seems to be the impact of the collections as a whole and the connections between the stories rather than any individual story that take hold of me . This was the case here. They were different, yet alike in so many ways. An underlying sadness, an emptiness, an inability to make sense of the things that happened in their past, a focus on their present but yet with a longing to move forward . It's a thin thread from moments of joy in their past before war, before horrifying losses of limbs, of lives, before traumatic events that mark the journeys of these characters. I felt like I had to stop in between each to relieve the tension I felt .
Paul Yoon takes us to America, France, Spain, Russia, Shanghai . The prose is as beautiful as I found in Snow Hunters, sparse, not flowery but full of description and meaning, conveying to us what addiction is like, what desperation of hunger is like, what it means to be alone, what it means to be a broken soul trying to heal. Even if you don't regularly read short stories (like I didn't), I recommend this collection that will certainly touch a nerve and most likely your heart.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Simon and Schuster through NetGalley.
June 27, 2017
The connecting thread through these stories is the theme, of displacement by war or another tragic happening. Men and women we hope are seeking answers or a new way to live. Loneliness, because so many have lost those important in their lives, or are now unhappy for different reasons, unable to forget. Not much happens in these stories, they are very slowly paced but as I read I realized the patience of both the writer and the reader. The trust of an author in their readers, that their patience will eventually be rewarded, when life and trauma are revealed, and the value in these stories become apparent. People, some just barely hanging on and the day to day living in a world no longer recognizable.
The prose is never melodramatic, but rather elegant and stately. The violence of war, not only on those who fought, but on those who are left, and in some the very land itself. Effects on the psyche, physical and mental scars, difficult to overcome. Although the stories are unfolded slowly, the message is fierce. In the last story, there are only six, the author reveals that the violence and battles are continuing now, maybe neverending sine we seem to learn so slowly or not at all. The stories encompass a wide Swatch of area, from the Hudson Valley, to Russia and Shanghai. It seems no area, no person will escape some form of tragedy.
ARC from Simon and Schuster
Publishes , August 15th.
The prose is never melodramatic, but rather elegant and stately. The violence of war, not only on those who fought, but on those who are left, and in some the very land itself. Effects on the psyche, physical and mental scars, difficult to overcome. Although the stories are unfolded slowly, the message is fierce. In the last story, there are only six, the author reveals that the violence and battles are continuing now, maybe neverending sine we seem to learn so slowly or not at all. The stories encompass a wide Swatch of area, from the Hudson Valley, to Russia and Shanghai. It seems no area, no person will escape some form of tragedy.
ARC from Simon and Schuster
Publishes , August 15th.
September 28, 2017
Paul Yoon's The Mountain is a gorgeous collection of short stories. The first story was my favorite, but each story was enjoyable, thought-provoking, and tied together with a threads of sadness and emptiness. Paul Yoon has a unique, sparse writing style, and I would love to read his novel Snow Hunters. If you enjoy short stories, this is a gem.
Thanks to the author, the publisher, and Goodreads, for the complimentary autographed copy. This book will hold a special place on my shelf.
Thanks to the author, the publisher, and Goodreads, for the complimentary autographed copy. This book will hold a special place on my shelf.
July 10, 2018
Galicia and Milner Field are the strongest of this story collection.
September 12, 2017
I have long wanted to try Paul Yoon based on glowing reviews from Jason R., and I'm so glad I finally got the chance! These stories aren't linked by time period or characters, but they have a lot in common. They all seem to be following a major war or conflict, where the characters are displaced, have experienced loss, or are regathering their lives. They seem to follow life where it goes with the options that are presented, not out of desperation but almost in a way that feels like they are people who have grown accustomed to not having options, of taking what is given, of surviving. They move in and out of situations and relationships, almost a floating feeling, absorbing consequences as they come. The writing, of course, is beautiful. I feel like reading them again.
Thanks to the publisher for providing access through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to the publisher for providing access through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 6, 2017
This was one of the best anthologies of short stories I have ever read! The prose was beautiful and fluid and the transition into each story was seamless.
All six stories are tied together through the beautifully described landscapes, even though they range from the Hudson Valley, to Russia and places far and wide. The author is very skilled at pulling you in with the imagery used throughout the book. It's well crafted and not overly done.
They all take place after the end of WWII up to modern times again uniting the stories in different ways. Even the characters, unite each story in small ways that takes this anthology to new levels. The characters are very relatable and beautifully crafted. Each on distinctly different, but also united in small ways. Whether the characters are united by previous employment, ethnicity, or the challenges they are left to face it is done smoothly and ties each story to another in various ways keeping it interesting.
I cannot wait to read more by this extremely talented author!! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC for a fair and honest review.
All six stories are tied together through the beautifully described landscapes, even though they range from the Hudson Valley, to Russia and places far and wide. The author is very skilled at pulling you in with the imagery used throughout the book. It's well crafted and not overly done.
They all take place after the end of WWII up to modern times again uniting the stories in different ways. Even the characters, unite each story in small ways that takes this anthology to new levels. The characters are very relatable and beautifully crafted. Each on distinctly different, but also united in small ways. Whether the characters are united by previous employment, ethnicity, or the challenges they are left to face it is done smoothly and ties each story to another in various ways keeping it interesting.
I cannot wait to read more by this extremely talented author!! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC for a fair and honest review.
December 8, 2023
I upped my review to 4 stars. It’s sat with me this last year. I admire him taking on being misplaced and lost in the skillful and truthful way he did with such humanity. Humanity has been at the heart f all I read by him.
I read Run Me To Earth by Paul Yoon last year and it was terrific. One of my favorite books of last year because of wonderful characters, superb writing, the creativity he brought to it and excellent creation of a sense of place. It was about the bombings of Laos. Brought close to home the destruction of war on people’s lives.
Because I liked his writing so much I thought I would read an earlier book of his. To be honest I had a hard time getting thru some of the Mountain. He shows us some very traumatized and lost people. They had experienced some sort of violence and/or big loses in their lives and displacement. In the end I’m very glad I stayed with it and didn’t push away the discomfort. Paul Yoon brings a sense of deep humanity to his work. He had a lot to say and said it well. I feel like I am a little more open to the suffering of people on this planet and have a little more understanding.
It felt like he had a really good understanding of his characters and their circumstances. And this topic of displacement was what he was exploring thru his writing. One story set in a camera factory in China had some people who felt like truly lost gray sunken eyed souls. And yet it was connection and kindness that helped them some. Each story created a sense of place and he shared so many details about the characters it was as if they were alive. These are not people or situations others usually write about. Each was unique and their situation unusual. And the 6 stories were set in different parts of the world in different time frames.
Because of eye problems I listened to the audiobook vs read it. The narrator thankfully was quite good. He didn’t announce new stories/chapters. It was intriguing because the stories rolled into each other; meshed. It seemed like the characters continued on for a while and then unexpectedly broke off into new ones. That was cool. It linked the chapters creating not just 6 independent short stories but a whole interconnected book. That was impressive. And worked so well.
He explored themes as he went along and there was something like a consummation by the end. He is a very creative writer. I definitely will read more of him because I’m curious what he will create next and interested in what he has to say.
I sense this book will stay with me a long time. It reflects deeply into our world yesterday and today. Asks big questions and sheds light on inhumanity.
I read Run Me To Earth by Paul Yoon last year and it was terrific. One of my favorite books of last year because of wonderful characters, superb writing, the creativity he brought to it and excellent creation of a sense of place. It was about the bombings of Laos. Brought close to home the destruction of war on people’s lives.
Because I liked his writing so much I thought I would read an earlier book of his. To be honest I had a hard time getting thru some of the Mountain. He shows us some very traumatized and lost people. They had experienced some sort of violence and/or big loses in their lives and displacement. In the end I’m very glad I stayed with it and didn’t push away the discomfort. Paul Yoon brings a sense of deep humanity to his work. He had a lot to say and said it well. I feel like I am a little more open to the suffering of people on this planet and have a little more understanding.
It felt like he had a really good understanding of his characters and their circumstances. And this topic of displacement was what he was exploring thru his writing. One story set in a camera factory in China had some people who felt like truly lost gray sunken eyed souls. And yet it was connection and kindness that helped them some. Each story created a sense of place and he shared so many details about the characters it was as if they were alive. These are not people or situations others usually write about. Each was unique and their situation unusual. And the 6 stories were set in different parts of the world in different time frames.
Because of eye problems I listened to the audiobook vs read it. The narrator thankfully was quite good. He didn’t announce new stories/chapters. It was intriguing because the stories rolled into each other; meshed. It seemed like the characters continued on for a while and then unexpectedly broke off into new ones. That was cool. It linked the chapters creating not just 6 independent short stories but a whole interconnected book. That was impressive. And worked so well.
He explored themes as he went along and there was something like a consummation by the end. He is a very creative writer. I definitely will read more of him because I’m curious what he will create next and interested in what he has to say.
I sense this book will stay with me a long time. It reflects deeply into our world yesterday and today. Asks big questions and sheds light on inhumanity.
June 21, 2017
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
“The passage connecting the wings of the hospital had long ago collapsed, so we signaled each other with candles, this brief joy at catching the blurred, lit shapes of other people’s faces over the rubble.”
This collection of stories is like sorrowful stones you will carry in your gut. It is beautiful and tragic and every rotten and fresh emotion lurking between. Different countries, after World War II, in a sanatorium high up in the mountains, at inns or train stations, each of the characters are stooped with grief. A woman working factories with nothing, with only coins and a tight small space to sleep, remembering the care she gave her dying father. Thankful for that small solitary space, when used to sharing cramped quarters with strangers. Too many hands on her, comfort in her father’s knife tight in her grip. Remembering the river she swam in, a lurking danger, a chemical plant, finding it again long after her youth. Violence, empty hands, wounds- these are not lives of privilege.
In Milner Field an immigrant father shares a sad, terrible story from his past that drives his son to try and find the missing friend from long ago. In Still A Fire, Mikel sifts through rubble that was once city blocks and wonders “What wouldn’t he do?” There is so much hunger in the tales, emotional and physical. The characters are all from many walks of life, similar in not just their suffering but their longing. I walked away thinking about how each of our lives are like solitary planets, some violent, some cold and empty, others bursting with life, filled with love. People wake each morning, some with everything arranged as it’s always been others with everything that anchored them obliterated. In this wide world of ours, so many lives a spinning fury, alien realities we will never know. How the heart breaks with all the suffering and yet how it clings to hope.
Riveting.
Publication Date: August 15, 2017
Simon & Schuster
“The passage connecting the wings of the hospital had long ago collapsed, so we signaled each other with candles, this brief joy at catching the blurred, lit shapes of other people’s faces over the rubble.”
This collection of stories is like sorrowful stones you will carry in your gut. It is beautiful and tragic and every rotten and fresh emotion lurking between. Different countries, after World War II, in a sanatorium high up in the mountains, at inns or train stations, each of the characters are stooped with grief. A woman working factories with nothing, with only coins and a tight small space to sleep, remembering the care she gave her dying father. Thankful for that small solitary space, when used to sharing cramped quarters with strangers. Too many hands on her, comfort in her father’s knife tight in her grip. Remembering the river she swam in, a lurking danger, a chemical plant, finding it again long after her youth. Violence, empty hands, wounds- these are not lives of privilege.
In Milner Field an immigrant father shares a sad, terrible story from his past that drives his son to try and find the missing friend from long ago. In Still A Fire, Mikel sifts through rubble that was once city blocks and wonders “What wouldn’t he do?” There is so much hunger in the tales, emotional and physical. The characters are all from many walks of life, similar in not just their suffering but their longing. I walked away thinking about how each of our lives are like solitary planets, some violent, some cold and empty, others bursting with life, filled with love. People wake each morning, some with everything arranged as it’s always been others with everything that anchored them obliterated. In this wide world of ours, so many lives a spinning fury, alien realities we will never know. How the heart breaks with all the suffering and yet how it clings to hope.
Riveting.
Publication Date: August 15, 2017
Simon & Schuster
November 13, 2017
Individually I'd have given most of these six stories 4 stars, but as a collection this didn't quite work for me. I very much enjoyed Yoon's melancholy elegiac tone - it reminded me quite a bit of Simon Van Booy, whose work I love - but I was less keen on the repetition. There is an endorsement on the back of the book from Daniyal Mueenuddin, and for me his collection, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, suffered from the same problem: both authors tell the same story over and over again. On the one hand I can see how this might make the whole a unified work, but in a collection I prefer to see a bit more variety. Each of Yoon's stories features a lonely protagonist drifting across borders; the protagonist always has either dead or distant parents, and often a mother who plays/played the piano; horses and mountains will crop up, as will a boy seen riding a bicycle or playing; there is always a long road or track to be walked and an old house, usually abandoned; and in every story a shadow of something overhead (often unspecified) passes across the protagonist's path. His stories also tend to have weak endings. The only story that diverged slightly was the final one, 'Milner Field' which also happened to be my favourite of the bunch (despite it containing a line about travelling south from London into Wales!). I did enjoy Yoon's writing, and I think I'd be interested in reading his novel Snow Hunters to see what he does with the longer form.
August 28, 2017
The characters in The Mountain all have a connection to Korea but the settings vary-Russia, China, New York, etc. A sense of melancholy is another common denominator as is the central tragedy or sorrow takes place previous to the story or at least it's seldom directly addressed. The characters are stron and loving...just doomed. They're survivors however and don't rail against what feels like fate, they get on with things making the best of their lives however by time the central action takes place they've resigned themselves and concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.
I know this might sound depressing but it somehow isn't. I'm sure others have had the joy of seeing original Asian art scrolls that have a sense of peace and happiness and they often tells stories though not overtly. This is the same feeling I had while reading Yoon's stories.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an e-copy.
I know this might sound depressing but it somehow isn't. I'm sure others have had the joy of seeing original Asian art scrolls that have a sense of peace and happiness and they often tells stories though not overtly. This is the same feeling I had while reading Yoon's stories.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an e-copy.
July 15, 2017
I'm so happy I had the chance to read Paul Yoon's The Mountain. I will definitely be looking for his other works. He writes so eloquently, prose that is tragic, and stark. These short stories are of loneliness, tragedy, displacement, in various parts of the world. There is not much happiness in these stories, and they made my heart ache, but it was with a gentleness of writing that I knew the author had empathy. Tremendous stories, tremendous author! Thank you to Simon and Shuster for a copy via NetGalley for this yet to be released book.
January 8, 2018
The writing in this story collection is beautiful, remote, cool, ephemeral. The characters are lost, damaged, dealing with the aftermath of wars, dislocation, and the like. I didn't find myself rushing through these stories to find out what happens, instead they were slow page turners which I often enjoyed, but often wished for more literary or dramatic drama. The collection's themes are cohesive, the tone nearly identical, and ultimately, for me, that homogenization drained away my interest.
October 25, 2020
I miss Paul, he was such a great workshop leader. His writing is so hazy and ethereal, and usually I’m not a fan but the reported dialogue in these stories works well
September 21, 2017
I really enjoyed the writing in this short story collection. The writing is spare, often stark, and affecting. The stories deal mainly with how people carry on following a tragedy, whether from the aftermath of war, illness or a death in the family. The stories have a melancholy feel, but they are also beautiful in how they highlight the resilience of people. Highly recommend!
December 24, 2024
a collection of short stories that centers on the loneliness of the human experience
May 18, 2017
In The Mountain Paul Yoon’s stories quietly connect with one another as each character moves through the pages after WWII. Sometimes eerily depicted, as in “A Willow and The Moon” where a young woman follows in her mother’s morphine-addicted footsteps or “The Mountain,” an incredibly sad story of a young woman whose father’s past haunts her, these two stories were perhaps my favorites and in my mind exemplify Yoon’s compellingly beautiful fiction.
April 6, 2024
Anyone who knows me knows that I live for short story collections.
Ok, that isn't really true. Most people who actually know me "in real life" would have no idea that I love short stories. Even my mom wouldn't have a clue.
But it is true that my love for short stories runs deep.
This may be one of my favorite short story collections. Top five for sure. And to make the "Natalie's Top Five Short Story Collections" list, every word needs to count.
Paul Yoon writes in a way that makes me feel like I'm in a dream. An extremely beautiful, haunting, melancholy dream that I don't want to end. I'm traveling to places and landscapes I've never been to before. I'm witnessing love (not always nor not usually the romantic kind) that feels more like pain than walking on clouds. I'm observing people I've never met, people I can barely identify with beyond that gnawing loneliness that ties us together with a thin taut thread.
Do you know this feeling? You're living whatever day you're in and suddenly feel a longing. As though there's been an absence in you all this time and you never knew. But you don't know what it is. You can't find it. And it eats at you. For days it eats at you. Do you know it?
I was almost disappointed to read that Yoon lives in Massachusetts and teaches at Harvard. I had the most wonderful vision of him hunkered down in a cabin in the mountains, writing only late into the night by the light of a slowly dripping candle and early in the morning when the sun is just first peeking over the horizon and the air is chilled and damp. But I guess teaching at Harvard is cool, too.
5 Stars
Ok, that isn't really true. Most people who actually know me "in real life" would have no idea that I love short stories. Even my mom wouldn't have a clue.
But it is true that my love for short stories runs deep.
This may be one of my favorite short story collections. Top five for sure. And to make the "Natalie's Top Five Short Story Collections" list, every word needs to count.
Paul Yoon writes in a way that makes me feel like I'm in a dream. An extremely beautiful, haunting, melancholy dream that I don't want to end. I'm traveling to places and landscapes I've never been to before. I'm witnessing love (not always nor not usually the romantic kind) that feels more like pain than walking on clouds. I'm observing people I've never met, people I can barely identify with beyond that gnawing loneliness that ties us together with a thin taut thread.
Do you know this feeling? You're living whatever day you're in and suddenly feel a longing. As though there's been an absence in you all this time and you never knew. But you don't know what it is. You can't find it. And it eats at you. For days it eats at you. Do you know it?
I was almost disappointed to read that Yoon lives in Massachusetts and teaches at Harvard. I had the most wonderful vision of him hunkered down in a cabin in the mountains, writing only late into the night by the light of a slowly dripping candle and early in the morning when the sun is just first peeking over the horizon and the air is chilled and damp. But I guess teaching at Harvard is cool, too.
5 Stars
May 1, 2017
Surreal and beautiful.
At the end of each tale I felt as if a hole inside of me had been filled. A hole that I had no idea was there waiting to be filled. Like spackle on aging drywall.
How did I get so full of holes and fail to notice all of the empty spaces?
Each story contained within this collection has the merit to stand out on it's own. Any one of the stories could have been expanded upon into a novel or novella, but Yoon excels at knowing when to stop telling the story. As such none of the stories feel cut off or too short, a fate many short story collections suffer with.
At the end of each tale I felt as if a hole inside of me had been filled. A hole that I had no idea was there waiting to be filled. Like spackle on aging drywall.
How did I get so full of holes and fail to notice all of the empty spaces?
Each story contained within this collection has the merit to stand out on it's own. Any one of the stories could have been expanded upon into a novel or novella, but Yoon excels at knowing when to stop telling the story. As such none of the stories feel cut off or too short, a fate many short story collections suffer with.
January 25, 2018
I was enchanted with Yoon’s first novel Snow Hunters and this most recent collection of short stories was excellent as well. The stories all share a theme loneliness - issues of immigration, war, loss, and family are perfectly woven through several decades and settings around the world. My favorite was “Milner Field”. This collection’s subject matter was heavier than I’d anticipated - but it’s Yoon’s quiet, unassuming way with words that always pulls me in regardless of how somber I feel after reading. All the stories are poignant and superbly told, what a gift he has! 4/5 stars.
August 18, 2018
Reading this collection of short stories was--well, it was an experience, and not one that I can say I particularly enjoyed. I will give Yoon credit for being able to create an atmosphere that completely draws you in to each story and overwhelms you. But at the end of every one but the last, I ended up feeling empty and depressed. It was exhausting to read of people living empty, lonely lives, accepting violence, hunger, loss, addiction, pain, exploitation, and poverty as if these were the expected norm. Perhaps they are for many people, and I feel badly for them; perhaps Yoon meant these stories to be a call to action. In any case, I was glad to come to the end, and I need to search my TBRs for something a bit more fun or uplifting, something that doesn't keep banging on the same depressing note on every page. I'm not one who always wants a happy ending; in fact, I often find them boring and unbelievable. But this book just plain exhausted me. I am emotionally worn out.
April 14, 2019
A Willow and The Moon: 4.5/5 stars, read from 4/4-4/6
A lovely story to start this collection off right. My introduction to Paul Yoon showed me that Paul has the ability to craft a story that is both concise and leaves the reader wanting more. It was the type of story, where it had this calming effect. A contemplative story written with life and imagery that put me right into the story and lives of the characters. I was there in the moment, seeing the world through the narrator's eyes. I didn't have a problem with the format of the short story as I usually do, the events chosen were significant and the plot went along at a reasonable pace, a bit slow, but that was how I felt the story needed to go. I wish I saw more character development, but that was just how it was.
Still A Fire: 3.5/5 stars, read from 4/6-4/10 (TW: Self-Harm, Drug Abuse, Physical Abuse)
The ending was a really nice way to wrap up the chaos that had occurred in the story. Paul Yoon's second story shows him developing a distinct style, that takes certain elements of the first story and pushes them further in the second story. I thought that the first and second story were connected; there were similar details between the two, but I don't think that Paul did this on purpose. I wasn't into this story at first and it took me a while to finally get into it. I liked Karine's section the most. This being a longer story allowed Paul to build up and create character development, create a better sense of time and reality. It accurately portrayed war in its struggle and violence. Therefore, there were a couple of scenes in this story that were too much for me, hard for me to read (I am sensitive to that kind of stuff). I appreciate Paul for not leaving out the reality of life, but it wasn't something that I wanted to read. I actually got a bit lost at what was happening during parts of the story, but for the most part, I followed the story pretty well and it was easy to read and occasionally beautiful in its details and writing. Paul has a way of portraying history in a way that doesn't feel bogged down by details of the past and connects to certain feelings, events, actions of the present.
Galicia: 4/5 stars, read from 4/10-4/11
This story was beautifully written and posed a lot of thoughts and questions for me. I found that I really enjoy how Paul writes, the way that he crafts a scene perfectly for the reader to envision his world. I found myself getting into the character and her journey, but I felt that the short story format really made this story lack something. I still left the story with questions, and felt a longer story would have sufficed to answer them. It felt slow, in the way that the story felt like more of a beginning of more that did not come.
Vladivostok Station: 4.5/5 stars, read from 4/11-4/11
I felt a tinge of sadness, of a eulogy that beats through Paul's stories, especially this one. I really enjoyed reading this story, how Paul's use of time worked well in that he was able to give enough information from the past that was relevant to Misha's journey in the present. Perfect pacing and use of flashbacks. Every detail mattered. It was simply a tender, beautiful, and lovely story. I had a strong desire to read and follow the relationships between Misha and his father, Misha and Kostya. The subtleties spoke volumes. I still wanted the relationships between the characters to be pushed further in exploration, but I get why it was not. It gave the story a mystery feel. I loved the open ending, it left me wondering what was going to happen in the best way.
The Mountain: nearly 4/5 stars, read from 4/11-4/13
I really appreciate, how since the story was longer, Paul had more space to craft a narrative and flesh out his characters. I got to go on a journey with the main character Faye, watching her deal with what was happening to her and what she did in response to that. Even though, I wasn't in love and engrossed by the plot, I still found that the majority of this story held my interest. This story felt different from the rest of Paul's stories and I struggled to get into it at first, but when I did I couldn't find my way out of his world. His words always seem to make me see what his characters are seeing, in a clear detail. I still left this story with questions. I wasn't into the subplots of the camera and the fighting. My tired mood did impact my feelings towards the ending section of the book, me getting disinterested, but overall it was a well-written, raw, and had more of a plot and conflicts, than his other stories.
Milner Field: 4.5 stars, read from 4/13-4/14
I am always hesitant to rate something 5 stars unless I absolutely love it or find a connection to myself in a meaningful way. Paul ended this story collection on a high note with a story that really pulled at me emotionally, kept me invested, kept me flipping the pages. I wanted to keep reading, but I never wanted the story to end. I would say that this story is really close to being 5 stars and the only reason that it is not is because of the length and the ending. I could see this story being longer, see Paul keep exploring these characters and their journey. I still had a few questions at the end of the story and wasn't a big fan of the ending. This story highlighted the best of what I love about Paul's writing, it was beautiful, the way he put the past and the present together worked wonders, incorporated history in a non-threatening way.
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Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this short story collection. It was one of the first modern short story collections that I have actually enjoyed and found myself interested. Paul's writing is gorgeous, his stories are about characters that feel real. I want to check out more of Paul's works. I am glad that I picked this up.
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A lovely story to start this collection off right. My introduction to Paul Yoon showed me that Paul has the ability to craft a story that is both concise and leaves the reader wanting more. It was the type of story, where it had this calming effect. A contemplative story written with life and imagery that put me right into the story and lives of the characters. I was there in the moment, seeing the world through the narrator's eyes. I didn't have a problem with the format of the short story as I usually do, the events chosen were significant and the plot went along at a reasonable pace, a bit slow, but that was how I felt the story needed to go. I wish I saw more character development, but that was just how it was.
Still A Fire: 3.5/5 stars, read from 4/6-4/10 (TW: Self-Harm, Drug Abuse, Physical Abuse)
The ending was a really nice way to wrap up the chaos that had occurred in the story. Paul Yoon's second story shows him developing a distinct style, that takes certain elements of the first story and pushes them further in the second story. I thought that the first and second story were connected; there were similar details between the two, but I don't think that Paul did this on purpose. I wasn't into this story at first and it took me a while to finally get into it. I liked Karine's section the most. This being a longer story allowed Paul to build up and create character development, create a better sense of time and reality. It accurately portrayed war in its struggle and violence. Therefore, there were a couple of scenes in this story that were too much for me, hard for me to read (I am sensitive to that kind of stuff). I appreciate Paul for not leaving out the reality of life, but it wasn't something that I wanted to read. I actually got a bit lost at what was happening during parts of the story, but for the most part, I followed the story pretty well and it was easy to read and occasionally beautiful in its details and writing. Paul has a way of portraying history in a way that doesn't feel bogged down by details of the past and connects to certain feelings, events, actions of the present.
Galicia: 4/5 stars, read from 4/10-4/11
This story was beautifully written and posed a lot of thoughts and questions for me. I found that I really enjoy how Paul writes, the way that he crafts a scene perfectly for the reader to envision his world. I found myself getting into the character and her journey, but I felt that the short story format really made this story lack something. I still left the story with questions, and felt a longer story would have sufficed to answer them. It felt slow, in the way that the story felt like more of a beginning of more that did not come.
Vladivostok Station: 4.5/5 stars, read from 4/11-4/11
I felt a tinge of sadness, of a eulogy that beats through Paul's stories, especially this one. I really enjoyed reading this story, how Paul's use of time worked well in that he was able to give enough information from the past that was relevant to Misha's journey in the present. Perfect pacing and use of flashbacks. Every detail mattered. It was simply a tender, beautiful, and lovely story. I had a strong desire to read and follow the relationships between Misha and his father, Misha and Kostya. The subtleties spoke volumes. I still wanted the relationships between the characters to be pushed further in exploration, but I get why it was not. It gave the story a mystery feel. I loved the open ending, it left me wondering what was going to happen in the best way.
The Mountain: nearly 4/5 stars, read from 4/11-4/13
I really appreciate, how since the story was longer, Paul had more space to craft a narrative and flesh out his characters. I got to go on a journey with the main character Faye, watching her deal with what was happening to her and what she did in response to that. Even though, I wasn't in love and engrossed by the plot, I still found that the majority of this story held my interest. This story felt different from the rest of Paul's stories and I struggled to get into it at first, but when I did I couldn't find my way out of his world. His words always seem to make me see what his characters are seeing, in a clear detail. I still left this story with questions. I wasn't into the subplots of the camera and the fighting. My tired mood did impact my feelings towards the ending section of the book, me getting disinterested, but overall it was a well-written, raw, and had more of a plot and conflicts, than his other stories.
Milner Field: 4.5 stars, read from 4/13-4/14
I am always hesitant to rate something 5 stars unless I absolutely love it or find a connection to myself in a meaningful way. Paul ended this story collection on a high note with a story that really pulled at me emotionally, kept me invested, kept me flipping the pages. I wanted to keep reading, but I never wanted the story to end. I would say that this story is really close to being 5 stars and the only reason that it is not is because of the length and the ending. I could see this story being longer, see Paul keep exploring these characters and their journey. I still had a few questions at the end of the story and wasn't a big fan of the ending. This story highlighted the best of what I love about Paul's writing, it was beautiful, the way he put the past and the present together worked wonders, incorporated history in a non-threatening way.
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Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this short story collection. It was one of the first modern short story collections that I have actually enjoyed and found myself interested. Paul's writing is gorgeous, his stories are about characters that feel real. I want to check out more of Paul's works. I am glad that I picked this up.
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February 22, 2018
The author is clearly very good at creating a certain ambience: a postwar melancholy composed of poverty and homelessness, grief and rage, and an overwhelming sense of disorientation. But the stories were just too grim for me, at least right now. I had to quit after two stories.
October 1, 2023
beautifully written, very poetic. I would have loved it more if at least one of the stories would have had a clear conclusion. Can't say I'm a fan of ambiguous endings, or at least not the way they were written by Yoon.
January 20, 2020
Trains, hotels, hooking up with strangers, and hugs from behind
March 10, 2022
Lovely collection of quiet and tender stories. Haunting, sparse prose. Definitely all vibes. Reminiscent of of Kitumara at times.
February 16, 2023
incredible writing. simplistic, artistic, beautiful.
March 4, 2020
Surprised that there are no large amount of ratings for this book. Especially the last two stories are of high quality.
August 15, 2017
Please Note: I received an advance reader's copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.
When I requested The Mountain, by Paul Yoon, from NetGalley, I admit I did not realize it was a collection of short stories. This format has always been a challenge for me. I have a hard time with the brevity of the tale, and often feel that the characters are not developed enough for me to be engaged. But I was pleasantly surprised by this book. With an economy of words, the author quickly sets a tone for each story and makes the reader care about each character. The result is a group of stories that will haunt your dreams, and perhaps cause some nightmares, too.
What I Liked:
Stories Connection:
According to the books description, each story is somehow associated to another in the collection. Sometimes the connection is obvious, but most of the time, I had to really think about what one story attached to another. It was a fun challenge to figure this out.
Writing:
I thought the writing of the book to be beautiful in it's prose. Paul Yoon was able to quickly create circumstances where these characters existed and searched for meaning and connection. Many of the settings are times and places that are dealing with the aftermath of war. As displaced people try to reestablish their lives, they seem to grasp at any memory they may have to latch on to a moment when they felt safe and happy.
What I Was Mixed About:
Characters:
Many of the characters in each story are wanderers who seem let random circumstances carry them from one situation to another. They seemed adrift in the world, without the usual ties of family, friends, community, or careers. This passivity was hard for me to accept. Don't most people have some intent each day, if for nothing else than to eat and find shelter for the night's rest? They all seemed to be searching for purpose, which was probably the point. But I found it hard to believe that people could be so random in major life choices.
What I Didn't Like:
Lack Of Resolution:
I still have problems with the short story format. While these stories were beautifully written, they were snapshots into the lives of these people. Not much was resolved. Since the author was able to create such vivid characters, I found this to be frustrating. I cared about the people in each story and wanted to see how things would be resolved. The result is that these stories are beautiful, but rather bleak.
Recommendation:
I think this is an exquisitely written book. If you enjoy short stories, then I think you will appreciate these tales. Reading these will challenge you as a reader, and leave you hoping all these lost people finally find their way home.
When I requested The Mountain, by Paul Yoon, from NetGalley, I admit I did not realize it was a collection of short stories. This format has always been a challenge for me. I have a hard time with the brevity of the tale, and often feel that the characters are not developed enough for me to be engaged. But I was pleasantly surprised by this book. With an economy of words, the author quickly sets a tone for each story and makes the reader care about each character. The result is a group of stories that will haunt your dreams, and perhaps cause some nightmares, too.
What I Liked:
Stories Connection:
According to the books description, each story is somehow associated to another in the collection. Sometimes the connection is obvious, but most of the time, I had to really think about what one story attached to another. It was a fun challenge to figure this out.
Writing:
I thought the writing of the book to be beautiful in it's prose. Paul Yoon was able to quickly create circumstances where these characters existed and searched for meaning and connection. Many of the settings are times and places that are dealing with the aftermath of war. As displaced people try to reestablish their lives, they seem to grasp at any memory they may have to latch on to a moment when they felt safe and happy.
What I Was Mixed About:
Characters:
Many of the characters in each story are wanderers who seem let random circumstances carry them from one situation to another. They seemed adrift in the world, without the usual ties of family, friends, community, or careers. This passivity was hard for me to accept. Don't most people have some intent each day, if for nothing else than to eat and find shelter for the night's rest? They all seemed to be searching for purpose, which was probably the point. But I found it hard to believe that people could be so random in major life choices.
What I Didn't Like:
Lack Of Resolution:
I still have problems with the short story format. While these stories were beautifully written, they were snapshots into the lives of these people. Not much was resolved. Since the author was able to create such vivid characters, I found this to be frustrating. I cared about the people in each story and wanted to see how things would be resolved. The result is that these stories are beautiful, but rather bleak.
Recommendation:
I think this is an exquisitely written book. If you enjoy short stories, then I think you will appreciate these tales. Reading these will challenge you as a reader, and leave you hoping all these lost people finally find their way home.
September 25, 2017
Yoon's collection of short stories is serene, captivating, and varied. All the stories are quite different featuring many settings and time periods from WWII France to contemporary Korea. Each story follows the characters somehow affected by war or conflict, many featuring characters that are displaced or somehow without home. Like in his 2013 novel, Snow Hunters, Yoon succeeds in building atmospheres. I often felt intimately connected with the world that characters were living in, both the physical landscape and each protagonist's mindscape. That connection made the stories enthralling, yet intense, many dealing with the violence associated with or adjacent to international conflict, addiction, and mental illness. Yoon's sparse prose can sometimes read a bit like poetry which I felt made each story so unique and encapsulating. The flipside of this atmospheric and ethereal style is a weakened plot which definitely frustrated me at times. I enjoyed Snow Hunters more than this collection but I'm still puzzling out why. My favorite stories are "A Willow and the Moon," "Gallicia,""Vladivostok Station," and "Milner Field" (which I had read previously). I recommend for someone looking to read short stories that are atmospheric and character driven and those seeking out non-traditional narratives/story telling around wars and their displacement.
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