버드 스트라이크

by Gu Byeong-mo, 구병모

한국 영어덜트 소설의 눈부신 진화!



“무섭더라도 지켜봐 줘, 그게 우리의 비행이니까.”

작은 날개로 세상을 크게 안는 법



구병모의 작품 세계를 좋아한다면, 한국 영어덜트 소설의 새로운 성취를 확인하고자 한다면 놓쳐서는 안 될 작품이 우리 앞에 도착했다. 『파과』 『한 스푼의 시간』 『네 이웃의 식탁』 『단 하나의 문장』 등 활발한 행보를 이어 오며 독자들의 큰 사랑을 받아 온 작가 구병모가 신작 장편소설 『버드 스트라이크』를 통해 압도적인 환상 세계로 독자들을 다시 한번 초대한다. 2011년 구상을 시작해 초고를 완성하기까지 7년여의 시간이 걸린 역작이자 작가의 첫 소설 『위저드 베이커리』의 발간 10주년을 맞는 해에 출간되어 더욱 뜻깊고 반가운 책이다.

이번 소설에서 작가는 마음을 홀리는 비범한 ‘스토리텔러’로서의 면모를 더욱 선명히 드러낸다. 날개를 펼쳐 하늘을 날 수 있고, 그 날개로 아픈 생명을 감싸서 치유할 수 있는 ‘익인’들의 존재가 눈앞에 그려지는 듯 생생하다. 그들 사이에서 성장하며 새로운 내일을 만들어 가는 주인공들의 모습 또한 놀라운 매력과 흡인력으로 마음을 사로잡는다. 누군가 혹독한 세상 끝으로 내몰려 아찔한 절벽 위에 서 있을 때 우리는 손 내밀어 그를 잡아 줄 수 있을까. 그와 손을 잡고 이곳과 저곳, 우리와 그들을 경계 짓는 날카로운 절벽 너머로 함께 날아오를 수 있을까. 작가는 그 답을 찾는 여정을, 이 흥미로운 소설을 통해 뜨겁게 펼쳐 보인다.



★★★ “아주 높이, 이 책을 읽는 당신은 날아오르리라. 경계와 구분에 관한 아름다운 이야기.” – 이다혜(『씨네21』 기자, 작가)



★★★ “볼 수 없어도 선연하게 느껴지고, 닿을 수 없어도 강렬하게 만져지는, 영화보다 생생한 소설 속 세계.” – 윤가은(영화 「우리들」 감독)



★★★ “이 책은 오늘의 버려진 나를 꼭 껴안아 준 따뜻하고 커다란 두 날개다.” – 추민주(뮤지컬 「빨래」, 연극 「나쁜 자석」 연출)

353 pages, Hardcover

Published March 15, 2019

About the author

Associated Names:
* 구병모 (Korean)
* Gu Byeong-mo (English)
* คูบยองโม (Thai)

Gu Byeong-mo is a South Korean writer. She made her literary debut in 2009 when her novel Wizard Bakery won the 2nd Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction. Her 2015 short story collection Geugeosi namaneun anigireul received the Today's Writer Award and Hwang Sun-won New Writers' Award.

Reviews

[Shroomin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I had too high expectations for this book. I was quite underwhelmed from half way in. Nothing really seemed to happen. It was a pretty obvious storyline. I feel more could have been done with this setting. But the writing was good, some characters were pretty interesting (Tan and Mai especially) and the themes were well laid out.
I did want to see more interactions between Tan and Mai, Ru and Bio and Hugo and Mai. Mai was overall a good(?) villain but needed more build up.
I feel that these weak points could be because it is a YA novel, so I'm hoping to see more variation in the author's other novels.

[Lonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

YA소설이라 오그라드는 부분은 피할 수 없었겠지만, 주제가 선명하고 놀랍게 relevant했다.

"다른 지역을 두고 한번 무역을 가장한 수탈을 시작한 도시는 이미 그 행위가 체질이 되고 수탈 자체가 도시를 이루는 바탕이 되어 버려서, 이후로는 뺏지 않고는 도시를 이끌어 갈 수 없다는 부담과 불안으로 더욱 수위를 올리게 마련이었는데, 지금까지 도시가 고원지대의 자연에 해온 일들이 바로 그랬다." (154)

[Riverine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review for the Manhwa version of this work

I’m. Not mad at this as a whole. Was it rushed? Sure. But it didn’t feel the same as. Other things I’ve read that are rushed. It just. It was just a short story. It wasn’t meant to be a long drawn out multiple arc thing. It was just. Beginning. Middle. End. A story about acceptance and. I have no other words to describe it because this was the first thing that came to my mind and I can’t think of anything else now. A story about white guilt.

This was literally 41 chapters and felt like a better paced. More romantic story than anything I have read recently. The story follows our main character, Lou, who has been an outsider all her life and an illegitimate child to the emperor. Feeling like she has no where to belong. Her mother abandoned her as a young child and she barely sees her. And I’m just gonna say it. The main character was supposed to be Lou. But it wasn’t. It was Vio. The mmc. He had such a better arc in this story. He was abandoned by his village because he was half human, half avian (oh yeah I didn’t mention there’s bird ppl in this story). They are scared of him because there’s never been a half human and the people are scared of losing their abilities. Their hatred comes from fear. But when Lou comes in. She is able to change their perspectives and vio is accepted and it’s nice.

The main villain of this story is actually vio’s half brother. After vio’s father (a human) gets together with an avian, he can’t forget it. Even though he has to go back to his wife and child. He can’t forget the avian woman he met. Causing the main protagonists mother to fall ill and die. Ever since then the protagonist has had a vendetta against vio and wants to kill him. He also does experiments on avians that is never explained so. It’s either he’s specifically targeting vio’s family and doing experiments on them or. It’s just never explained. I don’t know. Either way. The protag went crazy and got addicted to drugs. I just. I’ll say it a million times I love a villain that goes crazy. Who was born a charismatic person and then something happens and they snap.

I think that. The ambiguous ending. It doesn’t upset me. We end off at Lou trying to find vio because he ran away to “find himself” and she said that “ fly away, as far as you can. As far as your heart desires, wherever you are, I will find you there”. Like. That’s how it ends. And holy shit. Gaha (vio’s brother, not blood related but. Brother nonetheless) sacrifices himself to save vio and Lou it’s beautiful. Gaha has lived his whole life. Feeling bad for his brother. He loves his brother but feels as if he can’t do anything for him. He sacrifices himself for his brothers happiness and it’s just beautiful. (We don’t talk about their father also being there and being glazed over as a plot completely). And then. At the end. When the princess (Lou’s sister) find the protag in jail she says she’ll wait for him because she remembers how he was and is like. “I can fix you” ITS SO CUTE. SO CUTE. SHES WAITING FOR HIM TO GET OFF THEM DAMN DRUGS.

Anyways. I think this was a really good short story. However. I do have one problem with it. That would be Lou’s story. Her mother (even if running away under the guise of protecting her daughter) never did anything. Lou is the first to reach out. The first to say “hey let’s talk”. The first to do anything. It is not the child’s responsibility to reach out to an unresponsive parent. A child shouldn’t have to bear the burden of their parents Ill being. It’s stupid how the mom was just. The most evil. Non talkative. Push over the whole story. The mom even says it in her head at one point. She talks about how she was never there for her own daughter and her daughter hates her and then. Lou extends an olive branch. It’s not Lou’s responsibility to do that. I just have a strong belief that if a parent wants a relationship with their child it’s their responsibility to do that. You brought this child into the world. Act like an adult. Also at the end the crown prince who was once. Cold, distant, and litterally told the mc that she was a burden to everyone and if she kept walking around the palace at night she would be a disgrace to her mother and the imperial family. Yeah. That man. At the end. He’s just. Fine?? Like he’s a good human being?? He’s kind and funny and tell Lou she deserves happiness and Lou even jokes around with him??? What in the underdeveloped plot is this???

Anyways. I digress. I hope you have enjoyed the longer form reviews. I haven’t done them in a while because I haven’t felt captivated by a story enough to write an in detail review on it. I’m glad I’ve found some recently. Even if the review was mostly negative (not this review. The last one I wrote. That one was mostly negative). I know Lou and vio are out there somewhere. Probably having sex Lou probably be freaky like that. But anyways. This was good. I recommend.