Status Updates From Skinship: Stories

The Art of Losing… wasn’t a huge fan of the style, characters, or story. Oh well!

Skinship is definitely my favorite story so far. It was immediately gripping, and I think I appreciated the quiet, ever present “Korean despair” more than I have with the previous stories. So compelling, so many layers! It’s rejuvenated my interest in the book!

Finished Solo Works for the Piano. Meh. Idk man.

I don’t know how to explain it but throughout the entire book it seems like the immigrant (or maybe specifically Korean) identity is formed by exclusion?? Moving to a diverse country and kind of being taught to look down on everyone else. It’s not very sympathetic to hear middle class Koreans move to be middle class Americans. I wish the book grappled with that more… had a protag become more cosmopolitan maybe?

I finished the second story. I was liking it a lot… and then it ended. I was confused. I went back to see if I accidentally skipped a page. Okay, I guess.

The first short story didn’t move me much. I bought this book hoping to be moved to tears or have some sinking chest feeling but maybe I’m just not baseline interested or empathetic enough about immigration-based stories. I’m looking forward to the rest of the book still though!