brokebookmountain’s Reviews > With the Heart of a Ghost: Stories > Status Update

My only problem with this story is that it felt a little too optimistic for me! I feel like people who died while they're still searching for the meaning of life or chasing their ambitions would be filled with way more regrets and sadness. But at the same time, I like that it's not depressing, that dying is just the next part of life. It's a very welcoming tale of death and of fulfilling your last wishes.

I like that Lim chose to make her characters in here to try one last time, to put in one last performance, instead of stewing in their regrets and not doing anything. To these characters, this is their last opportunity, and they shouldn't throw it away. I like that the characters still have a strong love of the world and community they live in, it felt heartwarming in a way.

This story moved me. Our main character used to live a life of diligence before applying for hundreds of jobs and failing miserably, which made her lose hope with living. She died in a freak accident, and upon her death, she reflects on the 100 hours she had left as the titular "curtain call, extra inning, last pang".

Curtain Call, Extra Inning, Last Pang — 3.75 stars
When we die, what happens to us? In this story, Lim imagines a world where pigeons work as messengers of death, giving us an extra five days as spectres/ghosts before going to the "next life", whatever the next life is. You're dead, and you only have 100 hours left. What do you do with that leftover time? Lim's characters chose to die with a last hurrah.

Disregarding the redundant theme, this story was still a decent read. It's probably the zaniest story in this collection, which I appreciate. Lim's stories are still a fun time, just that I wish we had more fresh, interesting material.

The themes of most of the stories here are the same, and even the approach is too similar. I think exploring one theme and one theme only in a collection of short stories can definitely be executed well, but the lack of diversity in its execution is what makes me feel a bit disappointed with this collection. It's like that one TikTok sound: "Create something else, come up with a new storyline!!"

I like my stories varied, and Lim's stories are all about alienation and isolation and heartbreak that I'm like...write something different please. It doesn't help that the stories nearing the end of this collection are becoming more and more bland for me, even with the bizarre characters and stories Lim deploys in them.

Don't get me wrong, I love stories about friendship and finding someone to connect with. But Lim' characters now almost looks the same, blending into one single person. A lonely person meets another lonely person, creating an unlikely bond. And I would be fine with that, but it gets to a point where every single story is about the same thing. This was my complaint with Pyun Hye-young's Evening Proposal too.

Even Though It's Not Alaska — 3.5 stars
This is a weird short story too, and this one is one of the more heartbreaking ones in the collection. An unemployed woman, who was let go from her abusive and toxic company, started training to catch and kill the dogs that killed the two stray cats that she saw herself in.

I think the ending really is just the woman realizing the reality of the relationship, that her partner has become someone she doesn't want to be with, someone who is so consumed by hatred and jealousy that he himself became spiteful. I found the ending bittersweet: she achieved independence from her ex, but also the loneliness weighs on her. Why is this collection lowkey depressing