Bae Suah

A nameless narrator passes through her life, searching for meaning and connection in experiences she barely feels. For her, time and identity blur, and all action is reaction. She can't quite understand what motivates others to take life seriously enough to focus on anything—for her existence is a loosely woven tapestry of fleeting concepts. From losing her virginity to mindless jobs and a splintered, unsupportive family, the lessons learned have less to do with the reality we all share and more to do with the truth of the imagination, which is where the narrator focuses to discover herself.

Nowhere to Be Found

철수

Bizzare, surreal and full of emotions. We follow the narrator—the eldest daughter in a dysfunctional family—struggling to make ends meet while working two different jobs. The way Bae Suah wrote is very raw and intriguing. Sometimes the line between the narrator's reality and dreams blurs and you wonder whether the events talked about happens in real life or is merely a figment of their imagination.

"Was this hatred I was feeling? Or a dull affection buried deep inside? Or was I merely acting out some dramatic emotion in order to endure this chaotic life?"

Trisa P

Bizzare, surreal and full of emotions. We follow the narrator—the eldest daughter in a dysfunctional family—struggling to make ends meet while working two different jobs. The way Bae Suah wrote is very raw and intriguing. Sometimes the line between the narrator's reality and dreams blurs and you wonder whether the events talked about happens in real life or is merely a figment of their imagination.

"Was this hatred I was feeling? Or a dull affection buried deep inside? Or was I merely acting out some dramatic emotion in order to endure this chaotic life?"

Kritika Narula

Originally Reviewed at  So many books, so little time 

"And that is how I became an absolutely meaningless thing and survived time"

If how this book ends cannot make you cry, I don't know what will. 
The thing with the story and plot is- and it works out in favor of the book- that despite the cultural differences between the places there and here, the universal human emotions overpower the plot and it is a painful delight to read through the pages. A painful delight is an oxymoron, but the book which I believe is just the right length and just the apt descriptions, what with cliffhangers and a duspense looming large. 

Then there is a poetic quality to the narrative and that makes it even more beautiful.

The plot initially describes how the woman battles poverty and an unsupportive family, while her younger sibling still dares to dream. The poignancy is felt as we can see that eventually the younger sibling too will have to give up her dreams and give in to her fate of abject poverty and penury. Life has no hope and direction and survival in itself is a burden. Enter love into this equation, and you have the perfect recipe for tears. The elder brother goes to a foreign land to earn for his family, and there is no shortage of ironies, for it is known yo everyone that chances of him not returning are major. 
I especially empathised with our protagonist over her struggles with the lack of means 
To me this book remains a lesson in humanity.

Everytime I read the book, the pain never diminishes. When everyday life and living is a tragedy, how do you face life? people stand at every corner to take advantage. The book has been written very subtly and I had a hard time bearing, as a reader, whatthe nameless narrator was feeling all along. 

Everythibg fleeting, everything transcient and nothing reliable: when the least a family can do is be together, they are inexplicably torn and stubborn. She breaks up with her boyfriend to whom she lost virginity because thatseemingly was all he needed her as. he treated her like a whore, shit and a dumpyard. His family lived a formulaic life. 

My heart truly breaks at a point when she remarks, "He will grow up to become his father and mother. And I wil grow up to become my father and mother". Sotrue it hurts.

azliana aziz

like yum jung ah's character in the old garden might have said, "short, but classy."

"I want to be covered in blood. I’ll cry out in the end and weep for fear of leaving this world without ever once discovering the me inside me, the ugly something inside me." 

A definitely worth short reading. Bae Suah's cruel and straight-to-the-point writing makes 'Nowhere to Be Found' an unforgettable story. 

During this time of idyllic tales and fetishization of South Korea, the story becomes essencial in a sense that shows a reality that is often forgotten.

remiel

"I want to be covered in blood. I’ll cry out in the end and weep for fear of leaving this world without ever once discovering the me inside me, the ugly something inside me." 

A definitely worth short reading. Bae Suah's cruel and straight-to-the-point writing makes 'Nowhere to Be Found' an unforgettable story. 

During this time of idyllic tales and fetishization of South Korea, the story becomes essencial in a sense that shows a reality that is often forgotten.

Nowhere to Be Found

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