Kim Yideum

Blood Sisters tells the story of Jeong Yeoul, a young Korean college student in the 1980's, when the memory of President Chun Doohwan's violent suppression of student demonstrations against martial law was still fresh. Yideum captures with raw honesty the sense of dread felt by many Korean women during this time as Jeong struggles in a swirl of misguided desires and hopelessness against a society distorted by competing ideologies, sexual violence, and cultural conservatism. Facing this helplessness, her impulse is to escape into the world of art. Blood Sisters is a vivid, powerful portrayal of a woman’s efforts to live an authentic life in the face of injustice.

Blood Sisters

“What does it mean to become a “grown-up?” How does one go about doing that, growing up? Will I just become like my parents. I’d like to know if I can actually become a better person. Will I survive long enough to look back at my life and reflect on it fondly?” 

Given the current state of the US…old (rich) people do not carry this energy

“How does a person show improvement with age? People say one matures with time but how does it manifest? Does the energy in one’s eyes change? Does one grow more considerate toward others? Does one show more humility? More self-control? Become more patriotic? As I age, will I become more patient and cultivate a loving attitude toward others? Will I become selfless? Will that really just happen because of age?” 

The problem is I can’t tell if this was meant to be more poetic in style or translation. However, I disliked the style of writing a lot. The pacing and thought process might have been meant to reflect a real life interaction but in the end it felt messy. 

Since it is a translated work and Korean is such an intricate and thoughtful language, I feel like a lot of the sentiments might have been lost (but that is to poke holes in the translator’s work as well). I can’t imagine that their hearts and souls weren’t poured into this project though since they continued to work together.

The problem is I can’t tell if this was meant to be more poetic in style or translation. However, I disliked the style of writing a lot. The pacing and thought process might have been meant to reflect a real life interaction but in the end it felt messy. 

Since it is a translated work and Korean is such an intricate and thoughtful language, I feel like a lot of the sentiments might have been lost (but that is to poke holes in the translator’s work as well). I can’t imagine that their hearts and souls weren’t poured into this project though since they continued to work together.



Yideum Kim

A woman in 1980s Korea struggles to understand her identity and live an authentic life in the face of injustice.

Blood Sisters

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