The Best Girls - Min Jin Lee - ★★★★.½

-
AUTHOR: Min Jin Lee
SERIES: Disorder, #1
GENRE: Short Story.
RATING: 4.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: An impactful short story highlighting the patriarchal culture of South Korea through the eyes of a little girl. Gripping all the way till the stunning ending. If you want a happy story, stay away. For everyone else, this is a must-read.

Story Synopsis:
Our unnamed first-person narrator, who is nine years old, is the eldest of five children – with only the youngest being a boy. The narrator knows that only boys can provide for their families and bring acclaim to the family name. She also knows that her sisters and she must do all they can to ensure that her brother gets the best of everything, even if she herself is excellent at school. After all, she is a good girl. And this is what good girls do.


This story is a part of ‘Disorder’, described on Amazon as “a collection of six short stories of living nightmares, chilling visions, and uncanny imagination that explore a world losing its balance in terrifying ways.”

Doesn’t that description make you feel that this is a horror story?

Your instinct is right. It IS a horror story! It may not have paranormal elements or sinister entities. What it has is the most horrifying of all creatures: human beings.

I had first read this story in November 2020, and remember being blown away by the writing, the plot and most of all, the ending. When my GR friend Thibault reviewed it recently, I felt compelled to grab my copy and read it again, this time with the intention of penning down my feelings.

Did my feelings change? Not at all!

Was the story still as impactful? Absolutely!

Did the ending still leave me speechless? YES!

Our young narrator stays unnamed. And rightly so. After all, why should girls have a name or a voice, correct? It is boys who will save the souls of their parents, care for them in their old age, and bring honour to the family name. Girls are meant to stay silent and serve. And that’s what our little narrator stoically does till the end.

Till the end.

An end that leaves you haunted by the bravery of that little girl and the desperation of her decision.

Is this a story of South Korea alone? Nope. There are so many countries where the treatment of women is equally abysmal. Regional variations could exist, but in general, this story represents the typical South Asian, East Asian, and South-East Asian mentality of considering boys superior to girls.

Min Jin Lee is most known for her novel ‘Pachinko’, but this story ended up impressing me much more. Her knowledge of her culture as well as depiction of (flawed) human emotions comes out excellently within these few pages.

Other than the main theme, the story also highlights the pressure and responsibility faced by firstborn children, who are often considered substitutes for parents in terms of responsibility and caretaking for their siblings, no matter how young they are.

You know what makes this story even more tragic? The blurb says that it is inspired by a true event. I wish there were details of this event mentioned in the content, but neither the digital edition nor a Google search reveals anything. It breaks my heart that some child in actual S. Korea felt driven to take such an extreme decision. What kind of a world is this where our children don’t feel wanted or loved?

This is an unforgettable story, and it is also a painful one. But read it - you must. If for nothing else, then to realise the privilege your birth lottery has afforded you in ways great and small.

This standalone story is a part of the “Disorder” collection, and is currently available free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

If you wish to experience an equally impactful but lengthier novel about the patriarchal attitude towards women in South Korea, please read ‘Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982’ – one of my all-time favourite feminist literary fiction novels.

Editing to Add: My resourceful Goodreads friend Carolyn found out the details of the true incident this story is possibly based on. Please click on the links ONLY AFTER you have read the story. Please note that headline reveals a crucial plot development, so I am marking it as a spoiler.
.
.
.
.
.
~~~~~ SPOILER BELOW ~~~~~
.
.
.
.
.



.
.
.
.
.
~~~~~ END OF SPOILER ~~~~~

Comments

Post a Comment

Explore more posts from this blog:

Violent Advents: A Christmas Horror Anthology - Edited by L. Stephenson - ★★★.¼

-
Image
  EDITOR: L. Stephenson GENRE: Christmas Horror Anthology PUBLICATION DATE:  December 12, 2024 RATING: 3.3 stars. In a Nutshell: A short-fiction anthology filled with Christmassy horror. Some really good stories here, though I wish there had been more variety in the “source of the evil.” A good option for those who are fed up of saccharine seasonal stories. This is the time of the year when readers are torn between spooky season and Christmas season. Here's a book that combines both. 😉 This indie anthology contains twenty-six stories by twenty-six writers. There’s no editor’s note, but the title and the tagline make the theme clear – it is a “Christmas horror” anthology. The stories are mostly fast-paced, which works well in this genre. After the first few stories, I wondered why a majority of them were using the Christmas tree as the horror device-of-choice. It occurred frequently enough for me to start eyeing every Christmas tree in the stories suspiciously. Only after...
Read More»

The Little Christmas Library - David M. Barnett - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: David M. Barnett GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 10, 2024 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A character-oriented contemporary fiction with a strong Christmas spirit and a dash of Christmas magic. Excellent characters and a well-connected narrative linking them all. True to contemporary times in every way. Might get a bit too sugary, but works well for the genre. A fabulous and heartwarming option for the festive season. Plot Preview: When Molly McGinley moves from London to her Northern hometown of Merry-le-Moors, she feels like an utter failure. Ten years in the big city, and all she has to show is a broken relationship and no job. Her widower dad Jack is more than happy to have his daughter home, especially as he is still missing his wife who passed away a decade back. Jack now whiles away his time driving the town’s mobile library and he insists that Molly accompany him on his rounds instead of moping alone at home. As the two take the library bus t...
Read More»

Somebody I Used to Know - Wendy Mitchell - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: Wendy Mitchell GENRE: Memoir PUBLICATION DATE: June 5, 2018 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: The memoir of a woman who unexpectedly became the face of young-onset Alzheimer’s in the UK. Ghost-written with the help of a journalist, this book covers her diagnosis, reaction, coping strategies, everyday experiences, and her plans for the future.. The writing is filled with pain and frustration as well as hope. Much recommended. Do note that it might be triggering for Alzheimer’s patients and also caregivers. A reading challenge I am participating in needed a book penned by a ghost-writer. I was very clear that I didn’t want to opt for any celebrity memoir, most of which are sanitised fake versions of their lives. Nor did I want to try fictional novels that straddled the line between pseudonymous and ghost-written. ( The Nancy Drew series, for instance. ) Google led me to Wendy Mitchell’s memoir. One look at this book’s blurb, and I knew I finally found the right option for the...
Read More»

Making Up the Gods - Marion Agnew - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: Marion Agnew GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 15, 2023 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An indie drama with some quirky characters and a great setting in Lake Superior, Canada. Mellow in tone, genuine in content, thought-provoking in themes. I enjoyed this unusual novel. Plot Preview: Simone, almost 70, is a retired widow who lives an isolated life in her cottage on the banks of Lake Superior and still misses her husband, though he’s been dead for five years. While she is now active in her local church and finds solace in baking for those grieving, she is fiercely protective of her privacy. But when the local reverend asks her to take care of nine-year-old Chen while his widowed mother goes on a much-needed trip, Simone finds it tough to refuse a fellow-mourning widow. Just before Chen arrives, a stranger named Martin knocks at Simone’s door, claiming to be her cousin. Simone is suddenly handling two strangers at once, and she worries that they will dis...
Read More»

The Night Counsellor - L.K. Pang - ★★★★

-
Image
AUTHOR: L.K. Pang GENRE: Historical Mystery PUBLICATION DATE: October 17, 2024 RATING: 4 stars In a Nutshell: A historical mystery with a mental asylum as the dominant setting. Intriguing characters, creepy vibes, good handling of the two timelines. A great option for readers who enjoy gritty historical narratives. Plot Preview: 1953. Jane Galloway, in a new role as a counsellor, has just been assigned a new patient at The Beaumont, a mental asylum trying to shed its dark tag but not doing a great job of it. This patient, dubbed Patient A, was found wandering naked and covered in blood on the outskirts of Yorkshire. She doesn’t talk or respond in any way to anyone. The mystery gets even darker when Jane learns that this patient is a murder suspect. The hospital staff is firmly opposed to this new method of using conversations as therapy, but Jane is determined to make a difference. Can she help Patient A before it is too late? Is Patient A really guilty of such a heinous crime? The...
Read More»