A Planned Occasion - Angie Kim - ★★★★.½

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AUTHOR: Angie Kim
SERIES: Good Intentions Collection, #7
GENRE: Short Story
PUBLICATION DATE: April 27, 2023
RATING: 4.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A short story focussed on regrets of the past and making amends even when it might be too late. By far, the best story of this collection. Loved the emotions and the realism. Much recommended.


Plot Preview:
Mina Pak Johnson, a widow after more than five decades of marriage, is clearing out her house before she is to move into a nursing home. At the back of her husband’s closet, she finds a picnic basket – an old forgotten wedding present from her mother. This discovery leads to the awakening of past memories and regrets. As Mina looks at the decisions of her youth with a guilty heart, she decides to finally do something that was intended but never done.
The story comes to us in Mina’s third-person perspective.


This is the seventh and final story in the ‘Good Intentions’ series, described on Amazon as “a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood.’

Ladies and gentlemen, we finally have a winner in this series!

‘A Planned Occasion’ is the shortest story of this collection at just 27 pages, and yet, easily the most impactful one in terms of its implementation of the theme, its use of the plotline, the emotions it generates, the realistic characters, and the poignant ending. To be fair, the story is more about the regrets of couple-hood than the instincts and fears of motherhood as mentioned in the theme, but a part of the plot does deal with motherhood, so I’ll give it some grace marks.

Loved the title – so perfect for the story. Loved the Korean representation through the culture and the food. Loved the genuine marriage rep, complete with love, arguments, misunderstandings, open communication, patience, and forgiveness.

I am so glad I kept this story last! It’s great to end a series on a good note, even if the rest was forgettable. This is my first Angie Kim and I'd love to read more of her works.

Much recommended to those who love short stories of the women’s fiction genre. This tale gets a tad emotional (never soppy, though!), so if you are the crying kind, keep tissues around.

This standalone story is a part of the “Good Intentions” collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.

Content warning: miscarriage, death.

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