Random Things Tours: When We Fell Apart by Soon Wiley

 

When We Fell Apart, the exceptional debut novel by Soon Wiley, has a well crafted prose and literary construction. Maybe we should just stop pretending that a debut may be necessarily a promise instead of evaluating it according to the usual literary standards. After all, a book should be good or simply not worth spending the time with. No middle ways. 

Min is in South Korea trying to explore his roots - American father, Korean mother. There he meets Yu-jin that after 10 months into the relationship will be found death in her home in an apparent suicide. As he is trying to figure out the circumstances of his death, he is not only becoming part of her story, but this encounter may change him for ever.

How much two persons can know about each other after ten months? It depends of the circumstances, but it seems that Min was vaguely aware of his girlfriend personality and family history. There are secrets deeply burried and a social and family burden Min may not be familiar with.

If Min´s profile is relatively common in the literature exploring the youngsters searching for their family roots, Yu-jin´s story is rather unconventional as it encompasses both her personal identity as the family burden and pressures. 

The details are revealed through the game of the points of views expressed by the two main characters, in diary-like entries. It´s like a game of dare and truth which unfolds, until the very end. The switch of perspectives gives depth while creates a certain expectation about the ending - which I was able to guess half into the story but wasn´t exactly ready to face it in its complexity when the journey finished.

The aim of the story is to reveal the truth about Yu-jin´s death circumstances, but there is a pleasure to read the book just for what it is: an adventure in human exploration of pain, coming of age, self-discovery and grief, but also love and emotional curiosity. All those threads are skillfully played on in When We Fell Apart. 

Rating: 4 stars