#Elisa Shua Dusapin

[samireads]

Just some Korean literature 🇰🇷✌🏻

[wingedshoes]

why do translated works in media make me cry harder than the ones in languages I speak? when you read those words on the screen which tell you in no uncertain terms what the person means roughly, all nouns and tenses and plot revelations, with no inflection, you look more closely at the actors, you look deeper into the metaphors the author used for the weather, you find those situations in the life you've lived yourself, you move a step inward and onto the story, further than you would if it were in a language you already knew. and you feel a common loss with these people who wouldn't be able to talk to you and maybe not even be able to explain how they felt even if you did speak their language. they don't know how they feel but you do, now.

[peoplefromheaven]

Remember when I said I was going to stop buying books? Oops.

[melonreads]

book haul from my last day at my store :’)

my comic haul here

[mmepastel]

Ça se confirme. Elisa Shua Dusapin est une autrice très intéressante.

J’ai encore plus aimé ce livre-ci, qui est son premier.

J’ai aimé l’atmosphère fantomatique de cette ville coréenne en plein hiver. Comme bien d’autres villes, c’est une station balnéaire en Corée très prisée en été, mais désertée à la basse saison. Cette ville a aussi la particularité d’être au nord de la Corée du Sud, c’est à dire la dernière à l’ouest avant le noman’s land et la frontière et ses barbelés. L’héroïne se traîne une drôle d’existence ennuyeuse, avec un boyfriend imbu de lui-même et inintéressant, une mère un peu intrusive et un emploi morose : elle travaille dans un hôtel décrépit, assure l’accueil, le ménage et la cuisine. Arrive un français, un normand, un peu taiseux, dessinateur de BD. Entre eux se noue une drôle de relation. Ils sont curieux l’un de l’autre, leurs cultures si différentes les intriguent réciproquement, mais ils peinent à communiquer. Ils s’agacent parfois même, ce qui est aussi un signe d’une forme de rapprochement imperceptible.

Un livre dans lequel il ne se passe pas grand chose au niveau de l’action, mais qui m’a fascinée précisément pour cette raison, car on est entièrement plongé dans l’étrangeté du lieu et dans les minis évolutions de leur mini relation. Comme un conte sur l’incompréhension, l’incommunicabilité, l’ennui, le presque rien. Le dessinateur dessine, la jeune fille cuisine et se vexe que le français ne goûte pas ses plats. Pourtant, ils se côtoient, vont explorer la côte vers la frontière, ils vivent et dorment à très peu de distance. Ils sont comme à la lisière de leurs vies, de leurs sentiments, de se connaître. Au bord de quelque chose que le lecteur attend. Mais la frontière est pleine de barbelés, on l’a déjà dit…

C’est délicieusement frustrant, subtil et poétique, même dans les détails terre à terre voire sales (la cuisine du poulpe n’est pas particulièrement appétissante) ; il y a un côté cru qui détonne avec la délicatesse de la psychologie des personnages.

Livre qui n’hésite pas à être atypique, à ne pas être joli. D’une originalité sincère.

[natti-ice]

Current read update

i started reading the pachinko parlor by Elisa Shua Dusapin last night, it has such a unique writing style that makes it easy to digest everything going on. The relationship dynamics are really interesting and complex, it’s definitely a character driven story so if you like contemporary fiction I think you’ll enjoy it. When I was reading it, it almost felt like I was watching an Indie film. Plus it’s only 164 pages so it’s really quick to get through!

A little synopsis: Claire is a 29 year old woman who is visiting her grandparents who run a pachinko parlor in Japan to help them prepare for their trip back home to Korea, they haven’t been back since the Korea war and always talk about going back but seem very hesitant to return. Claire takes a job tutoring French to a ten year old girl, while she does this she observes the dynamic of the girl and her mother, and begins to reflect on her relationships with her own mother and grandmother.

[readinginmars]

"'People always think they have time.'

'I'm only twenty-four.'

'Exactly.'"

Winter in Sokcho - Elisa Shua Dusapin

[cherrychapati]

honestly winter in sokcho is dreamy because the cover makes me feel like i'm reading a postcard and the content is melancholic and stuck-in-spacey and features sad girls and mother-daughter relationships

[litandroses]

2022 Notable Reads

In no particular order! Books included here does not necessarily mean I rated them highly or that I rated them at all. These are the ones that pleasantly surprised me, that had me thinking, made me feel (scarily) seen, and for some the lasting impact (on me) was simply inexplicable sadness.

Should you choose to read whichever book seems interesting to you or one that is not yet familiar to you, I hope you enjoy too.

You may also find this list here <3

[samireads]

What a year 2023 was! Here are my favourite reads 📚💕

[anodetofiction]

📝 b o o k r e v i e w

The Pachinko Parlor by Elisa Shua Dusapin, translated by Aneesa Abbas Higgins

3.5/5 ⭐️

“All that lingers is an echo. A clamor of languages merging gradually to become one.”

The Pachinko Parlour is a short quiet book that showcases Dusapin’s strength precise and delicate writing, conveying emotion and complex themes through mundanity.

The story of The Pachinko Parlour is laced with tension, minimal plot, and underlying eerie ominous tone. Dusapin shapes the story through the introduction of the characters : Claire, a half Korean and Switzerland woman in her 30s; Claire’s grandparents who own a pachinko parlour; Mieko, a young girl Claire tutors and Mieko’s mother. The story is told from the sole perspective of Claire as she spends her summer in Tokyo.

The plot is minimal so I would categorise The Pachinko Parlour as a quiet book. There are no big dramatic reveals or conflicts, just ordinary day to day occurrences during that one specific summer. Which led to me observing the characters that are complex in their behaviour and reactions to tension. This foreboding tension looms ominously is the background of each scene.

It is an oddly cinematic and emotional journey that clearly displays Dusapin’s precise way of writing. Dusapin builds this tension lightly as the story unfolds revealing the clear picture that points to home.

Dusapin’s way of showing themes is through subtle anecdotes and passing conversations between characters. It is brilliant how Dusapin weaves topics such as the impact of the Korean war, the relationship between identity, culture, and language; the uncertainties of belonging as an immigrant family. Though this story focuses on a Korean-Switzerland girl, it is a relatable story that can resonate with many multi racial families.

The Pachinko Parlour is my first time experiencing the simple and delicate writing style of Elisa Shua Dusapin. Personally, I loved the simplicity and mundanity of the story. I can certify that I will read Elisa Shua Dusapin’s next work in the near future.

[writerly-ramblings]

Books Read in February:

1). Serious Noticing: Selected Essays (James Wood)

2). The Scandal of the Century (Gabriel García Márquez)

3). Winter Journal (Paul Auster)

4). 97,196 Words: Essays (Emmanuel Carrère)

5). Any Human Heart (William Boyd)

6). Nada (Carmen Laforet, trans. Charles F. Payne)

7). Seeking Air (Barbara Guest)

8). Someone (Alice McDermott)

9). The Accidental Tourist (Anne Tyler)

10). Winter in Sokcho (Elisa Shua Dusapin, trans. Aneesa Higgins)

11). Amy and Isabelle (Elizabeth Strout)

12). All About Love: New Visions (bell hooks)

13). Tolstoy Killed Anna Karenina (Dara Barrois/Dixon)

[mmepastel]

Petite déception avec celui-ci de ma nouvelle chouchoute.

J’ai bien aimé, mais j’ai moins été attachée aux personnages, j’ai moins bien suivi l’histoire, ça m’a paru trop désincarné.

Les critiques sont pourtant élogieuses, notamment celles du site En attendant Nadeau qui a ma confiance (globalement) et qui y voit un petit chef-d’œuvre.

J’ai bien compris le mic-mac de langues et d’identités entre la jeune héroïne (à moitié française) qui va voir ses grands-parents coréens qui vivent au Japon, éternels immigrés, et donne des cours de français à une petite japonaise dont la mère est prof de français. Un sac de billes, un sac de noeuds.

Je me suis sentie un peu mal à l’aise et je pense que c’était voulu. Inconfortable, comme l’héroïne, nulle part chez elle, nulle part à l’aise avec le langage. Les grands-parents, si tristes, si décalés. La gêne d’être ce qu’on est. Le pachinko, jeu typiquement coréen mais joué au Japon, à la fois populaire et méprisé, car jeu d’argent, incarne le malaise d’être coréen même 70 ans après la fin de la guerre. Le mélange d’affection et d’agacement de l’héroïne pour ses grands-parents…

Disons que cette fois, j’ai été un peu trop poreuse au mal-être de ces personnages ?

[vinceverbatim]

"

Çok uzun yıllardan beri kendini kitaptaki kahraman gibi görüyormuş. Vaktimi daha fazla boşa harcamayacakmış, evine dönüyormuş. Dört gün sonra.

Sonra uzaklaştı.

Yatağa kadar süründüm, örtünün altında bir cenin gibi kıvrıldım.

Buradan ayrılmaya, hikayesiyle birlikte alıp başını gitmeye, onu dünyanın düğer ucunda sergilemeye hakkı yoktu. Beni, kayalıkların üzerinde kuruyup gidecek kendi hikayemle bırakıp gitmeye hakkı yoktu.

Bu arzu değildi. Olamazdı, Fransız'la, yabancıyla olamazdı. Hayır, kesinlikle aşk ya da arzu söz konusu değildi. Bakışındaki değişikliği hissetmiştim. Başlarda beni görmüyordu. Düşlerinize hissettirmeden sızan bir yılan, pusuya yatmış bir hayvan gibi varlığımı fark etmişti. Fiziki, sert bakışı içime nüfuz etmişti. Bilmediğim bir şeyi, orada, dünyanın öteki yanındaki parçamı keşfetmemi sağlamıştı, tüm istediğim buydu. Onun kaleminde, mürekkebinde var olmak, ona bulanmak, gördüğü tek kadın olmak... Bakışımı sevdiğini söylemişti. Bunu o söylemişti. Duygudan yoksun, soğuk ve acımasız bir hakikat gibi, tamamen sağduyulu.

Sağduyulu olmasını istemiyordum. Beni çizmesini istiyordum.

Elisa Shua Dusapin, Sokço'da Kış

[readinginmars]

"Boyfriend. I never quite understood that word, nor the French version either, petit ami. Why did a lover have to be "little"?"

Winter in Sokcho - Elisa Shua Dusapin

[folkfreaks]

does anyone have any french contemporary lit recommendations for enjoyers of elif batuman mieko kawakami carmen maria machado etc etc merci beaucoup