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I'll Be Right There

I'd like to continue my posts about literature in translation today by recommending the novel I'll Be Right There for study in the high school classroom. First published in Korean in 2010, this epistolary novel takes place in 1980s Seoul during the regime of dictator Chun Doo-hwan. It tells the story of Jung Yoon (Yoon to her friends), a university art student, and her experiences living during this time of intense political unrest. The novel begins shortly after Yoon's mother dies, and her diary entries are steeped in cryptic grief as she processes this event and reveals to the reader the circumstances of her mother's death. Her romantic relationship unfolds timidly, inviting the reader to watch a relationship develop through careful, intimate letters between Yoon and Myungsuh. Kyung-sook Shun, the author, describes violent political demonstrations with the same care and weight as she does quiet meals and conversations between friends, highlighting how mundane the protests were at the time. Shine's prose is stripped down and appropriate for high school readers, although they may need support for some of the untranslated Korean words (mostly food terms).

The novel also frequently references Western literature, notably Emily Dickinson. These references connect to our junior year American literature curriculum. I would pair this novel with a study of several Dickinson poems that explore similar ideas--hope in grief, melancholy, and a respect for the unknowable.
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