Book Recommendation: Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan

Posted On April 1, 2024

Hi Readers! I promised a review of The Whale for you, so it’s finally here! When it comes to books I rate at 5 stars, I always have trouble reviewing them. I never wrote a review for some of my favorite books like All the Light You Cannot See, A Fine Balance, The Covenant of Water! I think this is because I am OVERHWHELMED.

A book becomes a five star for me if it invokes all kinds of emotions. And, so when I finish reading them, I am still emotional while processing the book. And somehow, this emotional processing time never ends, but I move on to reading other books. So, I remember how the book made me feel, but I can never tell you the detailed plots of those books. I really didn’t want that to happen to The Whale, because while I am still emotionally processing it, there’s more to emotions to this book, so I can be objective as well!

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~

While “Whale” begins with Chunhee, a mysterious young brickmaker of imposing physicality who cannot speak, introduced as the Queen of Red Bricks, it quickly situates her story within a longer multi-generational saga composed of three parts. While we learn of Chunhee’s tragic path to her becoming someone who makes bricks of the highest quality, the novel retraces the familial circumstances that shaped her. While poignant yet brutal, “Whale” is also a satire of how we the general public, mass media, even artists and writers tend to romanticize voiceless figures of history.

~~TRIGGER WARNINGS~~

Rape, Violence, Physical Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Child Abuse, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Animal Cruelty, Death.

~~THOUGHTS~~

The moment you start reading Whale, you are immediately immersed in its powerful fast-paced storytelling that describes a life with lyrical prose, unforgettable characters, vivid imagery and emotional fulfilment. For some reviews, you have to think of grand words and nuanced writing to have a tenth of an impact of the actual book. But, this review is not going to be like that, because the book is not like that either. It’s not about reading between the lines or beyond the pages. It’s not about some deep social commentary. It’s not stream of consciousness where you have to concentrate to read a single page. It’s simply a story. Perhaps, the equivalent of a bed time fable, but designed for adults as an escape from our routine. It’s not an important book. But, I think its importance will be felt by core fiction readers. Yes, it has content where there would be a greater meaning attached, but it doesn’t have to be. It can simply be a story, and that’s what it was for me.

As a reader and reviewer, there is no respite from all these intellectual books. I typically don’t read a book just because everyone is reading it or because it’s a bestseller. I read only because I want to read it. Even so, that underlying influence always lingers. So, when I was reading Whale, I was very happily reminded of the reason I started reading books in the first place, and it was a wonderful reminder.

We are led to believe that Whale is the story of Chunhui. And, what would a person be without the story of how they got there. So, Whale is actually the story of Chunhui’s mother Geumbok. A woman who I will think about whenever the topic of legendary fictional women is discussed. She went from being born in a little mountain village to becoming a businesswoman. I loved her intellect, I loved her ‘so-what? attitude’, I loved her leadership. I loved how she was fascinated by a whale and how she was a whale herself – larger than life, intelligent, solitary & who doesn’t mate for life.

Whale has struggle and riches, loss and enterprise, helplessness and ambition, change and stability all in the backdrop of pre and post war-torn Korea. At times, it’s a satire but also magical realism. Some times, it’s just a mystery but also a memoir. A few times, it’s dark but humorous. But at all times, it is captivating in all its mystic glory.

Talking about any more than this would be a taint on the book itself. If you love reading stories, you should read this book. If you love character-focused books, you should read this book. If you love plot-focused books, you should read this book. Basically, if you are a reader, you should read this book! I have rated Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan, translated by Jae Won Chung at 5/5 stars!

Until next time,