Love in the Big City is the first book of one of South Korea’s most promising authors, Sang Young Park, available in English. He stole the readers hearts – it has had nine reprints and it made it to the longlist of International Booker Prize.. No surprises there – Love in the Big Cityis a wonderfully fresh voice in queer literature, brutally honest, clever and full of humour (often very ironic.)
The main character, Young, loves fun, Seoul’s nightlife and blueberries which best friend Jaehee leaves in the fridge for him. Together, they form an perfectly harmonious duo – whether it’s about swiftly sorting out an abortion or removing the voyeur from the property – Jaehee and Young can always count on each other and it seems it will always be like that, but at some point she decides to settle down. Marriage and moving out of the apartment they shared for so long mean the end of a era in Young’s life.
Later, we learn about Young’s relationship history, as well as his mother’s battle with cancer. We revisit the protagonist’s difficult memories and uncomfortable topics, but the style of Sang Young Park’s writing (perfectly rendered in Anton Hur’s translation), which mixes cynicism with sadness and loneliness, makes the tough parts very accessible and seemingly incredibly light, yet at the same time neither infantile nor banal.
