Kim Young-ha: I have the right to destroy myself
Originally published 1996
Translation by Kim Chi-young, Harcourt, 2007
An entertaining book to read, but somehow difficult to distill and digest. The narrator, who makes a macabre living as a self-employed suicide counselor, bizarrely seeks out clients whose exits he facilitates. A small and eccentric cast of characters includes an artist, his taxi-driving brother, the girl they’re both having a relationship with and another girl who because of an unfortunate sexual experience is unable to drink water.
The story is well-constructed, the text well-translated. This is Kim’s first novel, and well worth a second read.
Links
- Buy at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk
- Kim Young-ha page at authortek
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