Please Look After Mom

By: Kyung-Sook Shin

Narrated by: Various

A million-plus-copy best seller in Korea—a magnificent English-language debut poised to become an international sensation—this is the stunning, deeply moving story of a family’s search for their mother, who goes missing one afternoon amid the crowds of the Seoul Station subway.

Told through the piercing voices and urgent perspectives of a daughter, son, husband, and mother, Please Look After Mom is at once an authentic picture of contemporary life in Korea and a universal story of family love.

You will never think of your mother the same way again after you read this book.

Beautiful story

Where does Please Look After Mom rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I read a lot--maybe in the top 40

What did you like best about this story?

The different memories each child had of their mother.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

sincerity. It was as tho you sat with each child and listened to them tell about and grieve over their mother.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not necessarily.

Any additional comments?

Not your average story line and a pleasant experience.

The Story of a Generation Gap

A poor, uneducated and mostly unappreciated mother is determined to do better for her children. And, when she does, she gets left behind. This was the first Korean novel I've ever read. I enjoyed the experience.

Family Insight

What I enjoyed about this novel was the interactions between the family members, especially between the father comforting his daughter, "Please look after mom." The switching of the perspective was a bit jarring and it made it hard to follow the story at times.

The guilt the children express and the sacrifice the mom went through rang true for me, being the son of immigrant parents here in the US.

There's no major resolution, which left me unsatisfied.

I liked the mini stories of the dog and the mom's depression after a brother in law's passing.

A moving family portrait

What would you do if your mother suddenly disappeared? And how would it make you feel: Guilty? Helpless? Exhausted? Kyung-Sook Shin poses this question in her power-packed and emotionally-gripping novel exploring the desires and heartaches of motherhood – and one family’s relationship with their mom.

The excellent narrator cast brings to life the voices of each family member and expertly navigates Shin’s unique second-person point of view. While this perspective takes getting used to, it’s worth the effort. This is a beautiful and life-changing novel that deserves all the praise and awards it’s won so far.

A Must Read for Everyone!

Wow, what can I say?

I listened to the Audible version of this book while reading it. The narrators: Mark Bramhall, Samantha Quan, Janet Song, Bruce Turk lent the book their voices and hearts.

I don't know who suggested for me to read this. Thank you, whoever you are. Obviously, it was very important to me to read it as I did the full search on the library-site and then, when I didn't find the library's audio version, I downloaded the audible to listen while reading.

When I first began reading I was a little put off and confused by the use of "you" as if the character was talking to him or herself. I don't know if that was a tool the author employed or if it resulted from translation, or a combination of the two. Once I got used to the tactic I fell into the thoughts of each of the characters readily.

I think this is an important book for all people to read. It reminds us to think of the "back-story" of the people around you, that you love and possibly take for granted. As an author, I think of the birth and childhood and daily thoughts of my own characters to breathe life into them. But I think I should pursue the real people in my world. Even if we are in the same situation we see each other and the situation through our own filters. What don't we know of others that we never seem to find the time to find out?

This is a sacred book. I will have to buy it and read it again.