Publication Date:
March 21, 2023
About the Book:
Y/N, a novel about a Korean American woman living in Berlin whose obsession with a K-pop idol sends her to Seoul on a journey of literary self-destruction.
It’s as if her life only began once Moon appeared in it. The desultory copywriting work, the boyfriend, and the want of anything not-Moon quickly fall away when she beholds the idol in concert, where Moon dances as if his movements are creating their own gravitational field; on live streams, as fans from around the world comment in dozens of languages; even on skincare products endorsed by the wildly popular Korean boyband, of which Moon is the youngest, most luminous member. Seized by ineffable desire, our unnamed narrator begins writing Y/N fanfic—in which you, the reader, insert [Your/Name] and play out an intimate relationship with the unattainable star.
Then Moon suddenly retires, vanishing from the public eye. As Y/N flies from Berlin to Seoul to be with Moon, our narrator, too, journeys to Korea in search of the object of her love. An escalating series of mistranslations and misidentifications lands her at the headquarters of the Kafkaesque entertainment company that manages the boyband until, at a secret location, together with Moon at last, art and real life approach their final convergence.
Rating:
2/5 ⭐
Review:
As a kpop enthusiast, I was very excited to read this book. For background I not only enjoy kpop but also love watching kdrama and Korean variety shows. I try to study and understand their culture and i’m still continuously learning Hangul (Korean language) – though i’m still pretty bad at it. So to be given a novel that has kpop elements in it gave me such a happy feeling. (Thanks for the copy, Fully Booked! 🧡)
The story began with the main character not knowing anything about this specific kpop group and yet finds herself deeply invested to one of the members named Moon. The obsession was so severe to the point that she creates scenarios in her head and even wrote Y/N fanfictions about it. That doesn’t sound so bad right? Eeennnk. The first one she wrote was fine, it’s the type of fanfic you would typically find online. And then we go to the part where she finally met Moon and made him read her work. Let’s just say that I was left with my mouth hanging open with what I just read.
I personally think Yi was very experimental to the point that I felt like I was in an acid trip when I was reading this. I like books about unhinged female characters but this just left me confused and asking questions. There were also several unnecessary characters and scenarios to the point that I questioned why they were even in the story to begin with. Highfalutin words were also in practically every sentence for the first chapter or two.
As much as I wanted to like it, this book did not leave me interested in the plot nor the characters. This is either a book you’d love or hate and there’s no in between.
That’s all for my review! Thank you so much for reading. 🧡
Unravel the Story 