Please Look After Mom

By: Kyung-Sook Shin, Chi-Young Kim - translator

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Samantha Quan, Janet Song, Bruce Turk

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 listen to this book.

©2011 Kyung-Sook Shin (P)2011 Random House

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.

You must listen closely to a book that whispers

If you could sum up Please Look After Mom in three words, what would they be?

Moving, & Thought-Provoking,

What did you like best about this story?

We dont often think of the aftermath a family experiences when one of its members goes missing, a member who isnt a child in anycase.
I'll also admit to being a sucker for stories written in second person narrative form.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I appreciated greatly the fact that each chapter is read by its 'thinker'/experiencer (yes I made that word up).

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Tears. I often thought of my own mother who is now deceased. I wouldve loved to pick up the phone, call, and ask her 100 questions and listen closely to the answers to things I no longer remember; things I never knew.

Any additional comments?

This book is very respectful… it whispers. It whispers and slowly you surrender. If you are used to or prefer a barge in jump up and grab you bestseller, this one might be difficult for you. It’s a heartbreaking story, if you don’t appreciate your mom now, after reading this you might appreciate her a bit more. Especially if she was the kind to dote upon you..

Very Moving Story exceptionally well performed.

Once I got used to the first narrator speaking about herself in second person, I found the story very engaging. I stumbled again later when one narrator spoke in first person. But that contrast was effective. Really well constructed and I found the description of Korean country life and Seoul very interesting though I see that another commenter of Korean background (I am not) was critical.

A Life, Deconstructed.

An elderly married couple travel by train from the rural village they live in to the vast city of Seoul. Their birthdays fall close together, so the family has taken to throwing a joint birthday celebration for them over the years. Each year the couple comes to the vast capital, which is the second largest metropolitan area with in the world, for this celebration.

Arriving at Seoul station, the couple transfers to the needed subway line; but as the doors close, and the train begins to move, the husband realizes that his wife is not with him; she has been left behind.

And here we begin our story, told from 5 different points of view in 5 separate sections of the book. We follow the family as they search for their mother; a mother who has Alzheimer's; a mother that never learned to read. We stay with them as they walk through this city of 25 million people, looking for only one; and as the search continues, the full story of this woman’s life unfolds. Each narrator knows something the others don’t. Each has a unique set of stories and regrets; and as the reader, the full weight of each are put slowly and painfully on our shoulders.

In the penultimate section of the book, we finally get to hear from the mother herself. We find what really transpired that day, and how she views her own life. More secrets are given to our care.

This is a story I’ll never forget, and I have to admit to calling my own mother as soon as it was over, to repeat again how much I love her. The story is nothing if not a cautionary tale of the damage done by things left unsaid.

Please Love Mom

Haunting and gripping story of the missing person; a wife, a grandmother, a mother-in-law, a sister-in-law, and most of all - a mother, whom means everything to the kids. Moving story on remorse, lifetime taken for granted, realization of precious moments (only once there are lost).

Please look after mom
Please don't forget mom
Please love mom

beautiful

Only hard part was understanding point of view without actual book. Voices helped some though.