Please Look After Mom

Pak Sonye seems to dissolve into thin air in the middle of Seoul’s station. Her husband lets go of his wife’s hand, and the crowd swallows her. The entire family rushes to search for the missing mother—children put up posters, ask possible witnesses… But it seems Pak Sonye has disappeared without a trace. And the more family members gather information about her to move the search from dead center, the more they realize how little they actually knew Sonye, who, in essence, was the most important person for each of them.

Shin Kyung-sook is one of South Korea’s leading literary figures, the first woman nominated for the Man Asian Literary Prize. The novel “Please Find My Mother” became a landmark literary phenomenon not only for Asia (the award from the Ministry of Culture of South Korea), but for the whole world. The novel has been published in 43 countries.

* Republic of Korea Culture and Arts Award
* Man Asian Literary Prize
* Hyundae Literature Award
* 21st Century Literature Award

“Within the shortest time, the novel sold an enormous print run and sparked the so-called ‘mother syndrome’ in Korean society.” seoul.co.kr

“A touching story of regret and belated wisdom, clearly showing how globalization—at the everyday ‘human’ level—wounds souls and offers no confidence in one’s actions.” Wall Street Journal

“The novel by Shin Kyung-sook about a missing elderly woman in Seoul struck a chord with readers. This undoubtedly reflects the global trend of assuming mothers and their selflessness are a given. And it’s even more painful when an episode shows that the missing woman’s children don’t even have a recent photograph of their own mother…” The Guardian

“A beautiful, convincing novel. A very intimate story of a family searching for their beloved mother, as well as an accomplished depiction of South Korea.” BBC

“A painful hymn to the mystery of motherhood.” The New York Times Book Review

“Loneliness within the family circle, depression, and secrets of a secluded life.” Publishers Weekly

“In a sense, this is a metaphor for Korean society’s transition from rural areas to cities; partly, it’s an elegy for the significance of family ties, which are supported mainly by selfless women. This is a restrained, tender novel, which only rarely falls into sentimentality.” Kirkus