If I Had Your Face

Book Cover

I just finished reading ‘If I Had Your Face’ a debut novel by Frances Cha. I very much liked it. It’s an interesting introduction to the lesser-known sides of South Korean culture.

It’s the story of four young women trying to make it in the brutally competitive world of modern Seoul. Covering everything from the unwritten rules of the country’s “room salons” to the excruciating pain one must endure following jawline surgery, the novel depicts South Korea’s oft extreme culture and obsessions through the lives of four young women in contemporary Seoul.

The story is narrated by the four women and is a fascinating introduction to the situations these women find themselves in as they try to find a life, and love, in a hyper-competitive world dominated by men. Rather than try to describe the book myself, here is a link to a NYT interview with the author. Give it a try – you’ll enjoy it! https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/14/us/author-frances-cha-on-achieving-the-feminine-ideal.html