Winter in Sokcho
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- Create Date：2021-07-10 06:51:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Elisa Shua Dusapin
- ISBN：1948830418
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Summary
It’s winter in Sokcho， a tourist town on the border of South and North Korea。 The cold slows everything down。 Bodies are red and raw， the fish turn venomous; beyond the beach guns point out from the North’s watchtowers。
A young French-Korean woman works as a receptionist in a run-down guesthouse。 One evening， an unexpected guest arrives: a French graphic novelist determined to find inspiration in this desolate landscape。
The two form an uneasy relationship。 She agrees to accompany him on his trips to discover an “authentic” Korea and they visit snowy mountaintops and dramatic waterfalls。 But he takes no interest in the real Sokcho she knows: the gaudy neon lights， the scars of war， the fish market where her mother works。
As she is pulled into his drawings， she is troubled by his vision of her—until she strikes upon a way to finally be seen。
An exquisitely crafted debut， which won the Prix Robert Walser， Winter in Sokcho is a novel about shared identities and divided selves， vision and blindness， intimacy and alienation。 Elisa Shua Dusapin’s voice is distinctive and unmistakable。
A young French-Korean woman works as a receptionist in a run-down guesthouse。 One evening， an unexpected guest arrives: a French graphic novelist determined to find inspiration in this desolate landscape。
The two form an uneasy relationship。 She agrees to accompany him on his trips to discover an “authentic” Korea and they visit snowy mountaintops and dramatic waterfalls。 But he takes no interest in the real Sokcho she knows: the gaudy neon lights， the scars of war， the fish market where her mother works。
As she is pulled into his drawings， she is troubled by his vision of her—until she strikes upon a way to finally be seen。
An exquisitely crafted debut， which won the Prix Robert Walser， Winter in Sokcho is a novel about shared identities and divided selves， vision and blindness， intimacy and alienation。 Elisa Shua Dusapin’s voice is distinctive and unmistakable。
Reviews
Carol - Reading Writing and Riesling
，
Divine！！！
Gurkiran
，
3。5 stars
THE WHITE PUBE
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i bought this for the cover， but i enjoyed it more than i thought i would！ like rachel cusk’s outline， but sexual n darker。 i read it in one sitting， as the sun went down， n i cried。
hamda
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I don't get it。 I don't get it。 。。。more
Thomas Gilboy
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I bought this book as I wanted something light to read， and at 154 pages it was ideal。The book setting is very simple but Dusapin manages to make it beautiful， especially the desolate south Korean Town， the isolation and alienation。 She doesn't waste any time and her writing is straight to the point， capturing the beauty of the moment， even if it is something simple or not conventionally。The narrator of the story remains unnamed and is a young Korean/French woman who works in a run down guest ho I bought this book as I wanted something light to read， and at 154 pages it was ideal。The book setting is very simple but Dusapin manages to make it beautiful， especially the desolate south Korean Town， the isolation and alienation。 She doesn't waste any time and her writing is straight to the point， capturing the beauty of the moment， even if it is something simple or not conventionally。The narrator of the story remains unnamed and is a young Korean/French woman who works in a run down guest house in Sokcho， where a French artist decides to stay for a while。 Their relationship changes as she tries to help him discover Sokcho and Korea for his upcoming project， as well as finally see her。The main themes I picked up on are detachment， longing/desire， pressure to conform to society， and connections。 There is also a reoccurring theme of body image。I highly recommend this book， it can easily be read within 3 hours， but you need to read past the lines on the pages to really appreciate this work。 。。。more
Amy
，
Absolutely fantastic。 Author writes in a way that pulls you forward through the book。 I couldn’t put it down until I had devoured the entire thing。 Thoroughly enjoyed the inner monologue style writing， something about it really resonated with me。 Will definitely come back to this as a re-read。
latham
，
strong 3picked this up cause i love the cover and it didn't disappoint me！ a quiet little novel that's maybe a romance， but also not really （？） with a lot of vivid descriptions of fish and other food。 the atmosphere here is really excellent。 i could feel the energy of the different places the character's visited， and could smell the food they cooked。 everything feels so clouded in winter， it's a palpable atmosphere。winter in sokcho is only 100 pages， and is pretty well developed considering it's strong 3picked this up cause i love the cover and it didn't disappoint me！ a quiet little novel that's maybe a romance， but also not really （？） with a lot of vivid descriptions of fish and other food。 the atmosphere here is really excellent。 i could feel the energy of the different places the character's visited， and could smell the food they cooked。 everything feels so clouded in winter， it's a palpable atmosphere。winter in sokcho is only 100 pages， and is pretty well developed considering it's length。 but i never felt truly connected to the world outside of the dynamic between the two main characters。 and even then， i was more interested in the dynamic than the character's themselves。 i just never felt super connected to the story itself， and i wish it would have had a larger impact on me。 。。。more
herma
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yuh。
Issy
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what marvellous， haunting， confusing vibes this had， i loved it。 great ending
R
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I love the cover。 I thought this achieved some very in-depth and realistic atmosphere and characterisation for how short it was， as well as having a distinct narrative voice。 An eerie， claustrophobic depiction of the seaside town and an intense mother-daughter relationship; of binge eating and a vapid culture of plastic surgery; and of the narrator’s stifling lack of agency culminate in an anticlimactic yet inevitable ending。 I find novels of this length rarely wrap up in a way that I find satis I love the cover。 I thought this achieved some very in-depth and realistic atmosphere and characterisation for how short it was， as well as having a distinct narrative voice。 An eerie， claustrophobic depiction of the seaside town and an intense mother-daughter relationship; of binge eating and a vapid culture of plastic surgery; and of the narrator’s stifling lack of agency culminate in an anticlimactic yet inevitable ending。 I find novels of this length rarely wrap up in a way that I find satisfying so it may be more to do with my own preference。 “My own story withering on the rocks”“I’d felt his hard physical gaze cut into me， showing me my unfamiliar self， that other part of me” 。。。more
Reneesarah
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I belong to a book club where an independent bookstore sends me a surprise book once a month。 This book was one of their selections。 Having spent over a year in my house to avoid getting Covid， taking care of a disabled relative and having anything we need delivered rather than risk going out。。。 the lonely， despairing tone of the book was a good fit for what this last year has been like。 It was interesting to learn some things about South Korea， and to feel the tension of living so close to the I belong to a book club where an independent bookstore sends me a surprise book once a month。 This book was one of their selections。 Having spent over a year in my house to avoid getting Covid， taking care of a disabled relative and having anything we need delivered rather than risk going out。。。 the lonely， despairing tone of the book was a good fit for what this last year has been like。 It was interesting to learn some things about South Korea， and to feel the tension of living so close to the border with North Korea。 The writing is crisp and evocative。 I can see and smell the gutted fish。 Feel the steam coming off the food。 It was easy to live in the world the book portrays。Many reviewers have written how much they liked the ending。 How fitting it was。 After having traveled with the protagonist throughout the book， having developed some sympathy for her and a sense of relationship with her， I felt the ending just kind of dropped me off a cliff。 It seems it is up to the reader to make sense of the ending， the author leaves things open ended。This is a very moody and atmospheric book。 It is a journey worth taking。 。。。more
Hermione
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Elusive and beautiful。 I enjoyed this short novel with its lonely protagonist and its strong sense of place。 This was sent to me by the publisher for review。
Ebba Simone
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This is the first sentence of this beautiful novelette:"Il est arrivé perdu dans un manteau de laine。" "Verloren in seinem Wollmantel stand er da。""He arrived muffled up in a woolen coat。""Llegó perdido en un abrigo de lana。"[Yan Kerrand] arrived lost in a woolen coat。A first sentence needs to be meaningful， different， interestig and inviting to capture the reader。 On the first page and all the pages to follow I was being invited and welcomed into the story of "Hiver à Sokcho。" I was blown away。 This is the first sentence of this beautiful novelette:"Il est arrivé perdu dans un manteau de laine。" "Verloren in seinem Wollmantel stand er da。""He arrived muffled up in a woolen coat。""Llegó perdido en un abrigo de lana。"[Yan Kerrand] arrived lost in a woolen coat。A first sentence needs to be meaningful， different， interestig and inviting to capture the reader。 On the first page and all the pages to follow I was being invited and welcomed into the story of "Hiver à Sokcho。" I was blown away。 Le Figaro said: "A first novel of unique beauty。" Right on。 Absolument ！ I could have read this easily in one sitting but I wanted to save something for the next day。 So I could still return to its beauty， the story and its unusualness。 This short novel could be suitable for a buddy or group read。 Towards the end this was an emotional read for me， also at the end and after the ending。 I was feeling all sorts of emotions！ （When I am reading I want beauty， I want suspense， I want to feel。 I also enjoy books that make me think and ponder but I am not an intellectual reader。 This book made me feel and think。）After reading "Hiver à Sokcho" I really needed to talk about the ending with someone。 Diane Barnes was an "emergency" contact I had in mind。 She had read this novel earlier and signaled to another reader that she would like to discuss the ending when they were finished with reading。 Diane also told me to let her know when I had finished the novel。 Thank you， Diane， for putting this book on my radar and for discussing the end。 Here is the link to Diane's thoughts （on this book）: https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。What a beautiful novelette。 Ebba 。。。more
maddy
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📚 4 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📚 Winter in Sokcho📚 Written in French by Elisa Shua Dusapin 📚 Translated to English by Aneesa Abbas Higgins✨ “Oozing winter and fish， Sokcho waited。 That was Sokcho， always waiting， for tourists， boats， men， spring。” ‘A war that finished a long time ago。’ He leant against the railing。‘Yes， but if you dig down far enough， you’ll still find bones and blood in the sand。’‘Please don’t make fun of us。’‘I don’t know what you’re talking about。 I’d never do that。’‘What I mean is you ma 📚 4 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📚 Winter in Sokcho📚 Written in French by Elisa Shua Dusapin 📚 Translated to English by Aneesa Abbas Higgins✨ “Oozing winter and fish， Sokcho waited。 That was Sokcho， always waiting， for tourists， boats， men， spring。” ‘A war that finished a long time ago。’ He leant against the railing。‘Yes， but if you dig down far enough， you’ll still find bones and blood in the sand。’‘Please don’t make fun of us。’‘I don’t know what you’re talking about。 I’d never do that。’‘What I mean is you may have had your wars， I’m sure there are scars on your beaches， but that’s all in the past。 Our beaches are still waiting for the end of a war that’s been going on for so long people have stopped believing it’s real。 They build hotels， put up neon signs， but it’s all fake， we’re on a knife-edge， it could all give way any moment。 We’re living in limbo。 In a winter that never ends。’-Excerpts from: "Winter in Sokcho" by Elisa Shua Dusapin。📚 Commentary:This is a translated work from French to English thus my thoughts and opinions might be a product of missed nuances or subtleties， but they are still mine nonetheless。 Anyway， this is a very heavy atmospheric and character-driven book so if you're not into that， then you most likely won't enjoy this one because nothing much happens plotwise。Now， let's talk about the writing style because OMG WHAT WAS THAT？？ IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL？！ This is one of the most subtle， unique and ironic descriptive writings that I've read so far！ I really love the fact that the author shows us instead of just telling us what was/is going on。 This is definitely the kind of book that is about what isn't said rather than what is said， so you really have to read between these lines to get the insight and understand the verbal and unspoken body languages， atmosphere， and culture of Sokcho and its locals that were woven into the story。 Thanks to my humble knowledge of Korea through K-Pop， K-Drama and travelling to South Korea， I was able to understand the story better。For the excerpt in the second pic， the author used the word “limbo” to capture the intermediate state of the war that is still going on between North Korea and South Korea。 However， the word also served as an innuendo related to Christianity because this particular scene was set at a Korean Christian temple， and right after that， the temple door opened， and a nun came out to greet them。 Like holy cow？？！ IMPECCABLE WRITING！ Dusapin managed to capture this story in so many different angles of Sokcho’s citizens’ religions， races and cultures so coherently that they just ended up blowing my mind！ The author also has this really interestingly dry yet contrastingly vibrant way of capturing and depicting the aftermath images and expectations of wars between North Korea and South Korea， through the lens and perspectives of both， the locals and the outsiders of Sokcho。 Her writing alone kept me on my toes！ You would think that for someone who seemed to claim that she had been living a consistently boring and dull life， the main character would have a more or less boring way of describing her home and surroundings， but ironically， that was not the case at all！It was so obvious that she felt so at home in Sokcho， no matter how much of a bore she claimed it to be， simply from the way she went on and on about these specific details of colours， numbers， materials or ingredients of her local foods， garments， festivals--even houses！ Love that for her 🙌🏼 I also think the monotonous & curt voice/narrative of the main character was brilliantly implemented here as it brings more life to the supposedly "dull" atmosphere that the main character had described。Now， for the other main character， Yan Kerrand， a French graphic book illustrator， I think his appearance was pretty interesting from the start till the end for his unintentionally insensitive， off-putting and offensive words or actions towards the locals。 These mostly occurred when his expectations of what he thought or knew about Sokcho in general， clashed with what was actually going on or had existed all this time （I’m not gonna spoil more 🤪）。 Not gonna lie， it was easier for me to throw a biased judgement against him at first， because he didn't know much about Sokcho and its culture beyond the things he THOUGHT he already knew。 Just like the unnamed main character， I’m just tired of the stereotypes that we Asians have to face on a daily basis about our religions， cultures and lives in general， okay。 But then I realised that I also didn't know jack shit about Korea until I met K-Pop even though Korea’s also an Asian country so that was very hypocritical of me 🤡 ALRIGHT！Lastly， there's no heavy romance in here， BUT we were spoiled with a lot of nuanced/subtle but complex Asian family dynamics that came from the rural/urban areas that we might or might not be able to relate to， but still exist anyway。 Other than that， I do admit that the main character’s relationship with Kerrand was a little bit weird to me where it fell into this platonic-but-not-really type because they had a lot of nonsexual intimate moments and I always found myself second guessing their relationship status。 The main character and Kerrand have a lot of similarities when it comes to the way they view their own place， and it’s probably the reason why they got along weirdly well， but I don’t think they noticed that LOL！Overall， All in all， this book is about the journey of an adult discovering her own self 🙌🏼 and i cried a few times reading this because oh god！ It's so good I really like this book but I wish I understood French so that I can consume this story in its original form and I won't even be surprised if that version’s writing style is more beautiful than this one because hello？？ This translated version is good already？！ Yo， I’ll definitely reread this one day， 100%📚 Conclusion: Plot: ⭐️⭐️Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Atmosphere: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Writing style: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‼️ Content Warnings: Body dysmorphia， slight harrassment （？）， nudity and explicit mention of sexual-related activities。 。。。more
Kinga
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I'm so confused。。。 I have a lot of questions。。。 I'm so confused。。。 I have a lot of questions。。。 。。。more
Nishti Baindur
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I really really reaaaally enjoyed this novella！ I was looking for works written by non-Western authors， because it's so important to works set in non-Western settings by authors of different ethnicities。 Winter in Sokcho is a BRILLIANT book to start exploring one's literary horizons。 Not only is it short so you can get through it （if you have a horribly low attention span like myself lol）， but the writing itself just immerses you into the world of Sokcho and you don't want to put it down。 The I really really reaaaally enjoyed this novella！ I was looking for works written by non-Western authors， because it's so important to works set in non-Western settings by authors of different ethnicities。 Winter in Sokcho is a BRILLIANT book to start exploring one's literary horizons。 Not only is it short so you can get through it （if you have a horribly low attention span like myself lol）， but the writing itself just immerses you into the world of Sokcho and you don't want to put it down。 The book does not have a key event， but rather provides an insight to different relationships， peoples， emotions， and ambitions。 It will definitely make you think way after you've finished reading it and that's what I love about it！ I am also in awe of the descriptions because I could clearly picture the sceneries and that clinched it for me。 I've seen that Winter in Sokcho has a lot of mixed reviews， particularly over some strange phrases or dialogues。 I understand the discomfort， but I'm not really taking that into consideration because it is a translated work。 I also believe that Aneesa Higgins did a fantastic job in translation overall。Will definitely recommend this book to everyone！ 。。。more
Diane Barnes
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This is a very layered novelette that can be interpreted in different ways， but has to be read underneath the words on the page， if that makes any sense。 One sentence can have 2 or 3 different meanings， depending on the reader。 Beautifully written， but takes some work。 It may take me a while to understand the ending， or maybe never。I haven't seen any other reviewers mention the fact that our unnamed heroine has a real problem with body image and food。 She cooks but doesn't eat， is excessively th This is a very layered novelette that can be interpreted in different ways， but has to be read underneath the words on the page， if that makes any sense。 One sentence can have 2 or 3 different meanings， depending on the reader。 Beautifully written， but takes some work。 It may take me a while to understand the ending， or maybe never。I haven't seen any other reviewers mention the fact that our unnamed heroine has a real problem with body image and food。 She cooks but doesn't eat， is excessively thin， binges and vomits and feels shame when she can't control herself。 She's emotionally distant from others and likes it that way。 Until the artist books a room in the guest house where she works， and she starts to feel。。。。。。what？An unusual book， and impossible to categorize。 。。。more
Melodie
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Easy， good writing with not much fluff。 I was expecting a little more from the plot but it was a sweet book。 The setting was interesting - a tourism location at the border of Korea during the winter （which may have been interesting to explore more but it might have felt forced）。I liked the characters though they did feel very French to me （not a bad thing - just not what I was expecting）。 It sometimes felt a little like Zola writing with the scenery and daily life chores - which was cool in a Ko Easy， good writing with not much fluff。 I was expecting a little more from the plot but it was a sweet book。 The setting was interesting - a tourism location at the border of Korea during the winter （which may have been interesting to explore more but it might have felt forced）。I liked the characters though they did feel very French to me （not a bad thing - just not what I was expecting）。 It sometimes felt a little like Zola writing with the scenery and daily life chores - which was cool in a Korean setting。I picked up this book because it had caught my interest in a Jack Edwards video， but most importantly since my brother and a close friend are moving to Korea。 I did feel a glimpse into Korean beauty standards in daily life rather than simply through the statistics we hear about。 I would recommend this book for someone looking for an easy read。 。。。more
Raine
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I went into this book， thinking that it was about the pressure of being perfect， a commentary on plastic surgery in South Korea。 The blurb I had in my head is: （1） a young woman working in a retreat in Sokcho （so far， so good） wherein （2） one of the guest is a bandage-wrapped woman that had recently completed plastic surgery， and （3） the unnamed protagonist is facing pressure from her mother and boyfriend to get surgery done as well。 So I was expecting more along the lines of If I Had Your Face I went into this book， thinking that it was about the pressure of being perfect， a commentary on plastic surgery in South Korea。 The blurb I had in my head is: （1） a young woman working in a retreat in Sokcho （so far， so good） wherein （2） one of the guest is a bandage-wrapped woman that had recently completed plastic surgery， and （3） the unnamed protagonist is facing pressure from her mother and boyfriend to get surgery done as well。 So I was expecting more along the lines of If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha。 Although all of the three aforementioned things are in the novella， it was more background than anything else。 Easily read in one one sitting， this read is atmospheric， easily evoking the feeling of winter where the cold slows everything down。 The protagonist， which remains unnamed throughout the book， is a twenty-something year old woman who has returned to Sokcho after graduating in a university in Seoul。 She has chosen to work in a guesthouse that is falling apart， resisting any opportunities to study or work abroad as well as the pressure to get married to her boyfriend that is training to be a model in Seoul。 A guest arrives and stays at the guesthouse， a man from France， that then roped in the unnamed protagonist to being his unofficial guide。 Interspersed throughout the book is jabs at body dysmorphia with the mother constantly providing commentary on the weight of the narrator and with one of the other guest staying in the guesthouse after having plastic surgery。A debut novel， this book is beautifully written。 The sparseness in words not deterring in conveying the feeling and the atmosphere of a place， frozen; a character， stuck。“A feeling of weariness flooded through me。 Was that what a woman had to be to earn the right to appear alongside Kerrand’s character？ She had to be perfect”“When he first arrived， he didn’t see me at all。。。But then I’d felt his hard， physical-gaze cut into me， showing me my unfamiliar self， that other part of me， over there， on the other side of the world。” 。。。more
Noura
，
what even happened in this book
Adam Dalva
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This book！ So spare， so smart， with an incredible dynamic among its two leads， and no wasted motion。 Rarely do I root so hard while reading - rarely am I as pleased with an ending。 Meditations on art， place， eating， and the body。。。don't miss it。 Read it in two hours， thrilled the whole time。 This book！ So spare， so smart， with an incredible dynamic among its two leads， and no wasted motion。 Rarely do I root so hard while reading - rarely am I as pleased with an ending。 Meditations on art， place， eating， and the body。。。don't miss it。 Read it in two hours， thrilled the whole time。 。。。more
Kirsty
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Elisa Shua Dusapin's Winter in Sokcho was a highly anticipated read for me。 Its young author was raised in Paris， Seoul， and Switzerland， and chose to set her first novella - just 154 pages of rather large writing - in South Korea。 It was subsequently awarded with the Prix Robert Walser， which celebrates first novels， and the Prix Régine-Deforges。 Originally written in French， Winter in Sokcho has been quite brilliantly translated by Aneesa Abbas Higgins， a prize-winning translator。Sokcho is a p Elisa Shua Dusapin's Winter in Sokcho was a highly anticipated read for me。 Its young author was raised in Paris， Seoul， and Switzerland， and chose to set her first novella - just 154 pages of rather large writing - in South Korea。 It was subsequently awarded with the Prix Robert Walser， which celebrates first novels， and the Prix Régine-Deforges。 Originally written in French， Winter in Sokcho has been quite brilliantly translated by Aneesa Abbas Higgins， a prize-winning translator。Sokcho is a popular summer destination， located on the coast of South Korea。 North Korea is just sixty kilometres away， and the beach in Sokcho is 'scarred' with electric barbed wire fencing。 Despite its draw in warmer weather， in the winter， Sokcho is a very different place， bleak， and largely devoid of tourists。Here， one January， a young French-Korean woman， a recent graduate， is working as a receptionist in a guesthouse。 One evening， 'an unexpected guest arrives: a French graphic novelist determined to find inspiration in this desolate landscape。' The pair form what becomes an 'uneasy' relationship， and the receptionist eventually accepts an invitation to discover the "authentic" Korea with him。 The relationship between the two is strained， and sometimes awkward， but they share intimate fragments of themselves。The story is narrated throughout by our unnamed receptionist。 She has a sense of being somewhat lost; although she studied for her degree in a large city， she has returned to Sokcho， where she grew up and where her mother lives， as she does not quite know in which direction she wants her life to go。 In Sokcho， where there are few opportunities， she is regarded as an oddity， as something almost of an outsider， due to her parentage: 'My French origins were still a source of gossip even though it was twenty-three years since my father had seduced my mother and then vanished without a trace。'She meets the mysterious visitor， Yan Kerrand， very early on， recalling that when he entered the guesthouse， 'He put his suitcase down at my feet and pulled off his hat。 Western face。 Dark eyes。 Hair combed to one side。 He looked straight through me， without seeing me。' Later， when Dusapin describes the process of his drawing， she captures movement with such skill: 'He finished the background in pencil and took up his pen to give her eyes。 The woman sat up。 Straight-backed。 Hair swept back。 The chin awaiting a mouth。 Kerrand's breath came faster and faster， in time with the strokes of his pen， until a set of white teeth exploded into laughter on the page。'There is a lot of attention to detail here， and a focus on the most intimate of bodily processes; when our narrator stays overnight with her mother， for instance， and finds that she cannot sleep due to her mother's snoring， she says: 'I counted the drops of saliva leaking out one by one from her parted lips and onto my skin。' Dusapin also focuses a spotlight on the troubling trend of plastic surgery in South Korea， through the lens of the narrator's boyfriend， Jun-oh。 Just before he travels to a modelling agency in Seoul for an interview， the following happens: 'He stood up， checked himself out in the mirror， said he didn't think they'd expect him to have surgery， but if they did， he was prepared to have his nose， chin and eyes done。。。 Clinics were offering deals， by the way， I should look into it， he'd bring me some brochures for facial surgery。。。 Everyone had things they could improve， he said。'Winter in Sokcho is described as 'a novel about shared identities and divided selves， vision and blindness， intimacy and alienation'。 I found it to be all of these things， and more。 There is a melancholy， a tension which suffuses every page。 I particularly admired the way in which Dusapin does not glorify or romanticise the town in any way; she shows it in all of its wretchedness and poverty。 The image portrayed of this area of South Korea is stark; it is gritty rather than pretty， and filled to the brim with 'cardboard boxes， plastic waste， blue metal sheets。 No urban sprawl。' Our narrator， when asked what living in Sokcho is like， thinks the following: 'He'd never understand what Sokcho was like。 You had to be born here， live through the winters。 The smells， the octopus。 The isolation。'Dusapin's descriptions are almost palpable， and she considers the senses throughout; the sights， the smells， and the sounds in equal measure。 I found some of her imagery rather haunting; for instance， 'On the beach， snow was melting on the sand in a sheet of sunlight。 I thought I saw the outline of a man hunched over in a wool coat， like a willow in the wind。 / There was no one there。' There is an almost otherworldly feel to Winter in Sokcho at times， despite it being grounded in the realism of a rundown town in winter。
Carly
，
There’s a lot I liked about this novel （which， for the record and despite the marketing blurb， is absolutely nothing like Convenience Store Woman）。 The author’s eye for observation — or the narrator’s， perhaps。 The author’s effective evocation of the narrator’s sense of not belonging， her struggle with body image， her confusion about what to do with her life。 I was in Sokcho last week， by coincidence， and when I saw I was next in line for this book， I thought: Sokcho in winter has got to be pret There’s a lot I liked about this novel （which， for the record and despite the marketing blurb， is absolutely nothing like Convenience Store Woman）。 The author’s eye for observation — or the narrator’s， perhaps。 The author’s effective evocation of the narrator’s sense of not belonging， her struggle with body image， her confusion about what to do with her life。 I was in Sokcho last week， by coincidence， and when I saw I was next in line for this book， I thought: Sokcho in winter has got to be pretty bleak。 But somehow through her descriptions of fish and food and the market and snow and wind and cold， the Korean-French author brings it to life。 The only thing， and unfortunately a main part of the book， that I didn’t like was the French graphic novelist。 The narrator quickly becomes obsessed with the visitor， old enough to be her father， maybe a stand-in for the French father she never knew but also an object of desire？ Wish the author had done something else with this。 Was not intrigued by his ink scribbles nor their apparent connection。 With the sparse storytelling， it was hard to tell where it came from。 。。。more
Swetha Kumar
，
I came across this book when I was watching Jack Edwards do a bookhaul where he and his gf were swatching books thaat they bought for each other， and one of them was Winter in Sokcho， I just fell in love with the book art honestly and that's what made me buy the book。 The book in itself is a super extreme short read that takes place in Sokcho， it's a tiny small town that almost nothing happens except for the fact that this was one of those seaside towns that meet with the same sea as the North K I came across this book when I was watching Jack Edwards do a bookhaul where he and his gf were swatching books thaat they bought for each other， and one of them was Winter in Sokcho， I just fell in love with the book art honestly and that's what made me buy the book。 The book in itself is a super extreme short read that takes place in Sokcho， it's a tiny small town that almost nothing happens except for the fact that this was one of those seaside towns that meet with the same sea as the North Korea in South Korean border。 The author even describes it as not much of a touristy spot nor does it even have the bare environment that usually would attract tourists to visit。 Huddled by the fact that her boyfriend who wants to make big in the showbiz turned out had to rush tot he big city of Seoul for an audition， has a pretty rough relationship with her only single mom and an aunt that visits， she isn't really close with anyone else， as it is as that the town isn't very open to foreigners and she's a child born out of a visiting french tourist and her father never showed up since， and her mother worries about her social life in this vacant town that has hardly anything happening。Here's where we meet our protagonist's love interest whose also a french man who visits her exact hotel & picks up a room， as her duties with cleaning his room and his stay goes， she figures out that they slowly bloom a bond between each other。 She's constantly also tells herself that he might not really stay due to her own dad's history and that's exactly what tourists do， they aren't around for long。 But either ways， the times that he did spend， there is a little romance in there only for it to fall apart。Quite realistic but also really extremely sad， because the book is short as I said！ So there isn't much happening here， I was quite disappointed to be honest， I really expected more but a toursit's visit doesn't really last long enough to bloom too much， we're left as readers that this cartoon artist guy creates a character based off of her at the end of this illustrated book。 This book is also set up in the 80s I believe if I'm not wrong， and its just devastating to know that they drift apart at the end。 。。。more
Rita Gonzaga
，
3。8 Beautifully written and refreshing scenery！ Interesting binomials， and a wonderful critic to western views。 （I only wish the sexual tension was translated）
Agnès
，
🇨🇭 J'ai eu la chance de rencontrer Élisa Shua en mai dernier à la librairie @librebook。eu dans le cadre de la @foirelivrebxl。 La Suisse était à l'honneur de cette édition 2021。🌊 Shua est franco-coréenne， tout comme le personnage principal de son premier roman。 C'est une jeune femme un peu perdue， qui après ses études de littérature française à Séoul revient à Sokcho， sur la côte proche de la Corée du Nord， pour être proche de sa mère et peut-être éviter de faire de vrais projets。🏔 Elle travaille 🇨🇭 J'ai eu la chance de rencontrer Élisa Shua en mai dernier à la librairie @librebook。eu dans le cadre de la @foirelivrebxl。 La Suisse était à l'honneur de cette édition 2021。🌊 Shua est franco-coréenne， tout comme le personnage principal de son premier roman。 C'est une jeune femme un peu perdue， qui après ses études de littérature française à Séoul revient à Sokcho， sur la côte proche de la Corée du Nord， pour être proche de sa mère et peut-être éviter de faire de vrais projets。🏔 Elle travaille dans une vieille pension， et cuisine pour les quelques visiteurs venus se perdre là en plein hiver。 Et puis un Français se pointe， sans raison spécifique。 Auteur de bandes dessinées， on ne connaîtra pas son nom non plus。🇰🇷 Le ton est précis， poétique， presque détaché。 On a envie de se perdre dans les montagnes enneigées ou de se promener sur le petit port de pêche， pour déguster du poisson frais et du kimchi。 L'évocation de la cuisine coréenne est un délice， et permet de retranscrire les émotions des personnages de manière détournée。 Les dessins du Français prennent vie à l'encre japonaise et se perdent en dehors de la feuille。 Ces scènes m'ont évoqué certaines images du "vieux fou de dessin"， sur Hokusai。📝 La délicatesse qui se dégage de ce ivre est difficile à évoquer sans qu'elle ne se brise。 Je vous conseille cette lecture！Vous aussi vous lisez des livres en dehors de leurs saisons？ Est-ce que vous connaissez Élisa Shua？ 。。。more
Meade
，
I really enjoyed this book。 Sparse prose that evoked the landscape， and a strange little story that didn’t amount to anything much but was touching and felt real。 I bought this on a whim just before leaving for Korea， and it was so different from my other travel read for this trip （Lisa See） yet equally insightful of Korean culture。
Lorna Allan
，
Amazing？
Jennifer
，
A gem， that deserves to be read in one sitting！
Kairavi
，
The winter in Sokcho is cold， detached and lonely。 Where even food doesn't fill you up。The story of a non-ambitious girl working in Sokcho meets a French Comic Book writer。 What follows is exploration of Sokcho and internalized feelings。 The good or the bad aspect of the book is that it always brushes above a subject。 It's like a passing cloud， you can see the attraction， the detachment， the resentment， the love， the thoughts and the behaviours of but you never really touch the matter。 There is The winter in Sokcho is cold， detached and lonely。 Where even food doesn't fill you up。The story of a non-ambitious girl working in Sokcho meets a French Comic Book writer。 What follows is exploration of Sokcho and internalized feelings。 The good or the bad aspect of the book is that it always brushes above a subject。 It's like a passing cloud， you can see the attraction， the detachment， the resentment， the love， the thoughts and the behaviours of but you never really touch the matter。 There is a social distancing between people and the story。The pages feels layered with frost。 Characters are formal with eachother and distant。 Only a woven loneliness to connect them。All I wonder， is this coldness is what the writer wanted us to feel。 Is this how writer sees Sokcho。 I will have to look at other materials to know。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Winter in Sokcho
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Winter in Sokcho&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Winter in Sokcho&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0