Review of If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
Read this in one sitting! A very digestible read with simple prose on the lives of 4 Korean women living in modern day Seoul. Borrowed this from my good friend, and books always feel a little more special when shared :’)
The book provides insight into modern South Korea through the lives and friendship of 4 women, and I appreciate Cha for providing this perspective in such a concise manner—though I had trouble getting into the book due to its distant writing style. It actually reminded me a lot of the K-Drama Hello, My Twenties, where there are distinct stories told through each character living in the same apartment. Here, the 4 women also all interact with one another, which provides us with different opinions on each perspective as well, giving us a more nuanced view of modern Korean society through the female experience. As someone who does not often choose to read contemporary fiction, this was a bit out of my usual reading habits, but I was still captivated by what the novel had to say. I’ve always been interested in garnering more insight into modern East Asian society since I relate through some aspects of my upbringing, so this was a refreshing yet vaguely familiar read for me. I appreciated a lot of the themes that Cha brings up, and she peels back a layer when examining Korean culture, making what would otherwise appear “exotic” something familiar and accessible—a testament to the importance of reading books by Own Voices.
Even on my criticism, I would even argue that the distance from the writing style lends to the effect that you’re being shown a snapshot into someone’s life, peering into the social norms and culture of a place that would be relatively unfamiliar for the majority of the book’s Western audience. So rarely do we get such a keen look into lives so different from our’s. I think that’s why books like this are so important, because although I hold a primarily Western perspective, I came to more deeply understand the circumstances and societal pressures faced by the 4 women in this book. A lot of it comes from the discussion of cosmetic beauty/beauty standards, but the book also touches on the difficulty to socially advance in Korea, the wealth discrepancy, and the lack of mental health resources/reception. Though I’ve been exposed to some of this info through documentaries or news, seeing it through the perspectives of Kyuri, Miho, Ara, and Wonna shows the reader the depth of these factors on their lives without coming off as pitying or patronizing.
My main criticism is that I often got confused whose POV I was reading since there isn’t much distinction between their first person perspectives. I also wish we spent more time with each character since their respective conclusions felt a little unresolved. At the same time, I liked the loose ends since they made it feel as if we truly were only seeing a small window into someone’s life.
In all, what a fantastic addition to #OwnVoices books. If I Had Your Face provides insight we don’t often get to see, ESPECIALLY through the female perspective, and there’s an intrinsic beauty in how Cha tells this story. It’s a fantastic example of how reading allows you to see more deeply into another experience, and you truly feel and sympathize with these characters.
