A great concept that just fell short of brilliance
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Blurb:
If I Had Your Face plunges us into the mesmerizing world of contemporary Seoul – a place where plastic surgery is as routine as getting a haircut, where women compete for spots in secret 'room salons' to entertain wealthy businessmen after hours, where your family's social status will define your job, your relationship, your entire life.
Navigating this cut-throat city are four young women balancing on the razor-edge of survival: KYURI, a breathtakingly beautiful woman whose hard-won status at an exclusive room salon is threatened by an impulsive mistake with a client; MIHO, an orphan who wins a scholarship to a prestigious art school in New York, where her life becomes tragically enmeshed with the super-wealthy offspring of the Korean "chaebol" elite; WONNA, a newlywed whose childhood in the care of an abusive grandmother comes back to haunt her when she discovers she's pregnant; and ARA, a mute hair stylist whose infatuation with a fresh-faced K-Pop star drives her to violent extremes.
The Review:
I began utterly loving this book. I was thrown into a world and a culture I know nothing about. The characters are vibrant and interesting, their backstories enthralling. I do so love something that is character driven, and the 4 characters driving this story are engrossing.
The story focuses a lot on the Korean beauty industry and the cultural norms placed on Korean women. The influence this outright societal sexism has on their respective lives cannot be understated. These women's lives are dominated both by tradition and by the wealth (or lack of it) of the men around them. Most of them are powerless to influence their own destiny. I was equally fascinated and horrified by this. In some ways these women seem shallow and calculating, but we begin to realise that they are just a product of the society around them. Their world demands certain things of them, and then frowns on them for aspiring to reach these things. They can't win.
"I would live your life so much better than you, if I had your face"
But...and this is a big but, I think this book spreads itself too thin. It felt like it was just getting going when I reached the last page. We never quite get any of their stories fully, and it feels like so much is left unresolved. We barely touch the surface of some of the issues that Cha raises; prostitution, class, sexism, oppression, image. It's like several times the author held open a door saying 'look at this, isn't it interesting' and then slammed it in our faces again, never to revisit it.
“It's basic human nature, this need to look down on someone to feel better about yourself.”
I'm still giving this book 4 stars - I love the style and the characters are fantastic. I just needed more, so much more. I would have really preferred it if the book had followed just one or two of the protagonists' stories, and done it in much more depth. But this is a book from an exceptionally talented writer and still a great read. Cha has a skill for summarising ideas in simple yet evocative language so despite my frustration at wanting more, I would still recommend it.
Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for this preview copy in return for an honest review.