Journal 02.21.10

The story starts in a home where the whole family is gathered around, worrying about the mother who has been lost. “Please Take Care of My Mother” by Kyoungsuk Shin, is a book that makes the readers remember the love and care of their parents. The main plot of the story is based on the disappearance of the mother and the ignorance and later regret of the family members. On the way to visit her daughter, the mother looses her husband and gets lost while getting on the subway. The husband attempts to look for her, but later gives up and goes to her daughter’s house instead. The whole family starts worrying about her but since it was late at night, never goes to find her. Next day they go to the station to find her, but she is no where to be seen. They wait for the police to give them a call, saying that they have found her, but they do not. As time goes by, they realize how serious the situation is, and make flyers with her picture from fifteen years ago. They get phone calls saying that they have seen someone similar to the picture on the flyer. But when they arrive at the place, she is no where to be seen. They never find their mother in the end, but they realize the love they have been missing and ignoring. The book is mostly narrated in the perspective of the worried family members remembering the love and sacrifice of their mother; they feel sorry how they always thought of it as a natural duty of their mother. There are several chapters narrated in the lost mother’s perspective, and those chapters are the touching chapters that describe the mother’s heart towards the family. The book makes the readers remember their mother and what they have done that we did not see as a big deal. The ending doesn’t tell in detail of what has happened to the mother, but it can be assumed that she has died while wandering around in the cold weather with her old blue slipper digging into her skin. This book seems to be a book that people should read and remember not only their mother but the whole family and love each other enough so they will not regret later when they move away from each other. The thick novel is easily read, and does not feel as long as it actually is. The sad and lost tone of the narrator makes the readers feel solemn and keeps the readers in the calm mood throughout the whole novel. Also, the change of narrator in every section helps one story be narrated in many different perspectives of people. The story can seem like a repeatative story that is seen in many stories, but if you read the book you’ll understand why this book has been on the best seller list for such a long time. I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in touching books.