Molka by Monika Kim
Big thanks to Kensington
Publishing, Erewhon Books, and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy of Monika
Kim’s wild and violent revenge novel Molka. I previously read The
Eyes are the Best Part, and thoroughly enjoyed the unexpected violence and gore
that Ji-won eventually revels in as a means of reclaiming her power from the
racism and sexism she experiences, as this was a powerful feminist story that
highlights the horrors that Asian American women experience. I enjoyed Molka
even more, devouring the last half of the book in one day like Ji-won’s mom
with fish eyes. I just couldn’t put this book down because of Kim’s propulsive narratives
that tell the story of degenerate young men who delight in using molka, a
Korean portmanteau of molrae-kamera, which translates to a sneaky
camera. As Kim elucidates in the intro, she noted scandals of privileged Korean
men whose use of molka were not really punished legally and experienced far
less punishment than the women who were victimized by these men. She notes the
double standard in that the women often experience shame, ostracization, and
even worse outcomes while the men rarely see any kind of significant punishment
for this kind of invasion of privacy and violation of consent. As a result, Kim’s
book achieves the rare feat of being both a compelling horror-revenge thriller
while also addressing social inequalities and raising consciousness about the
kind of sexism and misogyny that women experience on a regular basis.
Kim’s novel takes place in Seoul,
where the lives of Dahye and Junyoung intersect at their work in an office.
Dahye is an office worker and recent college graduate who still harbors guilt
for the drowning death of her sister years earlier. Nevertheless, she has
recently met Hyukjoon, a rich playboy whose family owns a chaebol, or a family
controlled company like Samsung. Although Dahye is from a modest background,
she loves the attention and opportunities from Hyukjoon, visiting fancy
restaurants, hotels, and shops with him. Junyoung is an IT worker in the same office
as Dahye. Although Junyoung has established a reputation within the office for
being a problem solver with technology problems, he also uses his technology
skills for his own personal pleasure, installing molka in the women’s bathroom
so that he can spy on the female employees, which is where he eventually discovers
Dahye. Kim’s story intertwines these three narratives- Dahye, Hyukjoon, and
Junyoung—as their experiences with molka all converge towards a wild, violent
ending that I didn’t really see coming.
While there’s a lot to like about
this book, Kim also creates some of the most despicable and unlikeable
characters in Hyukjoon and Junyoung, among some other men. While both guys have
a relationship with Dahye, one personal, the other professional, they both look
to take advantage of her in different ways. Furthermore, we don’t really get
into the mind of Hyukjoon but learn that his relationship with Dahye is not
what it seems. After a night at an exclusive restaurant and hotel, Dahye
awakens to the news that Hyukjoon has to leave for NY as he is implicated in a
molka scandal. What Dahye eventually learns is that she was the other person
involved in the scandal. Dahye gradually realizes that her situation with Hyukjoon
was not what it seems, and he was using her. As she realizes the implications of
her relationship with Hyukjoon, she begins to cut ties with her family and work
and staying with her friend Bora. Prior to this incident, Dahye assented to a casual
lunch with Junyoung, but when she misses work, Junyoung begins to wonder about
her. Like the creepy stalker he is, Junyoung uses his IT access to look up
Dahye’s address and find her while she is out. What ensues is a kind of series
of pursuits where Dahye seeks out Hyukjoon to initially apologize for her role
in the molka scandal while Junyoung follows Dahye around Seoul. Dahye
eventually gains the support of her deceased sister, whose spirit serves as a kind
of spiritual guide and protector for her. The narratives eventually converge on
an explosive confrontation.
I loved this book, even though it
has some pretty harsh scenes that were tough to read. Kim’s storytelling brings
all the elements together and kept me turning pages to find out what would
happen next. I found this especially true after the first half of the book,
once we learn more about the true nature of Dahye’s relationship with Hyukjoon,
and as Dahye’s sister, Euhhye, eventually reveals herself. I really liked the
converging plotlines with Dahye and Junyoung, and Kim really makes Junyoung one
of the most unlikeable characters since George and Geoffrey from The Eyes
are the Best Part. Hyukjoon is also really unlikeable, but as a rich, entitled
guy, that’s kind of expected. It’s not just Junyoung’s gross and invasive ways,
but also his treatment of his mother and his lack of awareness of relationships
that makes him so awful. Most of the men in this book are awful, though.
Junyoung’s father, who left the family and excused Junyoung’s early peeping
behavior, is someone who set Junyoung up with a poor role model for how men
treat women. Similarly, the police are incapable of taking Dahye’s complaints
seriously. Their own ineptitude in investigating Eunhye’s death also reveal the
systemic inequalities in how women in Korea are treated. Maybe the only positive
comes from Dahye and Eunhye’s father who tells them Korean folktales about
trickster figures and animals that teach lessons. This was another aspect that
I really enjoyed about the book. Kim incorporates Korean folktales in a symbolic
way to emphasize not only the ways that people can outsmart those who are more
powerful, but also to bring in the elements of ghost stories. These are some
subtle yet powerful allusions in the book, and I really appreciated them.
I don’t want to give too much
more of the story away because it’s an exciting and powerful story that not
only kept me reading but also raises awareness about social and gender inequalities
in Korean society. We see how men and especially powerful men are given more
freedom and less accountability in the treatment of others, especially women. It’s
not just entertaining as a horror-revenge thriller, but it also has an
important message in raising awareness and recognizing the consequences of this
kind of inequality. While I highly recommend this book, it also comes with trigger
warnings since there are scenes of hidden cameras, invasions of privacy, sexual
assault and violence, and suicide. Nevertheless, none of these are gratuitous and
they all serve an important purpose in recognizing that women often face a much
greater level of sexual harassment and violence in society, yet the
perpetrators are not always punished. Kim’s writing makes a compelling case as
an engaging story that also has an important message. Highly recommended!
No comments:
Post a Comment