Young is a cynical yet fun-loving Korean student who pinballs from home to class to the beds of recent Tinder matches. He and Jaehee, his female best friend and roommate, frequent nearby bars where they suppress their anxieties about their love lives, families, and money with rounds of soju and freezer-chilled Marlboro Reds. Yet in time even Jaehee settles down, leaving Young alone to care for his ailing mother and find companionship in his relationships with a series of men, including one whose handsomeness is matched by his coldness, and another who might end up being the great love of his life.” ~ description taken from goodreads
Love in the Big City, written by Sang Young Park and translated by Anton Hur, feels like it was taken straight from the author’s soul; a true, open and honest reflection on the intensity of coming of age in the world and society that we know.
I found the narrator to be a character I empathised with on a deep level. His story, from his university days to beyond, are intimately wrapped up in an aching sense of longing for acceptance and love, giving him such a depth of substance and realism that the reader comes to see him almost as a friend.
I used to feel like I’d been given the whole world when I held him. Like I was holding the whole universe.” ~ Sang Young Park
This novel shows a side to friendships that are often underrepresented in stories. Friendships can be just as rich, fulfilling and passionate as relationships, and I really appreciated how Love in the Big City explored that, especially within its earlier chapters. While romance is undeniably the biggest focus in the story, the friendship that Young and Jaehee have sets an early precedence that, sometimes, connections between friends hold more acceptance and understanding than the connections forged from a place of romantic love. We encounter multiple relationships throughout the novel, but I believe Young and Jaehee’s to be the most satisfying for both.
Where Jaehee and the narrator know each other inside and out, the relationship that the narrator and Gyu-ho have shows a love that is so intense yet understanding of the fact that they will never know each other fully. A popular phrase of recent years said between people in a relationship, usually for comedic effect, is “I wish I could just crawl inside your skin”. People feel so intensely about their partners that they crave to feel everything they feel, see everything they see, and just be one. Love in the Big City highlights the beauty of two individuals remaining individual, and constantly surprising one another with new things about themselves. While these surprises may ensue a rage, awe, fear or sadness, it also evokes wonder and passion, showing the depth and refreshing nature of individuality.
The novel expressed itself so coherently, with the perfect amount of sensitivity when needed. This is especially prevalent when the novel is in conversation with HIV and also internalised homophobia. Through the characterisation of a homophobic ex-boyfriend in contrast with the depiction of a relationship inundated with love and acceptance, the novel accurately conveys the journey of many members of the LGBT+ community and handles this with tenderness and hope.
So I lay down next to him on the road. The rain kept hitting my eyes, making me squint up at the sky. A sky with a thousand wriggles, like someone had dumped water on a huge piece of paper. Like Gyu-ho and I had covered ourselves with a dirty blanket. He closed his eyes and said:
-I really like this.
-We’re soaked to our underwear, what’s there to like?
-Just you and me being here together. That’s what I like.”
Overall, I was very impressed by this novel. The only downside for me was that, in some places, the story did seem to unnecessarily drag, which made some of the beautiful writing lose its effect. However, this is the only negative aspect I could think of. Love in the Big City is full of drama and delight, perfectly capturing the precarious nature of the developmental years.
Book rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pages of Sam 