Shoko’s Smile, author Choi Eunyoung’s debut book, contains seven stories about various characters, each with their own lively story, including a young South Korean girl named Soyu and a grandmother whose granddaughter has left for China. Choi introduces motifs associated with human connections such as love, friendship, and tragedy in a simple yet engaging manner. The stories center around the viewpoints of Korean people and their relationships with those outside of Korea, with the book recognizing the significance of shared values between individuals whose cultural and generational differences otherwise set them apart. In order to overcome their differences, the characters try to understand each other’s points of view and see eye-to-eye with one another.

Choi, a former student at Korea University (KU), studied at the Department of Korean Language and Literature and is now a writer known for her critical insight into human relationships and her gift for telling stories from a female perspective. Published in 2016 and selling more than 200,000 copies in South Korea, Shoko’s Smile was Choi’s hit literary debut, for which she won the Heo Kyun Literary Award and Kim Jun-seong Literary Award. Shoko’s Smile and Choi’s many other books demonstrate her sensitivity to the fragility of others. On her agency’s website, she states that “just like how some people are born with weaker eyes or stomachs, others have especially fragile minds. I want to humbly open my ears to the unfathomable pain of others.” Her ability to empathize with people of different backgrounds, characters, ages, and nationalities is particularly noticeable in Shoko’s Smile, which tells the story of Korean peoples’ interactions with foreigners.

The title "Shoko's Smile" was inspired by the contrast between a person's eyes and their smile; in particular, one of the characters, Shoko, is someone who can make anyone feel at ease with just one smile, but there is still an underlying sadness and complexity to it that cannot be hidden. Every time Shoko attempts to maintain the impression of normalcy, her vulnerable side comes emerges. “Someday” is a phrase frequently used by Shoko to describe her efforts to maintain appearances; she creates a hopeful image, despite having experienced innumerable struggles. This section of the story highlights the fact that individuals tend to hide their true emotions and identitiy, making it challenging for others to see their true selves.

Choi’s narrative is also unique in that she writes in a concise, simple tone of voice. When the reader discovers that Choi's characters’ seemingly “bland” dialogue actually triggers larger events, the story's initially mundane serenity turns out to be the calm before the storm. Despite her resistance to extravagant writing, Choi does a wonderful job of giving her characters lines that highlight their personalities. In Shoko's Smile, the sparsely spaced dialogue and simple phrases obscure more important topics. Every time words are spoken, the reader will wonder the true intentions and motifs that underlie the characters and their inner selves.

Shoko’s Smile not only offers a fresh perspective through its various stories but also provides readers with life lessons through the reality of its characters. Some stories take readers back to Korea’s past with tragedies such as the Vietnam War or the Sewol Ferry sinking. The story “Sister, My Little Soonae,” tells the story of the horrific 1975 Inhyukdang incident, focusing on the story of a father who gets charged with spying for North Korea. Another story, “Xin Chao,” describes the friendship between a Korean family and a Vietnamese family; although the bond between the two families warms the reader’s heart, reality quickly sinks in when the Vietnam War forces the two families apart. Social issues such as racism, war trauma, and social exclusion are all portrayed as principal themes, calling out those injustices that scar society and the individual communities within.

Shoko's Smile is the book to choose to broaden one’s perspective on interpersonal relationships and interactions. It is heartbreaking yet utterly honest and true. Readers can genuinely learn about themselves and make connections between the people and events in each story and their own lives. The reader can skip some stories or read them out of sequence because none of the stories are interconnected. A relatable and realistic novel that leads the reader on a voyage of highs and lows, Shoko’s Smile clearly portrays the various human emotions of its individual characters, stunningly proving that humans are all connected one way or another.

Book Information

Title: Shoko’s Smile

Author: Choi Eunyoung

Publisher: Penguin Books

Publication Year: 2016

Pages: 256