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My Brilliant Life
“My Brilliant Life is a moving, earnest, and deeply-felt exploration of a unique family in all its joys and disappointments . . . an utter delight.” —Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had
Despite being house-bound due to an accelerated-aging disorder, Areum lives life to its fullest, vicariously through the stories of his parents, conversations with Little Grandpa Jang—his sixty-year-old neighbor and best friend, and through the books he reads to visit the places he would otherwise never see.
For several months, Areum has been working on a manuscript, piecing together his parents’ often embellished stories about his family and childhood. He hopes to present it on his birthday, as a final gift to his mom and dad; their own falling-in-love story.
As his seventeenth birthday approaches, Areum moves into the long-term ward in the city hospital, bringing abrupt change to his daily life; from a new friend who might be more—or less—than she seems, to his loving parents who are definitely keeping something from him. There are also the challenges of the creeping darkness in his eyes, and the loneliness of his shrinking connection to the world outside his window. Areum meets these situations head on, and with the support of family and friends, finds joy in even the most difficult times.
Interweaving the past and present of a tight-knit family, Ae-ran Kim's My Brilliant Life evokes the full breadth of human emotions; happiness and sadness, pain and relief, emptiness and significance; masterfully exploring the power of empathy.
Despite being house-bound due to an accelerated-aging disorder, Areum lives life to its fullest, vicariously through the stories of his parents, conversations with Little Grandpa Jang—his sixty-year-old neighbor and best friend, and through the books he reads to visit the places he would otherwise never see.
For several months, Areum has been working on a manuscript, piecing together his parents’ often embellished stories about his family and childhood. He hopes to present it on his birthday, as a final gift to his mom and dad; their own falling-in-love story.
As his seventeenth birthday approaches, Areum moves into the long-term ward in the city hospital, bringing abrupt change to his daily life; from a new friend who might be more—or less—than she seems, to his loving parents who are definitely keeping something from him. There are also the challenges of the creeping darkness in his eyes, and the loneliness of his shrinking connection to the world outside his window. Areum meets these situations head on, and with the support of family and friends, finds joy in even the most difficult times.
Interweaving the past and present of a tight-knit family, Ae-ran Kim's My Brilliant Life evokes the full breadth of human emotions; happiness and sadness, pain and relief, emptiness and significance; masterfully exploring the power of empathy.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published June 20, 2011
154 people are currently reading
8657 people want to read
About the author
Kim Ae-ran
33 books111 followersAE-RAN KIM was born in Incheon, South Korea, the youngest of three daughters. She has won the Hankook Ilbo Literary Award, Kim Yu-jeong Literary Award, Lee Hyo-seok Literary Award, and the Prix de l'Inaperçu, among others, for her short fiction and collections. My Brilliant Life is her first novel.
Associated Names:
* Kim Ae-ran
* 김애란 (Korean Profile)
* คิมแอรัน (Thai Profile)
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May 24, 2021
Books were everything to me—a grandmother who told me stories all night long, a teacher who imparted all the knowledge in the world, a friend who shared their secrets and problems.
According to The Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD), an estimated 1 in 4,000,000 babies are born with progeria, and about 1 in 20 million people in the world have this condition. If you look up progeria online, you may recognize what it is based on the pictures of individuals with this disease, but if you are/were like me, you may not have known what the disease was called. As of 2020, Tiffany Wedekind of Columbus, OH, is believed to be the oldest survivor of progeria at 43 years.
In case you didn't know, progeria is a rare condition that causes children to age rapidly. Symptoms, such as hair loss and slow growth, usually start to occur when they are two.
Sometimes in life, the answer we search for so avidly reveals itself elsewhere, and the question we ask is born from a context that has nothing to do with the answer.
My Brilliant Life follows the life of a South Korean boy, Areum as his condition of progeria develops. His parents had him at the young age of 16 and found out about his condition when he was two. Told through past and present memories and moments, Areum tells us much about his childhood and how he developed. He hopes to finish up a manuscript he is writing of his parents and give it to them as a present before his 17th birthday. He also has many conversations with his 60-year-old neighbor, Little Grandpa Jang, and soon finds himself sharing secrets and memories with another individual who is also sick.
Why do people have children?
This is a question Areum asks himself.
Is it because they want to find happiness in someone else?
Is it because they want to grow up?
Is it because they want to experience what it's like taking care of another human being?
Is it because it helps with governmental finances?
Is it because they love children so much they want their own?
Is it because they want to start a family of their own?
Is it all of the above? Is it none?
I asked my parents why they decided to have children (my brother and I). My dad said he didn't think about having children when he was young, but as he grew older and you started a life with my mom, his mindset changed as well. He became more mature, and he started thinking differently. He also didn't want the blood to end, and he feels as if the world would end if we didn't have children.
I don't have children, but I think about how beautiful they can be. I also think about how frustrating they can be. My parents always tell me so many stories of my brother and I when we were young. A lot of their frustration was caused by my brother, as I have always been the obedient and introverted child, while my brother was always the rebellious extravert. But every time I recall older memories, I think about how carefree and beautiful life was. Life is still beautiful, just a lot sadder and difficult. Areum was the complete opposite of this.
Maybe that was why people had children. To relive the life they don’t remember.
Areum has a message for all of us, and that is to live in the moment. How much longer do we have until our life is taken away? Life is borrowed, not forever. We don't know exactly when and at what point we will die, even if we have an idea. Life is too short to drink bad coffee, but it is also too short to dwell on the past too much. Whether we're 15 or 25, 35 or 50, 70 or 80, we should try our best to live in the present moment we have. Who knows when we will get the current opportunities we have in life right now.
But that is also why I thoroughly enjoyed this. Areum is carefree. He knows he is going to die, he knows the weird and strange glances people give him are because of his appearance, and he knows he won't be able to do everything other kids his age do. Yet, he doesn't let any of this stop him. He starts to lose his eyesight, he grows weaker day by day, and he becomes dizzy the more active he is, but he still tries his best to remain optimistic, living every minute he still has.
“That’s what happens when you’re young. Your heart races over nothing special and you’re devastated over nothing special.”
Progeria is a very rare condition. It cannot be treated, but medication can be prescribed to lessen the effects. Areum was the type of person who had accepted his fate and knew he and his family could not do anything to prevent what was happening, but he continued to live his life the best he could. I found him to be strong and resilient. He taught himself many things from reading books, grew curious about his parent's relationship, wondered how many words he wouldn't be able to learn, thought about how different his experience would be if he was able to go to school, was curious about everything in the world, and didn't care about what others thought about him. I found his life and descriptions of his condition to be hopeful but tearful. The story itself can be read as emotional, mostly because Areum somehow always manages to treat it as if it is no big deal. For me, it wasn't until the end that I started tearing up as I imagined the scene in my head.
It's easy to feel sad for Areum simply because we know what he wants, but we know he can't get it. The most hopeful but emotional parts of this story are those such as Areum's crush on his pen pal, his wish to attend school again, his small but blissful moments with his parents (especially his dad, such as when he's on the trampoline or when he went to the arcade with him). It shows how easily it can be to experience some sort of connection with someone else, as well as see yourself through someone else. Areum knows he will not be able to experience some sort of romantic love and attraction with someone, so his crush on his pen pal is the furthest he can get. It shows how difficult love can be for some to get and how easy it is for others. Those moments also show how easy it is for someone to experience joy in their life and how grateful they are for the smallest things.
Areum's experiences made me realize how ungrateful many of us are of life. If he could, Areum would switch his life for anybody else's. He would do it to live their life, no matter how difficult it could have been. I found him to be really brave and courageous as well, especially since he knew there would be many people around him to would look at him strangely.
The only minor quality of this book is the length of it. It barely surpasses 200 pages, and while I found it to be a quick and easy read, as well as an emotional one, I wish it could have been a little longer. I was really interested in Areum's life, but the author did not provide enough backstory about him to know him even more. I thought this could have changed, as it would have made the story even more emotional if we had read more about what Areum did growing up. I also would have liked it if we knew more about his life before his parents found out about his disease. There was a little bit about Areum that we learn about, but not enough was explored and recalled. I wish there would have been more about his life, such as his education and school moments, his life before finding out about his condition, and how he was coping.
With that being said, My Brilliant Life showed me what the advantage of life really means and how many of us should appreciate the little things more often.
This morning I was reading a science magazine. It said that a person would explode in space because inner forces are more powerful than the outer ones. I wanted to tell you that. That we might all be stronger than the outer forces.
October 23, 2024
My Brilliant Life is a novel with a story-within-a-story theme, and Kim Ae-ran’s writing is quite delicate.
Areum, is born to teenage parents who had a forbidden romance at 17. His character is very endearing. He suffers from a rare condition called progeria, where he ages at an accelerated rate. For him, a day for an average person is like a year. At 17, he has the body of someone in their 70s or 80s.
The family is impoverished and can't afford the expensive medical bills, so they participate in a crowdfunding program through a public welfare show. Through this, Aruem meets a kindred spirit, a girl who is also gravely ill. They share their thoughts and encourage each other, but later discover that the cruel reality is that the girl was actually a middle-aged male author pretending to be a young girl to gather material for his next work. Despite this deception, Areum remains grateful for the genuine care shown during their interactions.
Reading the scene of Aruem’s death really moved me. I felt pity for his fate, for enduring pain since the age of 3 and being bedridden for so long, for his kindness, for living every moment earnestly, for his sensitivity and discomfort under the scrutiny of others, and for his young parents' relentless efforts to treat him despite knowing the odds.
The 4th part of the book is told from Areum’s perspective, describing his parents' early lives and their love story. On his deathbed, he asks his father to print it out as a gift to them who raised him for seventeen years. The writing is short but warm.
While the characters and plot have a bit of the comical + sentimental style typical of Korean dramas, the novel's exploration of a young person's thoughts resonates easily with me. It depicts the abruptness of love, the fleeting nature of life, and existential questions that young people commonly face.
Especially noteworthy is how Kim Ae-ran’s writing, despite the emotionally charged subject, remains vibrant and filled with life. The recurrent imagery, subtly decorated, draws me deeper into the time carved by her.
Before Areum leaves, he completes a "brainchild" novel about his parents' youthful escapades, placed at the book's end. This approach makes the story feel like it ends not with "death" but with "a beginning," full of the vibrant energy of summer.
It was an OK read for me.
3.6 / 5 stars
Areum, is born to teenage parents who had a forbidden romance at 17. His character is very endearing. He suffers from a rare condition called progeria, where he ages at an accelerated rate. For him, a day for an average person is like a year. At 17, he has the body of someone in their 70s or 80s.
The family is impoverished and can't afford the expensive medical bills, so they participate in a crowdfunding program through a public welfare show. Through this, Aruem meets a kindred spirit, a girl who is also gravely ill. They share their thoughts and encourage each other, but later discover that the cruel reality is that the girl was actually a middle-aged male author pretending to be a young girl to gather material for his next work. Despite this deception, Areum remains grateful for the genuine care shown during their interactions.
Reading the scene of Aruem’s death really moved me. I felt pity for his fate, for enduring pain since the age of 3 and being bedridden for so long, for his kindness, for living every moment earnestly, for his sensitivity and discomfort under the scrutiny of others, and for his young parents' relentless efforts to treat him despite knowing the odds.
The 4th part of the book is told from Areum’s perspective, describing his parents' early lives and their love story. On his deathbed, he asks his father to print it out as a gift to them who raised him for seventeen years. The writing is short but warm.
While the characters and plot have a bit of the comical + sentimental style typical of Korean dramas, the novel's exploration of a young person's thoughts resonates easily with me. It depicts the abruptness of love, the fleeting nature of life, and existential questions that young people commonly face.
Especially noteworthy is how Kim Ae-ran’s writing, despite the emotionally charged subject, remains vibrant and filled with life. The recurrent imagery, subtly decorated, draws me deeper into the time carved by her.
Before Areum leaves, he completes a "brainchild" novel about his parents' youthful escapades, placed at the book's end. This approach makes the story feel like it ends not with "death" but with "a beginning," full of the vibrant energy of summer.
It was an OK read for me.
3.6 / 5 stars
September 22, 2024
I feel this story is an honest portrayal of our complex thoughts and emotions when we face with something unfamiliar and complicated, when things turned out to be so physically and emotionally trying to the point of getting numb, and how we try to deal them with all we have. It really doesn't matter how young or old we are. When life hits with answers for questions we never asked, the best is being there for each other.
(First of all, I didn't even know I had this book.
Second, I haven't heard anything about this book.
Third, I had no idea what the book's about when I picked it up today.)
I was just browsing through my unread piles of books and there it picked me. Out of nowhere. And I even thought I was in a reading slump for the past few days.
And I'm so glad I read this book. It broke my heart into pieces yet it's so beautiful.
The story is kind of weird. It should have reminded me of Benjamin Button but (thank the reading gods!) it didn't much.
I loved how easy was to get into the book yet my heart was getting more and more sad because of the situation the characters were involved in.
"You shouldn't feel guilty."
"How come?"
"Because it's a privilege for someone to be sad for someone else."
I felt so connected to the character here. More so because he's an avid reader, rather to fill up the void but I know what he meant.
Born to clueless teen parents, Areum came to this world amidst all the rumours and the unexpected family around. But as he grew up, an irreversible condition gripped his life and his last moments were expected any day since he celebrated his sixteenth birthday.
What I love more about the writing, the story and the characters is that they focus on parent-child bond and what parents see or feel when their children are growing up. It touched my heart and made me feel so loved.
A part of the story talks about how the family struggles for hospital expenses and what they had to do to make things work.
Another part of it also deals with an old neighbour suffering from dementia.
The entire story is a beautiful reading experience. It's subtle yet it hits you differently with its different parts, more so towards the end.
And yes, I believe in this too:
"Writers are the coolest."
(First of all, I didn't even know I had this book.
Second, I haven't heard anything about this book.
Third, I had no idea what the book's about when I picked it up today.)
I was just browsing through my unread piles of books and there it picked me. Out of nowhere. And I even thought I was in a reading slump for the past few days.
And I'm so glad I read this book. It broke my heart into pieces yet it's so beautiful.
The story is kind of weird. It should have reminded me of Benjamin Button but (thank the reading gods!) it didn't much.
I loved how easy was to get into the book yet my heart was getting more and more sad because of the situation the characters were involved in.
"You shouldn't feel guilty."
"How come?"
"Because it's a privilege for someone to be sad for someone else."
I felt so connected to the character here. More so because he's an avid reader, rather to fill up the void but I know what he meant.
Born to clueless teen parents, Areum came to this world amidst all the rumours and the unexpected family around. But as he grew up, an irreversible condition gripped his life and his last moments were expected any day since he celebrated his sixteenth birthday.
What I love more about the writing, the story and the characters is that they focus on parent-child bond and what parents see or feel when their children are growing up. It touched my heart and made me feel so loved.
A part of the story talks about how the family struggles for hospital expenses and what they had to do to make things work.
Another part of it also deals with an old neighbour suffering from dementia.
The entire story is a beautiful reading experience. It's subtle yet it hits you differently with its different parts, more so towards the end.
And yes, I believe in this too:
"Writers are the coolest."
December 28, 2020
When we meet Areum Han he is a sixteen year old South Korean boy living in a small village with his impoverished parents. He doesn't go to school but has a huge curiosity about everything around him and reads voraciously to learn as much as he can. He makes the most of his life, finding out about his parents early lives, talking to his neighbour and only friend sixty year old Little Grandpa Jang and keenly observing all he sees. His parents were only sixteen themselves when he was born and have struggled to raise him, especially after discovering at the age of two that he was born with an ageing disease that will kill him in his teens.
This is a tender and poignant story about what it is to be alive, to be a boy who will age and die before his parents, never knowing what it is to have friends his own age or to kiss a girl. However it is never over-sentimental; Areum has cooly accepted what is ahead of him and has too much going on in his inner life to spend much time thinking of dying. He is mainly concerned for his parents and their love for him. Originally published ten years ago, the translator Chi-Young Kim has made a fine interpretation of the author's prose to retain its simplicity and beauty.
With many thanks to Forge Books and Netgalley for a copy to read
This is a tender and poignant story about what it is to be alive, to be a boy who will age and die before his parents, never knowing what it is to have friends his own age or to kiss a girl. However it is never over-sentimental; Areum has cooly accepted what is ahead of him and has too much going on in his inner life to spend much time thinking of dying. He is mainly concerned for his parents and their love for him. Originally published ten years ago, the translator Chi-Young Kim has made a fine interpretation of the author's prose to retain its simplicity and beauty.
With many thanks to Forge Books and Netgalley for a copy to read
February 2, 2021
Audiobook.....read by the author: 5 hours and 34 minutes
Oh boy....
I have mixed feeling....
Here’s the synopsis:
“Despite being house-bound due to an accelerated-aging disorder,
Areum lives life to the fullest, vicariously through the stories of his parents, conversations with Little Grandpa Jang— his sixty-year-old neighbor and best friend, and through the books he reads to visit the places he would otherwise never see”.
“For several months, Areum has been working on a manuscript, piecing together his parents’ often embellished stories about his family and childhood. He hopes to present it on his birthday, as a final gift to his mom and dad; their own falling-in-love story”.
My thoughts....feelings....and chatter:
At the start of “My Brilliant Life”, I found it totally enjoyable, personal, unique, and sweet.
For several chapters I thought ...”My God, this must be THE MOST HEARTFELT book of the year”....
Could a child get more loving, kind, optimistic, understanding, appreciative, accepting, happy, thankful, and be the most overall mind-blowing unreal kid of the year?
And then.... I started to feel a little ‘over it’.....but listened to the end.
I thought:
“YES, this kid is unreal....his parents unreal> sure loving and inspiring ....
But....
not every aspect of their lives can possibly be seen through rose colored glasses - the struggles, the challenges, the grief, the fears, [every aspect of their lives was sugar coated].
The one dimensional expression of love .... was just too sweet for my taste.
“My Brilliant Life”, was originally published with the title “My Palpitating Life” in South Korea in 2011 and then adapted into a film in 2014.
The movie trailer goods great — The actors are gorgeous— and the ‘emotions’ ( watching the trailer), felt more authentic - consistently in the film more than this book did to me.
I hope I’m not a complete Debbie-downer turd. I mean, I’m clear that a diagnosis of the rare genetic disorder, progeria, comes unsweetened.....
So....compliments to author Kim Ae-ran for infusing the nectar.
4 stars .... good, worth reading, with a few of my own ‘style-ish’ biases.
Oh boy....
I have mixed feeling....
Here’s the synopsis:
“Despite being house-bound due to an accelerated-aging disorder,
Areum lives life to the fullest, vicariously through the stories of his parents, conversations with Little Grandpa Jang— his sixty-year-old neighbor and best friend, and through the books he reads to visit the places he would otherwise never see”.
“For several months, Areum has been working on a manuscript, piecing together his parents’ often embellished stories about his family and childhood. He hopes to present it on his birthday, as a final gift to his mom and dad; their own falling-in-love story”.
My thoughts....feelings....and chatter:
At the start of “My Brilliant Life”, I found it totally enjoyable, personal, unique, and sweet.
For several chapters I thought ...”My God, this must be THE MOST HEARTFELT book of the year”....
Could a child get more loving, kind, optimistic, understanding, appreciative, accepting, happy, thankful, and be the most overall mind-blowing unreal kid of the year?
And then.... I started to feel a little ‘over it’.....but listened to the end.
I thought:
“YES, this kid is unreal....his parents unreal> sure loving and inspiring ....
But....
not every aspect of their lives can possibly be seen through rose colored glasses - the struggles, the challenges, the grief, the fears, [every aspect of their lives was sugar coated].
The one dimensional expression of love .... was just too sweet for my taste.
“My Brilliant Life”, was originally published with the title “My Palpitating Life” in South Korea in 2011 and then adapted into a film in 2014.
The movie trailer goods great — The actors are gorgeous— and the ‘emotions’ ( watching the trailer), felt more authentic - consistently in the film more than this book did to me.
I hope I’m not a complete Debbie-downer turd. I mean, I’m clear that a diagnosis of the rare genetic disorder, progeria, comes unsweetened.....
So....compliments to author Kim Ae-ran for infusing the nectar.
4 stars .... good, worth reading, with a few of my own ‘style-ish’ biases.
June 20, 2025
My Brilliant Life - Kim Ae-ran
اقتباسات من النوفيلا:
"كلما تقدَّمت في السن، كلما بدأت تحب الأغاني الحزينة."
"في مواجهة المرض والسقم، أصيب الناس بالصدمة والإنكار والغضب والحزن."
"عندما كنت أقرأ بريدها الإلكتروني، خطر ببالي أنه رغم تعلمي الكثير من الكلمات في حياتي، إلا أنني فجأة أردت تعلم كلمات جديدة. من يدري ما إذا كان ذلك بسببها. لكن هذا ما ظللت أفكر فيه."
"كل شيء كان له معنى وكل شيء كان مهمًا. كل شيء أرسلته أصبح تلميحات - قصصها وكلماتها والأغاني التي شاركتها والمساحة الفارغة التي قطعتها. ترجمت العالم وفسرته. اتكأت وتمعنت ولمست ما كان لدينا. فجأة أحببت العالم لأنني أحببت شخصًا ما."
~
...
نوفيلا كورية عن مراهق لن يعيش طويلًا بسبب اضطراب تسارع الشيخوخة، "اقتباس من النوفيلا: إنه يشيخ أسرع بأربع إلى عشر مرات من الشخص العادي. لا يتعلق الأمر بمظهره الجسدي فقط. فعظامه وأعضاؤه تشيخ أيضاً."
آريوم هو ابن محبوب، كان طريح الفراش منذ وقت طويل ونرافقه في أشهره الأخيرة، تسليه كتبه ووالداه بحكايات كثيرة طوال الوقت، وتربطه صداقة مع جاره الستيني جانغ ..
يعمل آريوم على كتابة مخطوطة يريد إهدائها لوالديه قبل وفاته؛ وهي عن قصة حبهما، يسأل دائمًا عن حياتهما وعلاقتهما ويستمع للقصص المنمقة التي يقولانها له عن حياتهما وحبهما.
مع اقتراب عيد ميلاده السابع عشر تسوء حالته وينقل لجناح المرضى طويلي الأمد، وهناك يبدأ علاقة صداقة الكترونية مع صديقة عبر الانترنت وهكذا تمضي أيامه بين حب والديه ومخاوف سوء حالته يومًا بعد يوم والوحدة التي يفرضها عليه هذا.
هذه نوفيلا حزينة- ثاني أكثر عمل حزين قرأته إلى الآن خلال هذا العام..
نوفيلا "حياتي الرائعة" استكشاف مؤثر لحياة عائلة بأتراحها وأفراحها، وتسرد ببراعة الكثير من المواقف والمشاعر الإنسانية .
اقتباسات من النوفيلا:
"كلما تقدَّمت في السن، كلما بدأت تحب الأغاني الحزينة."
"في مواجهة المرض والسقم، أصيب الناس بالصدمة والإنكار والغضب والحزن."
"عندما كنت أقرأ بريدها الإلكتروني، خطر ببالي أنه رغم تعلمي الكثير من الكلمات في حياتي، إلا أنني فجأة أردت تعلم كلمات جديدة. من يدري ما إذا كان ذلك بسببها. لكن هذا ما ظللت أفكر فيه."
"كل شيء كان له معنى وكل شيء كان مهمًا. كل شيء أرسلته أصبح تلميحات - قصصها وكلماتها والأغاني التي شاركتها والمساحة الفارغة التي قطعتها. ترجمت العالم وفسرته. اتكأت وتمعنت ولمست ما كان لدينا. فجأة أحببت العالم لأنني أحببت شخصًا ما."
~
...
نوفيلا كورية عن مراهق لن يعيش طويلًا بسبب اضطراب تسارع الشيخوخة، "اقتباس من النوفيلا: إنه يشيخ أسرع بأربع إلى عشر مرات من الشخص العادي. لا يتعلق الأمر بمظهره الجسدي فقط. فعظامه وأعضاؤه تشيخ أيضاً."
آريوم هو ابن محبوب، كان طريح الفراش منذ وقت طويل ونرافقه في أشهره الأخيرة، تسليه كتبه ووالداه بحكايات كثيرة طوال الوقت، وتربطه صداقة مع جاره الستيني جانغ ..
يعمل آريوم على كتابة مخطوطة يريد إهدائها لوالديه قبل وفاته؛ وهي عن قصة حبهما، يسأل دائمًا عن حياتهما وعلاقتهما ويستمع للقصص المنمقة التي يقولانها له عن حياتهما وحبهما.
مع اقتراب عيد ميلاده السابع عشر تسوء حالته وينقل لجناح المرضى طويلي الأمد، وهناك يبدأ علاقة صداقة الكترونية مع صديقة عبر الانترنت وهكذا تمضي أيامه بين حب والديه ومخاوف سوء حالته يومًا بعد يوم والوحدة التي يفرضها عليه هذا.
هذه نوفيلا حزينة- ثاني أكثر عمل حزين قرأته إلى الآن خلال هذا العام..
نوفيلا "حياتي الرائعة" استكشاف مؤثر لحياة عائلة بأتراحها وأفراحها، وتسرد ببراعة الكثير من المواقف والمشاعر الإنسانية .
May 8, 2023
I have not read the English translated version but please, read this beautiful and deeply sorrowful book.
이 책을 읽다가 부끄럼도 모르고 기차에서 울었다. 보통 클리셰스러운 '질병 있는 아이' 설정엔 딱히 마음이 동하지 않는데, 작가가 너무 이야기를 잘 풀어서 홀딱 반해 버렸다. 이상스럽고 신비한 그녀의 언어에 난 그만 경도되어 버렸다.
이 작품은 여러모로 Middlesex를 떠올리게 했다. 어린 화자의 재치, 작가가 각각 자신과 다른 성의 서술자를 설정한 것으로부터 오는 유머의 공통점과 차이점, 다세대의 이야기를 그리고 있다는 점...Middlesex도 내가 정말 좋아하는 책인데, 비슷한 이유로 이 책 또한 가장 좋아하는 책들 순위에 들 거 같다.
김애란 작가의 작품들이 기대된다. 23.5.9
Quotes
-어른이란 단어에서 어쩐지 지독한 냄새가 난다는 건 알았다. 그건 단순히 피로나 권력, 또는 타락의 냄새가 아니었다. 얼마 전까지만 해도 막연히 그럴 거라 예상했는데, 막상 그 입구에 서고 보니 꼭 그런 것만도 아니었다...그것은 다름아닌 외로움의 냄새였다...한번 빨려들어가면 다시는 헤어날 수 없을 것만 같은 무엇이었다.
-글쓰기는 매순간이 결정과 선택의 연속이었다. 그런데 그걸 내가 잘하고 있는지 확신이 서지 않았다. 참으로 막막하고 무시무시한 순간이었다.
-터무니없단 걸 알면서도, 또 번번이 저항하면서도, 우리는 이해라는 단어의 모서리에 가까스로 매달려 살 수밖예 없는 존재라는 생각이 들었다.
-너와 나의 세대가 마지막이면 어떡해
또다른 빙하기가 찾아오면 어떡해
긴 세월에 변하지 않을 그런 사랑은 없겠지만
그 사랑을 기다려줄 그런 사람을 찾는 거야
우우우우우우우우우
-그게 정답은 아니더라도, 누군가의 대답 속엔 누군가의 삶이 배어 있게 마련이고, 단지 그 이야기를 듣는 것만으로 당신들의 시간을 조금 나뉘갖는 기분이었다.
-나는 내가 도망치려 했던 '시작'이 다시 내 앞에 놓여 있다는 사실에 설렘과 두려움을 느꼈다.
-우주에서 사람이 터져 죽는 건, 우리 내계의 험이 외계의 험보다 커서 그런 거라더라....그러니까 우리 모두는 대부분 우리 바깥보다 힘이 센 존제들일지도...
-나는 어둠에서 폴려나 새 어둠에 갇혔고, 그걸 다시 다른 어둠으로 가렸다. 그러곤 깊이를 알 수 없는 바닥으로 침잠해갔다.
-'너한데 자식을 주겠다. 대신 두 가지 중 하나를 정해야한다. 첫째 아프더라도 오래 산다. 둘째 짧게나마 건강한 삶을
누린다.' 그러면 어떡하나 꽤 오랫동안 고민했었거든요.할아버지라면 어떡하시겠어요?....
그걸 선택할 수 있다고 믿는 거, 그게 네 나이야. 질문 자체를 잘못하는 나이. 나는 아무것도 안 고를 거야.
-어릴 때 나는 까꿍놀이라는 결 좋아했대. 아버지가 문 뒤에서 '까꿍!' 하고 나타나면 까르르 웃고, 감쪽같이 사라진 뒤 다시 '까꿍!' 하고 나타나면 더 크게 또 웃었다나 봐. 그런데 어느 책에서 보니까, 그건 아이가 눈에 보이지 않는 사물도 사라지지 않는다는 기억을 저장하는 거라더라...나는 처음부터 내가 나인 줄 알았는데, 내가 나이기까지 대체 얼마나 많은 손을 타야 했던 걸까.
...오늘은 네게 꼭 할 말이 있어 편지를 써. 어쩌면 앞으로 네게 메일을 못 보내게 될지도 몰라. 며칠 전 나도 중환자실에 들어오게 됐거든. 그렇지만 다시 나갈 때를 대비해 이곳에서 나, 항상, 네게 쏠 편지를 궁리해두고 있을게. 그리고 이곳을 벗어나면 제일 먼저 너에게 소식을 전할게. 그러니 당분간 내가 네 눈에 보이지 않는다 해도, '까꿍' 하고 짓궂게 사라진다 해도, 어릴 때 우리가 애써 배운 것들을 잊지 말아줄래?
이 책을 읽다가 부끄럼도 모르고 기차에서 울었다. 보통 클리셰스러운 '질병 있는 아이' 설정엔 딱히 마음이 동하지 않는데, 작가가 너무 이야기를 잘 풀어서 홀딱 반해 버렸다. 이상스럽고 신비한 그녀의 언어에 난 그만 경도되어 버렸다.
이 작품은 여러모로 Middlesex를 떠올리게 했다. 어린 화자의 재치, 작가가 각각 자신과 다른 성의 서술자를 설정한 것으로부터 오는 유머의 공통점과 차이점, 다세대의 이야기를 그리고 있다는 점...Middlesex도 내가 정말 좋아하는 책인데, 비슷한 이유로 이 책 또한 가장 좋아하는 책들 순위에 들 거 같다.
김애란 작가의 작품들이 기대된다. 23.5.9
Quotes
-어른이란 단어에서 어쩐지 지독한 냄새가 난다는 건 알았다. 그건 단순히 피로나 권력, 또는 타락의 냄새가 아니었다. 얼마 전까지만 해도 막연히 그럴 거라 예상했는데, 막상 그 입구에 서고 보니 꼭 그런 것만도 아니었다...그것은 다름아닌 외로움의 냄새였다...한번 빨려들어가면 다시는 헤어날 수 없을 것만 같은 무엇이었다.
-글쓰기는 매순간이 결정과 선택의 연속이었다. 그런데 그걸 내가 잘하고 있는지 확신이 서지 않았다. 참으로 막막하고 무시무시한 순간이었다.
-터무니없단 걸 알면서도, 또 번번이 저항하면서도, 우리는 이해라는 단어의 모서리에 가까스로 매달려 살 수밖예 없는 존재라는 생각이 들었다.
-너와 나의 세대가 마지막이면 어떡해
또다른 빙하기가 찾아오면 어떡해
긴 세월에 변하지 않을 그런 사랑은 없겠지만
그 사랑을 기다려줄 그런 사람을 찾는 거야
우우우우우우우우우
-그게 정답은 아니더라도, 누군가의 대답 속엔 누군가의 삶이 배어 있게 마련이고, 단지 그 이야기를 듣는 것만으로 당신들의 시간을 조금 나뉘갖는 기분이었다.
-나는 내가 도망치려 했던 '시작'이 다시 내 앞에 놓여 있다는 사실에 설렘과 두려움을 느꼈다.
-우주에서 사람이 터져 죽는 건, 우리 내계의 험이 외계의 험보다 커서 그런 거라더라....그러니까 우리 모두는 대부분 우리 바깥보다 힘이 센 존제들일지도...
-나는 어둠에서 폴려나 새 어둠에 갇혔고, 그걸 다시 다른 어둠으로 가렸다. 그러곤 깊이를 알 수 없는 바닥으로 침잠해갔다.
-'너한데 자식을 주겠다. 대신 두 가지 중 하나를 정해야한다. 첫째 아프더라도 오래 산다. 둘째 짧게나마 건강한 삶을
누린다.' 그러면 어떡하나 꽤 오랫동안 고민했었거든요.할아버지라면 어떡하시겠어요?....
그걸 선택할 수 있다고 믿는 거, 그게 네 나이야. 질문 자체를 잘못하는 나이. 나는 아무것도 안 고를 거야.
-어릴 때 나는 까꿍놀이라는 결 좋아했대. 아버지가 문 뒤에서 '까꿍!' 하고 나타나면 까르르 웃고, 감쪽같이 사라진 뒤 다시 '까꿍!' 하고 나타나면 더 크게 또 웃었다나 봐. 그런데 어느 책에서 보니까, 그건 아이가 눈에 보이지 않는 사물도 사라지지 않는다는 기억을 저장하는 거라더라...나는 처음부터 내가 나인 줄 알았는데, 내가 나이기까지 대체 얼마나 많은 손을 타야 했던 걸까.
...오늘은 네게 꼭 할 말이 있어 편지를 써. 어쩌면 앞으로 네게 메일을 못 보내게 될지도 몰라. 며칠 전 나도 중환자실에 들어오게 됐거든. 그렇지만 다시 나갈 때를 대비해 이곳에서 나, 항상, 네게 쏠 편지를 궁리해두고 있을게. 그리고 이곳을 벗어나면 제일 먼저 너에게 소식을 전할게. 그러니 당분간 내가 네 눈에 보이지 않는다 해도, '까꿍' 하고 짓궂게 사라진다 해도, 어릴 때 우리가 애써 배운 것들을 잊지 말아줄래?
June 7, 2025
میخواستم میون شلوغی این روزهام، یه کتاب سبک بخونم و چی بهتر از ادبیات آسیای شرقی؟
اگر اشتباه نکنم، این دومین کتاب کرهایه که میخونم و برام جالبه که هر دوشون راجع به یه نوع بیماری نادر بود. (کتاب قبلی، بادام بود.)
راستش داستان هیچ چیز خاصی نداره جز اینکه خواننده رو با بیماری نادری که باعث پیری زودرس میشه، آشنا میکنه.
راوی، نوجوانیه که از 2 سالگی به این بیماری مبتلا میشه و با سرعت بیشتری از دیگران پیر میشه. به طوری که توی ۱۶ سالگی، پزشکها سنش رو ۸۰ سال تخمین میزنند. راوی کمی راجع به زندگی والدینش، کمی راجع به خودش و کمی راجع به کرکتری که تا انتهای کتاب نمیشه مطمئن بود که واقعا کی هست و اصلا آیا کرکتر حقیقی بود یا نه، صحبت میکنه.
داستان توی همهچیز ناقص بود و انگار خود نویسنده هم نمیدونست هدفش از نوشتن این کتاب چیه چون حتی به درستی به اون بیماری هم نمیپردازه. سراسر کتاب انگار داری کرکترها رو از تراس خونهای اون سمت خیابون میبینی و با تلفنی که از لیوان یکبار مصرف و نخ درست کردی، صحبت میکنی و هیچوقت قرار نیست به کرکتری نزدیک بشی.
صرفا برای اینکه یه چیزی خونده باشین خوبه.
اگر اشتباه نکنم، این دومین کتاب کرهایه که میخونم و برام جالبه که هر دوشون راجع به یه نوع بیماری نادر بود. (کتاب قبلی، بادام بود.)
راستش داستان هیچ چیز خاصی نداره جز اینکه خواننده رو با بیماری نادری که باعث پیری زودرس میشه، آشنا میکنه.
راوی، نوجوانیه که از 2 سالگی به این بیماری مبتلا میشه و با سرعت بیشتری از دیگران پیر میشه. به طوری که توی ۱۶ سالگی، پزشکها سنش رو ۸۰ سال تخمین میزنند. راوی کمی راجع به زندگی والدینش، کمی راجع به خودش و کمی راجع به کرکتری که تا انتهای کتاب نمیشه مطمئن بود که واقعا کی هست و اصلا آیا کرکتر حقیقی بود یا نه، صحبت میکنه.
داستان توی همهچیز ناقص بود و انگار خود نویسنده هم نمیدونست هدفش از نوشتن این کتاب چیه چون حتی به درستی به اون بیماری هم نمیپردازه. سراسر کتاب انگار داری کرکترها رو از تراس خونهای اون سمت خیابون میبینی و با تلفنی که از لیوان یکبار مصرف و نخ درست کردی، صحبت میکنی و هیچوقت قرار نیست به کرکتری نزدیک بشی.
صرفا برای اینکه یه چیزی خونده باشین خوبه.
April 16, 2023
انقدر غمگینم کرد که واقعاً حرفی برای گفتن ندارم...
May 7, 2024
Niesamowicie napisana książka!
February 28, 2021
We've seen this story before - a young child with a tragic condition armed with a buoyant outlook on life, sprinkled with a preternaturally wise sense of the world. It's Wonder's Auggie Pullman or more recently (and Korean) Almond's Yunjae.
Here we have Areum. Diagnosed with progeria, Areum ages at an accelerated rate so at sixteen he's inhabiting the body of an 80 year old teetering on the brink of death. His parents, pregnant at 16, find themselves barely over 30 and faced with mounting hospital fees and the unavoidable certainty of their child's imminent death.
Areum is determined to write his own story and reconstruct the life of his parents meeting and having him. His tale also includes a quirky 60 year old neighbour and best friend, an inspiring TV spot and a secret admirer and Areum's parents just trying to do the best they can. The whole plot is almost its own genre and the story hits the expected beats with a few twists delivering just the right dose of heartwarming and hopeful without veering too far into misery and mawkishness. All you can hope for really.
Here we have Areum. Diagnosed with progeria, Areum ages at an accelerated rate so at sixteen he's inhabiting the body of an 80 year old teetering on the brink of death. His parents, pregnant at 16, find themselves barely over 30 and faced with mounting hospital fees and the unavoidable certainty of their child's imminent death.
Areum is determined to write his own story and reconstruct the life of his parents meeting and having him. His tale also includes a quirky 60 year old neighbour and best friend, an inspiring TV spot and a secret admirer and Areum's parents just trying to do the best they can. The whole plot is almost its own genre and the story hits the expected beats with a few twists delivering just the right dose of heartwarming and hopeful without veering too far into misery and mawkishness. All you can hope for really.
January 11, 2021
#qotd: I read somewhere that you can age but you need not grow old and I believe it’s absolutely possible and true. Do you?
My Brilliant Life by Kim Ae-ran is “the story of the youngest parents and oldest child in the world.” Sixteen-year-old Areum is born to teenage parents and is soon diagnosed with the rare disease of progeria. Although Areum knows he is rapidly fading he chooses to live in the moment. In the time he has left, he spends his days putting together the story of how his parents met, writing emails to a girl he met online, and cracking jokes with his 60-year-old neighbour and best friend Little Grandpa Jang. Areum keeps the reality at bay most times but it’s not long before some truths become too hard to bear.
Areum seems to be wise beyond his years, perhaps a result of being aware of how short his time is. He has a wicked sense of humour but is also given to reflection. He is given some of the best lines in the book and I loved the depth and simplicity in them
“I didn’t read for the love of knowledge but rather with the anxiety of someone who would be the sole survivor when the world ended.”
“Why does a child always look like a child, no matter how old he is?
A sudden thought flashed through my head. Maybe that was why people had children.
To relive the life they don’t remember.
That made sense. Nobody remembered their early years. You couldn’t remember anything that happened to you from before you were three or four, so you wanted to experience it through your child.”
The first half of the book was charming and delightful. You almost forget that Areum is special. The latter half of the book falters a little bit with the email exchanges between Areum and his online friend. This section felt more apt as a tv series screenplay where I could visualise the scene very vividly. Somehow, the momentum gets disrupted here.
That apart, My Brilliant Life is a tender and poignant read. In some ways, it reminded me of Flowers for Algernon, a book that really moved me. Aeran’s sensitivity to the passage of time, his celebration of quotidian events, and his quiet acceptance of life as it is, are some of the reminders he leaves behind for us readers even after he is gone.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC!
PS: There’s a movie based on the book and has got good reviews. Curious to see how it has been adapted!
My Brilliant Life by Kim Ae-ran is “the story of the youngest parents and oldest child in the world.” Sixteen-year-old Areum is born to teenage parents and is soon diagnosed with the rare disease of progeria. Although Areum knows he is rapidly fading he chooses to live in the moment. In the time he has left, he spends his days putting together the story of how his parents met, writing emails to a girl he met online, and cracking jokes with his 60-year-old neighbour and best friend Little Grandpa Jang. Areum keeps the reality at bay most times but it’s not long before some truths become too hard to bear.
Areum seems to be wise beyond his years, perhaps a result of being aware of how short his time is. He has a wicked sense of humour but is also given to reflection. He is given some of the best lines in the book and I loved the depth and simplicity in them
“I didn’t read for the love of knowledge but rather with the anxiety of someone who would be the sole survivor when the world ended.”
“Why does a child always look like a child, no matter how old he is?
A sudden thought flashed through my head. Maybe that was why people had children.
To relive the life they don’t remember.
That made sense. Nobody remembered their early years. You couldn’t remember anything that happened to you from before you were three or four, so you wanted to experience it through your child.”
The first half of the book was charming and delightful. You almost forget that Areum is special. The latter half of the book falters a little bit with the email exchanges between Areum and his online friend. This section felt more apt as a tv series screenplay where I could visualise the scene very vividly. Somehow, the momentum gets disrupted here.
That apart, My Brilliant Life is a tender and poignant read. In some ways, it reminded me of Flowers for Algernon, a book that really moved me. Aeran’s sensitivity to the passage of time, his celebration of quotidian events, and his quiet acceptance of life as it is, are some of the reminders he leaves behind for us readers even after he is gone.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC!
PS: There’s a movie based on the book and has got good reviews. Curious to see how it has been adapted!
March 5, 2022
"I believe that larger miracles exists in the ordinary, in the living of an ordinary life and dying at an ordinary age. To me the miracles are my parents, my aunts and uncles, our next-door neighbours, the middle of summer and the middle of winter.
I'm no miracle."
Such a simple story but with a very heavy message. About a boy who grew older then he should, a mother who sacrificed all that she could and a father who only wants his child to be healthy. This book was the kind of sad that makes you smile but breaks your heart so much. Its a child's longing of the world and his positivity in looking on the bright side of things.
Personal Ratings : 4.5🌟
This story was beautiful. It was not only heartbreaking but also had a prose that had made me highlight almost every line whilst I was reading it. The story was told in such a narrative that made me smile but also left me crying silently. Trying to write my thoughts on it was hard too as I'm still digesting what I felt with the book. But, with everything, I would say its a book about hope and a child's longing, and somewhat of a memoir of his life.
Short Summary
Progeria : An extremely rare, progressive genetic disorder that causes children to age rapidly, starting in their first two years of life.
Areum was a bright boy who aged too soon. Told in 4 parts, the book tells the story of Areum since he was a child, about his parents, how he coped with his condition and lastly concluded with how he had lived his life. A somewhat kinda-memoir story that brings hope and will definitely brings tears.
Personal Thoughts
I honestly love stories that are told in the perspective of a child. It makes the story has a naive tone but also can be so very insightful. The author's writing and the translator had done such a wonderful job in putting out the story. It was beautifully written with a story that is simple but holds so much meaning.
One of the most interesting parts of the story is how the author describes the feelings of the children in their mother's wombs.
"The sound made me want to retreat but also made me want to dance, dance to my mom's heartbeat laid over mine. Boom thump thump. Boom thump thump. Boom thump. Boom Thump. My Mom's boom set the tone while my thump hit the offbeat."
"My organs sprouted and expanded, my liver swelling and my kidneys ripening. My bones formed. I grew rapidly. In my dreams I met my mom's dreams for rambling conversations."
Areum's narrative was both matured but so very naive. His innocence was shown in the book but it also shows how he had matured to somehow "look" like his current age. Reading about Areum will make you heart ache so so much. His organs were failing and every part of him needs surgery, and yet, his nature, and his mindset was positive and he somewhat remains optimistic. He has a sense of humour that reminds me of Yunjae in Almond. Naive but very insightful. But the author also showed, even at the end of the day, he's still a child and that he gets scared. It was so moving I was just tearing up and wanted to go in the book and hug him, for living his life.
I love how Areum was so invested in writing and reading. It resonates so much more as the only thing that he felt he could relate to was through by reading everything.
"Books were everything to me - a grandmother who told me stories all night long, a teacher who imparted all the knowledge in the world, a friend who shared their secrets and problems."
Areum's relationship with his parents and his neighbours was what I lived for. I liked that he's sassy but also very kind and observant with others around him. Apart of me is relieved that he was showered with all kinds of love in his lifetime.
"Areum, what makes you want to live?
"Its everything and anything. Everything I see and hear around me is brilliant, and gets me fired up."
Reading this book reflected me a lot about life. About appreciating just the little things in life, and about loving even the little things like being able to smell properly. This book was eye-opening and a story that I will stick through and remember in my heart for a very long time. I highly recommend everyone to read this at least once in your life!
February 6, 2022
❝ Books were everything to me—a grandmother who told me stories all night long, a teacher who imparted all the knowledge in the world, a friend who shared their secrets and problems. […]
They made my heart race without having to physically run.
——
❝ Someone like you…”
I was quiet, waiting.
“… shouldn’t have to be sick.”
I gazed at her with my sunken eyes that lacked eyelashes. I didn’t know what to say. “Mom, you know, someone like me…”
“Yeah?”
“Someone like me, who’s a really great kid…”
“Yeah?”
“… always comes from great parents.”
——
❝ That’s what happens when you’re young. Your heart races over nothing special and you’re devastated over nothing special.
——
❝ I’m the shortest mountain in the world, not even 140 centimeters tall, but I’ll examine what flowers are blooming inside me.
——
❝ I’m not religious but sometimes I find myself wanting to pray. Especially when I’m suffering, like you are. Then people ask, Who do you want to pray to? With the chilliest expression I say, To whoever.
Whoever.
——
This novel was my first encounter with translated Korean literature, and I couldn’t be more dazzled.
Ae-ran Kim’s writing is hypnotic, lyrical, and flows with the rush and force of a river. At times slow and steady and at times turbulent, you are nonetheless propelled forward into unknown waters.
Everything shines in My Brilliant Life - the characters, setting, narrative. As a story that centers on a terminally ill teenager, Kim injects the perfect amount of heartwarming humor into the novel.
Just as I was reading and enjoying myself, Kim did the unthinkable—she threw a wrench straight to my gut and yanked the rose-colored glasses that were sitting comfortably on the bridge of my nose. What a reality check. The truth is that kind, warm, intelligent, genuine people like Areum are so much more precious because of the abundance of cruel people in the world. This book reminded me of that.
It’s a melodramatic, sentimental, and poignant debut novel; I loved every second of it. Ae-ran Kim is officially on my author watchlist/auto-buy list. I can’t wait for her next novel. I just hope it won’t take so long for the English translation this time. 🖤
They made my heart race without having to physically run.
——
❝ Someone like you…”
I was quiet, waiting.
“… shouldn’t have to be sick.”
I gazed at her with my sunken eyes that lacked eyelashes. I didn’t know what to say. “Mom, you know, someone like me…”
“Yeah?”
“Someone like me, who’s a really great kid…”
“Yeah?”
“… always comes from great parents.”
——
❝ That’s what happens when you’re young. Your heart races over nothing special and you’re devastated over nothing special.
——
❝ I’m the shortest mountain in the world, not even 140 centimeters tall, but I’ll examine what flowers are blooming inside me.
——
❝ I’m not religious but sometimes I find myself wanting to pray. Especially when I’m suffering, like you are. Then people ask, Who do you want to pray to? With the chilliest expression I say, To whoever.
Whoever.
——
This novel was my first encounter with translated Korean literature, and I couldn’t be more dazzled.
Ae-ran Kim’s writing is hypnotic, lyrical, and flows with the rush and force of a river. At times slow and steady and at times turbulent, you are nonetheless propelled forward into unknown waters.
Everything shines in My Brilliant Life - the characters, setting, narrative. As a story that centers on a terminally ill teenager, Kim injects the perfect amount of heartwarming humor into the novel.
Just as I was reading and enjoying myself, Kim did the unthinkable—she threw a wrench straight to my gut and yanked the rose-colored glasses that were sitting comfortably on the bridge of my nose. What a reality check. The truth is that kind, warm, intelligent, genuine people like Areum are so much more precious because of the abundance of cruel people in the world. This book reminded me of that.
It’s a melodramatic, sentimental, and poignant debut novel; I loved every second of it. Ae-ran Kim is officially on my author watchlist/auto-buy list. I can’t wait for her next novel. I just hope it won’t take so long for the English translation this time. 🖤
March 6, 2021
My dad sees his future eighty-year-old face in mine . I see my future thirty-two-year-old face in his. A distant future and an unlived past gaze at each other.
Is thirty-two the right age to lose a child? My dad asks me what I would want to be if I were reborn. I respond loudly, Dad, I want to be you. He asks why him, when there are better people in the world? I say quietly, shyly, Dad, I want to be reborn as you and have me. To understand how you feel.
Originally published in Korea as 두근두근 내 인생 (my translation - my palpitating life) by 김 애란 (Kim Ae-ran), My Brilliant Life has been translated by Chi-Young Kim.
The novel was inspired by a real-life case of a Korean boy with the extremely rare Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome, also known as Progeria. The narrator, who is now 16, suffers from the same condition of extremely rapid ageing, and is unlikely to live to his 17th birthday. In the novel he looks back on his parent’s story, who had him when they were 16, reflects on his own life and condition, and forms an epistolary e-mail relationship with a terminally ill girl, who saw him on a TV documentary designed to raise money for his medical care.
On the plus side this is beautifully written and translated, and the powerful story is handled movingly.
Against that, rather like the recent Almond, it isn’t a novel I would typically have read had it not come from the Korean. The author’s wonderful dystopian title story in the anthology The Future of Silence: Fiction by Korean Women (annoyingly my detailed story-by-story review of the book seems to have disappeared from Goodreads) was rather more to my taste.
I also found the narrative device a little unsatisfying (when is the story being told given the first-person narrator - no spoiler alert needed - dies at the novel’s end? and the novel within a novel idea was rather underdeveloped), and the novel’s one actual plot twist was rather predictable.
An excellent - and more sympathetic - review/overview, which successfully defends the novel against the accusation of being over-sentimental/kitsch:
https://www.asymptotejournal.com/spec...
A playlist curated by the author herself (including songs mentioned in the letters in the book): https://www.torforgeblog.com/2020/12/...
3.5 stars - not for me, but recommended for others.
Is thirty-two the right age to lose a child? My dad asks me what I would want to be if I were reborn. I respond loudly, Dad, I want to be you. He asks why him, when there are better people in the world? I say quietly, shyly, Dad, I want to be reborn as you and have me. To understand how you feel.
Originally published in Korea as 두근두근 내 인생 (my translation - my palpitating life) by 김 애란 (Kim Ae-ran), My Brilliant Life has been translated by Chi-Young Kim.
The novel was inspired by a real-life case of a Korean boy with the extremely rare Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome, also known as Progeria. The narrator, who is now 16, suffers from the same condition of extremely rapid ageing, and is unlikely to live to his 17th birthday. In the novel he looks back on his parent’s story, who had him when they were 16, reflects on his own life and condition, and forms an epistolary e-mail relationship with a terminally ill girl, who saw him on a TV documentary designed to raise money for his medical care.
On the plus side this is beautifully written and translated, and the powerful story is handled movingly.
Against that, rather like the recent Almond, it isn’t a novel I would typically have read had it not come from the Korean. The author’s wonderful dystopian title story in the anthology The Future of Silence: Fiction by Korean Women (annoyingly my detailed story-by-story review of the book seems to have disappeared from Goodreads) was rather more to my taste.
I also found the narrative device a little unsatisfying (when is the story being told given the first-person narrator - no spoiler alert needed - dies at the novel’s end? and the novel within a novel idea was rather underdeveloped), and the novel’s one actual plot twist was rather predictable.
An excellent - and more sympathetic - review/overview, which successfully defends the novel against the accusation of being over-sentimental/kitsch:
https://www.asymptotejournal.com/spec...
A playlist curated by the author herself (including songs mentioned in the letters in the book): https://www.torforgeblog.com/2020/12/...
3.5 stars - not for me, but recommended for others.
August 11, 2022
Nhưng tôi thì luôn tin rằng kỳ tích tồn tại trong những điều bình thường nhất. Với tôi, sống một cuộc đời bình dị rồi chết đi vào cái độ tuổi thông thường như bao nhiêu người khác, đó mới là kỳ tích. Trong mắt tôi, kỳ tích là bố và mẹ, hai người đang ở trước tôi đây. Kỳ tích cũng có ở bác trai và bác gái bên ngoại. Ở cả hai bác hàng xóm nữa. Kỳ tích cũng hiện diện chính trong mùa hè và mùa đông. Riêng tôi không phải là kỳ tích.
Những năm tháng rực rỡ là câu chuyện xoay quanh Ah Reum - một chàng trai 17 tuổi mắc phải căn bệnh lão hóa - khiến cho bên trong lẫn vẻ ngoài của Ah Reum như một ông lão 80 tuổi.
Dưới lời kể của Ah Reum - những kỷ niệm và câu chuyện của bố mẹ cậu ấy - Dae Soo và Mi Ra; cũng là những khao khát, thắc mắc của Ah Reum về cuộc đời này. 40% của cuốn sách khiến mình cảm động. Câu chuyện của ông bà Dae Soo và Mira chứa đựng những điều khiến mình vừa vui vừa bồi hồi. Cách kể chuyện hài hước làm mình liên tưởng đến phim hài của Hàn :)))
Tuy nhiên, 60% còn lại của cuốn sách không khiến mình hứng thú. Mình rất thương tiếc cho cuộc đời của Ah Reum - mình cũng yêu những người đã đến với cuộc đời của cậu ấy, kể cả những thắc mắc của Ah Reum mọi thứ. Nhưng có gì đó mình cảm thấy hầu như bình thường, mình cũng mất đi sự cảm động khi dần hoàn thành cuốn sách.
“Hãy lớn lên và trở thành nỗi buồn của ai đó. Và khi buồn, con hãy khóc như một đứa trẻ.”
November 1, 2021
Selesaiiiii! 🤩🤩🤩 ternyata nggak sesedih seperti dugaanku. Baca novel ini seperti diingatkan untuk mensyukuri hal-hal kecil. Terkadang buat kita itu hal kecil tapi buat orang lain bisa berbeda artinya.
November 24, 2021
Wah nangis sih 🥲🥲🥲 Sebelumnya saya perlu disclaimer dulu kalau saya ibu-ibu dan punya satu anak laki-laki, jadi mungkin apa yang saya rasakan belum tentu relevan dengan pembaca lain.
Buku ini ditulis dari sudut pandang Areum, seorang anak yang menderita progeria, sebuah kelainan langka yang membuat tubuhnya menua lebih cepat. Areum hadir tidak direncanakan dan lahir saat usia kedua orang tuanya masih sangat muda, yaitu 17 tahun. Walau dari sudut pandang Areum, berbagai kilas balik memberikan kita gambaran tentang masa muda kedua orang tuanya serta keluarga mereka.
Menurut saya buku ini ditulis dengan indah dan tidak berlebihan sebagaimana kita kerap memandang tragis hidup seorang pesakitan. Ada rasa sakit, ada kebosanan, tapi ada harapan dan kebahagiaan sederhana yang mengisi celah-celah kehidupan mereka.
Dari sudut pandang Areum, kita juga diajak melihat bagaimana anak dengan tulus memandang kagum pada orang tua dengan segala lebih dan kurangnya, serta bagaimana orang tua akan selalu tegar dan mau habis-habisan berjuang untuk anaknya. Alih-alih membuat kita terlalu larut dalam kesedihan, buku ini menyajikan manis dan pahit getir dengan hangat.
Saya rekomendasikan, dan mungkin sarankan untuk siapkan tissue untuk tipis-tipis menyeka air mata! 💖
Buku ini ditulis dari sudut pandang Areum, seorang anak yang menderita progeria, sebuah kelainan langka yang membuat tubuhnya menua lebih cepat. Areum hadir tidak direncanakan dan lahir saat usia kedua orang tuanya masih sangat muda, yaitu 17 tahun. Walau dari sudut pandang Areum, berbagai kilas balik memberikan kita gambaran tentang masa muda kedua orang tuanya serta keluarga mereka.
Menurut saya buku ini ditulis dengan indah dan tidak berlebihan sebagaimana kita kerap memandang tragis hidup seorang pesakitan. Ada rasa sakit, ada kebosanan, tapi ada harapan dan kebahagiaan sederhana yang mengisi celah-celah kehidupan mereka.
Dari sudut pandang Areum, kita juga diajak melihat bagaimana anak dengan tulus memandang kagum pada orang tua dengan segala lebih dan kurangnya, serta bagaimana orang tua akan selalu tegar dan mau habis-habisan berjuang untuk anaknya. Alih-alih membuat kita terlalu larut dalam kesedihan, buku ini menyajikan manis dan pahit getir dengan hangat.
Saya rekomendasikan, dan mungkin sarankan untuk siapkan tissue untuk tipis-tipis menyeka air mata! 💖
August 5, 2020
This novel snuck up on me and captured my heart. Ae-ran Kim takes everyday moments and imbues them with grace and beauty in this book. The result is a poignant story full of wistfulness and wisdom, and a resonant reminder to live life fully no matter what limitations are imposed on us.
July 20, 2024
5 stars because I cried.
I picked this up on a whim and I immediately assumed, from the synopsis, that it’d be a sad melodramatic story about a sick kid dying while writing a story about and for his parents. While this book was very sad in the last couple of pages, I was surprised at how light and beautiful it was. I found myself smiling half the time because the main character is such a ray of sunshine.
My Brilliant Life is about Areum’s story, a young Korean boy with progeria disease. Progeria is a rare disease in which a person’s body ages eight to ten times faster than regular people, life expectancy is around 14-15 years of age. It’s a terrible and unfair disease. In this book, Areum introduces us to his young parents dealing with what’s happening to him, his pen pal, a documentary they make about him, and his little writing project. He’s a bright kid aware that he’s going to die soon and he’s going to lose his sight as well, so throughout the book he makes the most of his time.
I do think the book was perhaps too sentimental, but I didn’t mind. I actually went down a rabbit hole about progeria and ended up finding Adalia Rose, a girl with progeria with a YouTube channel. I watched a few and I saw a few documentaries on progeria that featured her. Then I found out she died when she was 15. It’s such a shit disease, honestly. So I was okay with the book being sentimental because I think it deserves to be.
I won’t go into detail about my thoughts, but I’ll just say this was a beautiful experience. It was complex, beautiful, and also difficult to read. Areum’s parents were inexperienced and had little money. They had to, alone, figure out how to pay for Areum’s treatment to extend his life just a little bit more. They had to decide when to lie to him because he’s a kid, but he’s also going to pass away. And I loved that in other books, one of the lies would have triggered a fight, but Areum was just very aware of it all. I also adored the conversations between Areum and his father and with Grandpa Jang.
I picked this up on a whim and I immediately assumed, from the synopsis, that it’d be a sad melodramatic story about a sick kid dying while writing a story about and for his parents. While this book was very sad in the last couple of pages, I was surprised at how light and beautiful it was. I found myself smiling half the time because the main character is such a ray of sunshine.
My Brilliant Life is about Areum’s story, a young Korean boy with progeria disease. Progeria is a rare disease in which a person’s body ages eight to ten times faster than regular people, life expectancy is around 14-15 years of age. It’s a terrible and unfair disease. In this book, Areum introduces us to his young parents dealing with what’s happening to him, his pen pal, a documentary they make about him, and his little writing project. He’s a bright kid aware that he’s going to die soon and he’s going to lose his sight as well, so throughout the book he makes the most of his time.
I do think the book was perhaps too sentimental, but I didn’t mind. I actually went down a rabbit hole about progeria and ended up finding Adalia Rose, a girl with progeria with a YouTube channel. I watched a few and I saw a few documentaries on progeria that featured her. Then I found out she died when she was 15. It’s such a shit disease, honestly. So I was okay with the book being sentimental because I think it deserves to be.
I won’t go into detail about my thoughts, but I’ll just say this was a beautiful experience. It was complex, beautiful, and also difficult to read. Areum’s parents were inexperienced and had little money. They had to, alone, figure out how to pay for Areum’s treatment to extend his life just a little bit more. They had to decide when to lie to him because he’s a kid, but he’s also going to pass away. And I loved that in other books, one of the lies would have triggered a fight, but Areum was just very aware of it all. I also adored the conversations between Areum and his father and with Grandpa Jang.
December 20, 2020
Review to come!
July 8, 2021
The book started off with the backstory of both of his parents when they were younger, and how they met each other that ended up with his mother getting pregnant and decided to be responsible, and get married. They only knew about Areum's sickness when he was 2 years old. Since then, its hard to make ends meet because they need to being Areum to the hospital back and forth, finding cure and paying off the hospital bills. So they decided to be aired on a television show to get their stories out in hope for donations.
It feels draggy at some point of the book. Only after the first half it was revealed that Areum is suffering from Progeria. Its a fatal, rare disease that makes children age prematurely and Areum to be particular, has a high risk of heart attack and various complications. He also lost sight in one eye due to macular degeneration.
The dialogues feels real, deep and meaningful especially conversations between Areum and his mother. I almost cried most of the time, but they are controllable. One of them is "Someone like you...shouldn't have to be sick". "You've been so brave. This whole time. Even now, you're going through test after test, and you're not giving up. Other people get bent out of shape when their glands are a little swollen. Us? We've been doing this every single day, for fourteen years. We've been awesome". 😢
As I thought I'm able to control myself from crying, I did cried and sobbed at the end, literally at the last page. The ending is not something you wouldn't expected, but still cried over. Some people are able to read this in one sitting, but I took around 4 weeks to finish this since I read it very slowly, so I won't say its a one-sitting read because it's not for me. One word to describe my feeling towards this whole story is, its consuming.
It feels draggy at some point of the book. Only after the first half it was revealed that Areum is suffering from Progeria. Its a fatal, rare disease that makes children age prematurely and Areum to be particular, has a high risk of heart attack and various complications. He also lost sight in one eye due to macular degeneration.
The dialogues feels real, deep and meaningful especially conversations between Areum and his mother. I almost cried most of the time, but they are controllable. One of them is "Someone like you...shouldn't have to be sick". "You've been so brave. This whole time. Even now, you're going through test after test, and you're not giving up. Other people get bent out of shape when their glands are a little swollen. Us? We've been doing this every single day, for fourteen years. We've been awesome". 😢
As I thought I'm able to control myself from crying, I did cried and sobbed at the end, literally at the last page. The ending is not something you wouldn't expected, but still cried over. Some people are able to read this in one sitting, but I took around 4 weeks to finish this since I read it very slowly, so I won't say its a one-sitting read because it's not for me. One word to describe my feeling towards this whole story is, its consuming.
February 28, 2017
12/4*
Đã quen với lối viết trầm buồn của Shin Kyung-Sook, một trong những tác giả HQ tôi đọc nhiều nhất trước giờ, thì làm quen với Ae-ran Kim qua quyển này thật sự là một bất ngờ dễ chịu.
Ngôi sao đầu tiên xin được dành tặng cho họa sĩ Tạ Quốc Kỳ Nam, người đã mang đến một diện mạo vừa dung dị vừa trong lành và còn có nét gì đó rất nhẹ nhõm cho quyển sách (mà sau khi đã đọc xong rồi bạn sẽ thấy cái chi tiết "nhẹ nhõm" này mới tinh ý làm sao)
Ngôi sao thứ hai xin được dành tặng cho dịch giả Nghiêm Thị Thu Hương, người hẳn đã có một khoảng thời gian làm việc nửa vất vả nửa sung sướng với bản gốc của câu chuyện này. Bởi có một sự đối lập rất dễ nhận ra giữa giọng kể và giọng thoại trong câu chuyện. Giọng kể trưởng thành, đượm chất thơ, đôi lúc còn pha vào nỗi buồn mông lung, được diễn đạt tỉ mỉ, chi tiết, đến mức đôi chỗ thành ra hơi dài dòng. Nhưng giọng thoại lại ngắn gọn, tình cảm, trẻ thơ mà nếu không khéo thì sẽ gây ra một cảm giác hơi kịch. Khi đọc, tôi thấy tất cả đều dễ thương dù theo những cách khác nhau.
Ngôi sao thứ ba hẳn nhiên thuộc về tác giả, vì quả thật giống như lời giới thiệu, cô đã viết về những điều bình thường một cách mới mẻ. Không những thế, còn có cái gì đó tạo cảm giác cô là người rất ngay thẳng, thực tế nhưng không thiếu phần tinh tế và mộng mơ. Điểm tôi thích nhất có lẽ là cô rất biết chừng mực, không quá sa đà dù câu chuyện của cô rõ ràng rất dễ bị sa đà nếu không đủ tỉnh táo.
Ngôi sao thứ tư xin dành cho những nhân vật trong truyện, đặc biệt là những tên gọi của họ. Không hiểu sao, coi phim hay đọc truyện HQ tôi hay bị ấn tượng bởi những cái tên và cách họ gọi nhau nhẹ nhàng/chân thành/tha thiết/dịu dàng bằng cách đệm thêm một tiếng à sau tên đối phương.
Thế nên, Ah Reum à, mình chào tạm biệt nhau nhé, ở đây.
Đã quen với lối viết trầm buồn của Shin Kyung-Sook, một trong những tác giả HQ tôi đọc nhiều nhất trước giờ, thì làm quen với Ae-ran Kim qua quyển này thật sự là một bất ngờ dễ chịu.
Ngôi sao đầu tiên xin được dành tặng cho họa sĩ Tạ Quốc Kỳ Nam, người đã mang đến một diện mạo vừa dung dị vừa trong lành và còn có nét gì đó rất nhẹ nhõm cho quyển sách (mà sau khi đã đọc xong rồi bạn sẽ thấy cái chi tiết "nhẹ nhõm" này mới tinh ý làm sao)
Ngôi sao thứ hai xin được dành tặng cho dịch giả Nghiêm Thị Thu Hương, người hẳn đã có một khoảng thời gian làm việc nửa vất vả nửa sung sướng với bản gốc của câu chuyện này. Bởi có một sự đối lập rất dễ nhận ra giữa giọng kể và giọng thoại trong câu chuyện. Giọng kể trưởng thành, đượm chất thơ, đôi lúc còn pha vào nỗi buồn mông lung, được diễn đạt tỉ mỉ, chi tiết, đến mức đôi chỗ thành ra hơi dài dòng. Nhưng giọng thoại lại ngắn gọn, tình cảm, trẻ thơ mà nếu không khéo thì sẽ gây ra một cảm giác hơi kịch. Khi đọc, tôi thấy tất cả đều dễ thương dù theo những cách khác nhau.
Ngôi sao thứ ba hẳn nhiên thuộc về tác giả, vì quả thật giống như lời giới thiệu, cô đã viết về những điều bình thường một cách mới mẻ. Không những thế, còn có cái gì đó tạo cảm giác cô là người rất ngay thẳng, thực tế nhưng không thiếu phần tinh tế và mộng mơ. Điểm tôi thích nhất có lẽ là cô rất biết chừng mực, không quá sa đà dù câu chuyện của cô rõ ràng rất dễ bị sa đà nếu không đủ tỉnh táo.
Ngôi sao thứ tư xin dành cho những nhân vật trong truyện, đặc biệt là những tên gọi của họ. Không hiểu sao, coi phim hay đọc truyện HQ tôi hay bị ấn tượng bởi những cái tên và cách họ gọi nhau nhẹ nhàng/chân thành/tha thiết/dịu dàng bằng cách đệm thêm một tiếng à sau tên đối phương.
Thế nên, Ah Reum à, mình chào tạm biệt nhau nhé, ở đây.
July 16, 2020
What is the importance of a person's age? In her deceptively simple novel, My Brilliant Life, Ae-ran Kim offers a gently comic and melancholy answer to that elemental question. Stylish and engaging, this eloquent book encompasses with compassion and discernment the ordinary miracles of birth and death and everything in between.
***
"Why does a child always look like a child, no matter how old he is?
A sudden thought flashed through my head. Maybe that was why people had children.
To relive the life they don't remember.
That made sense. Nobody remembered their early years. You couldn't remember anything that happened to you before you were three or four, so you wanted to experience it through your child" (52-53).
"Still, it was just a thought back then. You can really only understand what it's like to be old when you're old. At my age, time has already taken everything worthwhile from me physically, and it leaves you with a tiny bit of realization. It's not even anything grand. It's everything you've heard before, or something you already knew.
Are you saying, in the future I'll realize something that I already know?
Exactly.
But it's different?
Of course it is, Little Grandpa Jang said.
How is it different?
You want to know?
Yes.
Really?
Yes, I said yes!
Then go ahead and live until you realize it. You'll find out then. Little Grandpa Jang snickered." (191).
***
"Why does a child always look like a child, no matter how old he is?
A sudden thought flashed through my head. Maybe that was why people had children.
To relive the life they don't remember.
That made sense. Nobody remembered their early years. You couldn't remember anything that happened to you before you were three or four, so you wanted to experience it through your child" (52-53).
"Still, it was just a thought back then. You can really only understand what it's like to be old when you're old. At my age, time has already taken everything worthwhile from me physically, and it leaves you with a tiny bit of realization. It's not even anything grand. It's everything you've heard before, or something you already knew.
Are you saying, in the future I'll realize something that I already know?
Exactly.
But it's different?
Of course it is, Little Grandpa Jang said.
How is it different?
You want to know?
Yes.
Really?
Yes, I said yes!
Then go ahead and live until you realize it. You'll find out then. Little Grandpa Jang snickered." (191).
August 20, 2023
Heart hurts. Towards the end, it was difficult to put down the book.
The last time my heart hurts, feeling longing like this was when I watched Imaginur.
Areum… Thank you for reminding me to pay close attention to the beauty surrounding me and to always be grateful.
The last time my heart hurts, feeling longing like this was when I watched Imaginur.
Areum… Thank you for reminding me to pay close attention to the beauty surrounding me and to always be grateful.
June 7, 2025
Prezidentinio knygų klubo birželio mėnesio knyga. Klubo skaitytojos suskilo į dvi grupes - "labai labai" (net su paašarojimais) ir "normaliai". Man labai patiko knygos pradžia, liūdnai šviesi, poetiška, atrodė, kad ir bus tokia gražiai parašyta knyga apie jauniems tėvams gimusį vaiką, kuris serga nepagydoma liga. Iš dalies taip ir yra, bet man pasirodė, kad novelių ir short stories meistrei nepavyko ištempti antros knygos pusės, kurioje kažkaip išgaravo knygos magija, ir ji supaprastėjo iki young adult knygos kategorijos (nenuvertinant kategorijos). Na, ir dviejų iš trijų knygos pabaigų, tikrai nereikėjo. Būtų buvusi graži ir trumpa pabaiga, tiesą sakant, trečiąją tik praverčiau, nebebuvo įdomu skaityt.
O bet tačiau knyga tikrai turi privalumų ir, kaip toks trumpas skaitinys, verta perskaitymo kaip pietų korėjiečių literatūros ir kultūros pavyzdys. Būtent apie tai ir diskutavome klube - kaip toje kutūroje priimamas ištikęs gyvenimas, kaip susitaikoma ir nekvestionuojama, atsiduodama ir pasiduodama vyresnių sprendimams ir gyvenimo vagos pakreipimams, autoritetams ir kitiems reikalams. Taip pat įdomus pasirodė santykis tarp veikėjų savotiško "maištingumo" paauglystėj užnėštėjus, bet kartu kažkokio vangumo, nieko nenorėjimo ir niekuo nesidomėjimo, kažkokio mikso tinginystės, abejingumo ir neaktyvumo. Padiskutavom ir apie Pietų Korėjos sveikatos apsaugos sistemą.
Kad toks neilgas skaitynys, tai jei pateks į rankas - paskaitykit, pasimėgaukit gražiu tekstu (pirmos pusės) - vis tiek praplečia akiratį ir pasaulį.
www.knyguziurkes.com
O bet tačiau knyga tikrai turi privalumų ir, kaip toks trumpas skaitinys, verta perskaitymo kaip pietų korėjiečių literatūros ir kultūros pavyzdys. Būtent apie tai ir diskutavome klube - kaip toje kutūroje priimamas ištikęs gyvenimas, kaip susitaikoma ir nekvestionuojama, atsiduodama ir pasiduodama vyresnių sprendimams ir gyvenimo vagos pakreipimams, autoritetams ir kitiems reikalams. Taip pat įdomus pasirodė santykis tarp veikėjų savotiško "maištingumo" paauglystėj užnėštėjus, bet kartu kažkokio vangumo, nieko nenorėjimo ir niekuo nesidomėjimo, kažkokio mikso tinginystės, abejingumo ir neaktyvumo. Padiskutavom ir apie Pietų Korėjos sveikatos apsaugos sistemą.
Kad toks neilgas skaitynys, tai jei pateks į rankas - paskaitykit, pasimėgaukit gražiu tekstu (pirmos pusės) - vis tiek praplečia akiratį ir pasaulį.
www.knyguziurkes.com
January 31, 2023
4,5
Wzruszające w sposób, w jaki mogą wzruszać tylko dobrze napisane historie o śmiertelnych chorobach.
Niełatwo jest stworzyć postać uwięzionego w 80-letnim ciele 16-latka, którego codzienność jest ograniczona tak naprawdę do łóżka - tego domowego lub szpitalnego.
Ale Areuma po prostu się lubi i chce się o nim czytać, bo to szalenie inteligentny i sprytny dzieciak o bardzo bogatym życiu wewnętrznym.
Autorka idealnie wyważyła smutek i radość, dzięki czemu napisała niewymuszoną, do bólu szczerą historię o życiu z chorobą i życiu z osobą chorą.
Wzruszające w sposób, w jaki mogą wzruszać tylko dobrze napisane historie o śmiertelnych chorobach.
Niełatwo jest stworzyć postać uwięzionego w 80-letnim ciele 16-latka, którego codzienność jest ograniczona tak naprawdę do łóżka - tego domowego lub szpitalnego.
Ale Areuma po prostu się lubi i chce się o nim czytać, bo to szalenie inteligentny i sprytny dzieciak o bardzo bogatym życiu wewnętrznym.
Autorka idealnie wyważyła smutek i radość, dzięki czemu napisała niewymuszoną, do bólu szczerą historię o życiu z chorobą i życiu z osobą chorą.
May 31, 2025
داستان از زبان پسر بچه ای ۱۶ ساله مبتلا به بیماری است که بدنش خیلی زود شروع به پیر شدن میکند
نمیدونم نویسنده دقیقا چقدر به این موضوع پرداخته بود ولی از لحن گفتاری کتاب دقیقا مشخص بود که از زبان یک نوجوان هست ، در طول خوندن کتاب به این فکر میکردم که این نوجوان ۱۶ ساله ذهنی کاملا بالغ دارد فرای سن جسمانی و سن عقلی خود و مطمئن میتونم بگم که اون با تمام وجودش باور داشت که زندگی درخشانی دارد.
نمیدونم نویسنده دقیقا چقدر به این موضوع پرداخته بود ولی از لحن گفتاری کتاب دقیقا مشخص بود که از زبان یک نوجوان هست ، در طول خوندن کتاب به این فکر میکردم که این نوجوان ۱۶ ساله ذهنی کاملا بالغ دارد فرای سن جسمانی و سن عقلی خود و مطمئن میتونم بگم که اون با تمام وجودش باور داشت که زندگی درخشانی دارد.
February 27, 2018
Der junge Süd-Koreaner Arun Han war ein besonderes Kind. Während andere Kinder sich Sprache durch Nachahmen aneignen, las er Wörter wie Blätter auf und stellte sie sich wie Vokabelkarten vor. Wörter als Karten lassen sich sinnlich begreifen, in die Hand nehmen und bewegen. Als Arun geboren wird, sind seine Eltern gerade erst 17 Jahre alt, seine Mutter Mira muss wegen ihrer Schwangerschaft die Schule verlassen, sein Vater, Daesu Han, verdient sein erstes Geld als Bauarbeiter. Das Dorf der Großeltern wurde zur Großbaustelle für einen geplanten Freizeitpark, viele Bewohner müssen ihre Häuser verlassen und erhalten eine Abfindung. Als Arun 2 Jahre alt ist, stellt sich nach langer Odyssee heraus, dass er an Progerie leidet, einer seltenen Krankheit, die die Erkrankten in rasantem Tempo altern und früh sterben lässt. Es scheint unwahrscheinlich, dass Arun älter als 17 Jahre wird, bis dahin will er jedoch eine Geschichte für seine Eltern geschrieben haben. Damit muss er sich beeilen; denn sein Herz und seine Augen sind bereits schwer geschädigt.
In Rückblenden erzählt der junge Icherzähler von der Beziehung und dem Alltag seiner Eltern, die ihr Dorf noch nie verlassen hatten, bevor sie mit Arun zur Untersuchung in ein Krankenhaus der Hauptstadt reisen mussten. Arun wirkt wie ein Jugendlicher, dessen geistige Entwicklung den körperlichen Verfall nicht einholen kann. Sein Körper wird durch Krankheiten zerstört, an denen sonst nur Hochbetagte leiden. Da er keine anderen Progerie-Kranken kennt, kann und muss Arun sich an niemandem messen. Ein Tag seiner kalkulierten Lebenszeit entspricht vermutlich einem Tag im Leben seines Vaters. So albert Arun herum, dass er älter ist als sein Vater, der kontert, „du bist älter als ich, aber ich bin immer noch dein Vater“. Weil der Junge nicht zur Schule gehen kann, kann er zwar den ganzen Tag dem Lesen und Schreiben widmen, aber hat keine gleichaltrigen Freunde. Der alte Nachbar Herr Jang, der mit seinem dementen Vater zusammenlebt, ist kein Umgang für ein Kind, findet Aruns Mutter. Doch jeder Jugendliche braucht erwachsene Gesprächspartner, die nicht die eigenen Eltern sind. Während es Arun gesundheitlich dramatisch schlechter geht, begegnet er überraschend Menschen, mit denen er endlich auf Augenhöhe kommunizieren und damit seine Rolle als Kind und als Patient verlassen kann.
Aruns Erlebnisse als Jugendlicher sind in der technisch fortgeschrittenen Gegenwart angesiedelt, während seine Kleinkindzeit in jedem Land und zu jeder Zeit spielen könnte. Für die Sichtweise eines jugendlichen Icherzählers erreicht Ae-ran Kims berührender Roman sprachlich ein erstaunliches Niveau. Arun ist nicht alt, nicht jung, er ist einfach er selbst, wie ein Berg, „auf dem alle Jahreszeiten gleichzeitig“ stattfinden. Zwischen alltäglichen Ereignissen drängen aus der Geschichte wie Blüten in kräftigen Farben zutiefst weise Einsichten an die Oberfläche. So zeigt Arun großes Einfühlungsvermögen in seine Mutter, die für ihr Alter verblüffend souverän mit der unheilbaren Krankheit ihres Kindes umgeht, und schließt am Ende den Bogen zu den beiden 16-Jährigen (so alt wie er heute), die ungeplant schwanger wurden. Ein äußerlich schönes Buch, übersetzt in eine runde, glaubwürdige Sprache, das mich sprachlos zurücklässt.
In Rückblenden erzählt der junge Icherzähler von der Beziehung und dem Alltag seiner Eltern, die ihr Dorf noch nie verlassen hatten, bevor sie mit Arun zur Untersuchung in ein Krankenhaus der Hauptstadt reisen mussten. Arun wirkt wie ein Jugendlicher, dessen geistige Entwicklung den körperlichen Verfall nicht einholen kann. Sein Körper wird durch Krankheiten zerstört, an denen sonst nur Hochbetagte leiden. Da er keine anderen Progerie-Kranken kennt, kann und muss Arun sich an niemandem messen. Ein Tag seiner kalkulierten Lebenszeit entspricht vermutlich einem Tag im Leben seines Vaters. So albert Arun herum, dass er älter ist als sein Vater, der kontert, „du bist älter als ich, aber ich bin immer noch dein Vater“. Weil der Junge nicht zur Schule gehen kann, kann er zwar den ganzen Tag dem Lesen und Schreiben widmen, aber hat keine gleichaltrigen Freunde. Der alte Nachbar Herr Jang, der mit seinem dementen Vater zusammenlebt, ist kein Umgang für ein Kind, findet Aruns Mutter. Doch jeder Jugendliche braucht erwachsene Gesprächspartner, die nicht die eigenen Eltern sind. Während es Arun gesundheitlich dramatisch schlechter geht, begegnet er überraschend Menschen, mit denen er endlich auf Augenhöhe kommunizieren und damit seine Rolle als Kind und als Patient verlassen kann.
Aruns Erlebnisse als Jugendlicher sind in der technisch fortgeschrittenen Gegenwart angesiedelt, während seine Kleinkindzeit in jedem Land und zu jeder Zeit spielen könnte. Für die Sichtweise eines jugendlichen Icherzählers erreicht Ae-ran Kims berührender Roman sprachlich ein erstaunliches Niveau. Arun ist nicht alt, nicht jung, er ist einfach er selbst, wie ein Berg, „auf dem alle Jahreszeiten gleichzeitig“ stattfinden. Zwischen alltäglichen Ereignissen drängen aus der Geschichte wie Blüten in kräftigen Farben zutiefst weise Einsichten an die Oberfläche. So zeigt Arun großes Einfühlungsvermögen in seine Mutter, die für ihr Alter verblüffend souverän mit der unheilbaren Krankheit ihres Kindes umgeht, und schließt am Ende den Bogen zu den beiden 16-Jährigen (so alt wie er heute), die ungeplant schwanger wurden. Ein äußerlich schönes Buch, übersetzt in eine runde, glaubwürdige Sprache, das mich sprachlos zurücklässt.
April 6, 2022
Areum is a 16 years old boy with a body of an 80 year old man. He not only has the appearance of an elder, but he also has the illnesses of an elderly man, such as arthritis, blood pressure, heart complication as a result of his rare, degenerative genetic condition. Knowing that he may not live to be seventeen or eighteen, Areum decides to document the love story of his parents and give it to them on his seventeenth birthday: “Instead of awards or a college diploma, I would gift them a story.”
This is the story of the youngest parent with the oldest child.
My Brilliant Life is an immensely moving, effortlessly entertaining and above all a heartbreakingly shattering portrait of parenthood, family relationship, the joy of stories, the inevitability of death and the strength of human perseverance. Much of this novel’s charm lies in Areum’s voice as the narrator. He is wickedly funny, he literally made me cry one second and laugh the next. The presence of Areum’s mom and dad was also a prominent addition to the story. His parents were sixteen when they had him and we get to see how his mom struggles with teenage pregnancy, as well as how they navigate from adolescence to adulthood and to being parents in a blink of an eye. As heavy and difficult as this may seem, Areum and his family had me laughing and sobbing for all the right reasons.
In short, I love this book so much. A heart-warming read that I will remember for a long time. Give this novel a go and experience it yourselves. You won’t be disappointed. Highly, highly, highly recommended. Especially if you’re a parent.
P/S: Guess who cried while writing this review :)
This is the story of the youngest parent with the oldest child.
My Brilliant Life is an immensely moving, effortlessly entertaining and above all a heartbreakingly shattering portrait of parenthood, family relationship, the joy of stories, the inevitability of death and the strength of human perseverance. Much of this novel’s charm lies in Areum’s voice as the narrator. He is wickedly funny, he literally made me cry one second and laugh the next. The presence of Areum’s mom and dad was also a prominent addition to the story. His parents were sixteen when they had him and we get to see how his mom struggles with teenage pregnancy, as well as how they navigate from adolescence to adulthood and to being parents in a blink of an eye. As heavy and difficult as this may seem, Areum and his family had me laughing and sobbing for all the right reasons.
In short, I love this book so much. A heart-warming read that I will remember for a long time. Give this novel a go and experience it yourselves. You won’t be disappointed. Highly, highly, highly recommended. Especially if you’re a parent.
P/S: Guess who cried while writing this review :)
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