Special Feature: Women in Translation Month
Since August was Women in Translation Month, I’ll be sharing my thoughts in mini reviews of all the books I read in August to celebrate books by women in translation.
Firstly, a shout out to oyindalovesbooks, who not only made me aware of August’s bookish theme, but also inspired me to find more books in translation. She has dedicated August to reviewing a book a day and has some tremendous recommendations if you are looking to expand your TBR, so please go check her out on TikTok if you can!
Onto the books, reviewed in the order I read them.
Saja, My Love by Jeong Eun-gwol
Translated byDaniel Jeong
Genre: Romantasy
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
An interesting blend of modern social commentary with mythology, telling the story of the saja (Korean grim reaper) bureau, responsible for maintaining the afterlife. This bureau is run like a modern corporation, and seems to be at odds with the Jade Kingdom doing things a bit more traditionally. This depiction was as quirky as it was weird, and there was a certain off-beat charm to seeing these mythological and magical figures using cell phones and email.
This book also focuses on mental illness, both the mental health of the female protagonist as well as the mental health of the sajas. This is where I'm not sure if this book accurately reflects a Korean cultural perspective, the author's own perspective on mental health, or is simply taking a more fantastical view of how modern medicine might view a mythological grim reaper. I didn’t always love how personality traits were pathologized in this story, which doesn’t seem to acknowledge neurodivergence beyond what it classifies as an illness, such as PTSD, OCD, and even Schizophrenia. I might have been able to overlook this, but the search for a definitive diagnosis for both our protagonist and autistic-coded love interest becomes a major element of the plot, which pushes the rather awkward romance into the background.
Also, consider yourself warned: this first book in the series ends on a major cliffhanger! Despite that, and while there were several aspects of this story I enjoyed, I'm not sure I'll continue with the series.
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Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda
Translated by Sarah Booker
Genre: Horror
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
This was weird and disturbing in ways I was not expecting, with a narrative structure that made the story hard to follow at times. It's a book you really need to 'trust the process' with, as the story progresses through non-linear and different POVs. Gradually, the reader is able to piece together the truth behind this grotesque rumination on adolescence and the somewhat parasitic (maybe even cannibalistic) relationship between mothers and daughters, a concept echoed in the relationship between teacher and student.
As a teacher, I found the story profoundly disturbing. Clara, the teacher, was relatable at times, while also being both sinister and tragic, while the thoughts on pedagogy and approaches to teaching, as well as teacher-student relationships, lent this macabre tale an additional layer of interest (and horror) for me.
The graphic depictions of torture were difficult to endure though, and this is certainly not a book for the squeamish or sensitive. Given the sexual violence in this book, I might be hesitant to recommend it, but if you have the stomach for gore and enjoy more introspective horror, then this might be the book for you.
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The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk
Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
This translation of a book originally written in Polish isn't the easiest read. Although the blurb emphasizes the horror aspect of this book, it is decidedly light on the horror elements and heavy on the historical, with a generous dollop of philosophical pontificating full of the misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia rife in the early 20th century. I very much appreciated the author's note at the end which details which men (authors, philosophers, and doctors) the author quoted and paraphrased during these discussions about whether or not women even have souls! The fact some of these notions were borrowed from the likes of Jack Kerouac and William S Burroughs (never mind Darwin, Freud, and Satre) was infuriating—not that I should've been surprised given the state of queer and women's rights in our current global society.
I adored our MC and appreciated how the author presented her intersex identity through the given historical lens while still giving this character agency and allowing her to reveal her truth on her own terms. That said, the misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia was difficult to swallow and didn't always make for an enjoyable read, as those discussions did seem to go on for just a touch too long at times.
As for the horror element, it was rather subtle, but it did provide an unexpected and pleasant twist to the story as well as a simmering sense of foreboding throughout the book. I'm glad I read this and I'm curious to see what else this author has written.
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I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
Translated by Ros Schwartz
Genre: Dystopian
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Again, I was taken by surprise with this one. Described as a post-apocalyptic science fiction story, this was very much more a character study and introspective contemplation on personhood and womanhood in a bleak and desolate world where almost all norms and social constructs have been stripped away.
While there was a lot to enjoy about this book, and I really enjoyed the way the MC forged and claimed her identity over the course of the story, I found it frustrating—and a bit of a cop out—that the reason for the entire situation was never actually explained. Surely there would've, could've been some sort of documentation or more hints as to what had happened, why the bunker was being maintained, and what caused the inciting incident. This seemingly 'sci-fi' aspect of the story, presented without further explanation, really irked me, even though I know that's not really what the story is about. Not having this explanation did undermine the premise for me, reducing the story to not much more than an author's thought experiment.
Despite this lack of world-building, the story still asks many interesting philosophical and socio-anthropological questions, making for a thought-provoking read.
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Jumpnauts by Hao Jingfang
Translated by Ken Liu
Genre: Space Opera / Sci-Fi
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Oof, this was a struggle, but I do have to note that I don’t usually read hard sci-fi so I'm probably not the target audience for this novel. If you enjoy hard sci-fi in the vein of Ninefox Gambit, I think you might enjoy this book more than I did.
Even so, this story started out strong and I was immediately drawn to our maverick-seeming MC in this near future tale blending cyberpunk elements with a first contact story set in China. However, the story lost me when the actual aliens show up. What follows is long expository dumping via dialogue full of fantasy physics. If I hadn't been listening to the audiobook, I definitely would've been skimming pages in the hopes of getting to more action.
I don't love the 'ancient aliens' trope given how it undermines often indigenous nations by questioning their technological knowledge, and so I was really hoping this story would critically interrogate this narrative and perhaps even disprove it, but that didn't happen. Aside from the Chinese cultural, linguistic, historical perspectives embedded in the story, this story seemed familiar and, sadly, even a little boring.
I very much appreciated the approach Ken Liu took in his translation and loved learning about Chinese antiquity via the characters quoting aspects of Chinese culture, philosophy, and mythology. While overall this was not a book for me, fans of hard sci-fi might find more to enjoy here.
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Oksi by Mari Ahokoivu
Translated by Silja-Maaria Aronpuro
Genre: Fantasy
Age: Adult
Format: Graphic Novel
Last but certainly not least, and the only graphic novel on this list—Oksi, originally written in Finnish and illustrated by the author. This book took my breath away. The art is exquisite and I found myself spending several minutes poring over the text-less pages, trying to absorb every detail in the tenderly rendered depictions of shadow and forest. I especially loved the way Ahokoivu showed the ribbon-like movement of the northern lights. She also makes exceptional use of contrast, where most of the pages are painted in black ink (or watercolor). The addition of vibrant color is used when necessary and always serves to emphasize or amplify the happenings in the story, adding intensity to an already dark and poignant folktale.
Now, I was cheating a little here as the edition I read had the original Finnish text with English translations provided only as subtitles, which meant I was able to read this book in the original language, only checking the subtitles when I wasn’t 100% sure of myself. This approach preserved the original imagery, where the lettering and words actually form part of the pictures with the words flowing as beautifully as the brushstrokes, while allowing non-Finnish speakers to enjoy the story too. The Finnish itself is quite accessible though, making Oksi a great choice for non-native Finnish readers.
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