Familiar Things (2018) by Hwang Sok-yong

Book Review

Familiar Things (2018)

by Hwang Sok-yong

   One way I keep myself stocked with books to read is by checking other books put out by the same publisher whenever I read an Ebook or Audiobook via the Libby app.  Chances are with the smaller publishing houses that if I like one title I will find other interesting titles available on the app.  Such was the case with Familiar Things, the 2018 book about South Korean trash pickers that very much reminded my of Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri, the 2020 National Book Award for Translated Literature winner, that was about a homeless man living outside a subway station in Tokyo.  Both books deal with the human detrius of the late 20th century rush towards capitalism experienced in both societies.   Both books weave magical elements into their down-and-dirty depictions of what it is like to be homeless in Japan or to earn a living scavenging in the dumps outside Seoul. 

   I did enjoy Familiar Things, even if there were some moments, mostly centered around meal preparation and eating in the dump, that made me want to gag.   I wouldn't consider South Korea as a place where people live in a trash dump, to me that is more associated with real third world/undeveloped locations in countries like the Philippines, Bangladesh or Latin America.  I suppose like the moments that made me gag, the whole point is to convince you of the reality of this existence, and in that sense, Familiar Things is a total success