My brilliant life

My brilliant life

Ae-ran Kim, 1980-

Book - 2021

"My Brilliant Life interweaves the past and present of a tight-knit family, finding joy and happiness in even the most difficult times. 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. Through it all, Areum and his family will have you laughing and crying, for all the right reasons...."--Provided by publisher.

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FICTION/Kim, Ae-ran
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Location Call Number   Status
1st Floor FICTION/Kim, Ae-ran Checked In
Subjects
Families > Fiction.
Friendship > Fiction.
Manuscripts > Fiction.
Domestic fiction.
Humorous fiction.
Genres
Domestic fiction
Humorous fiction
Published
New York : Forge 2021.
Language
English
Korean
Main Author
Ae-ran Kim, 1980- (author)
Other Authors
Chi-Young Kim (translator)
Edition
First U.S. edition
Item Description
"A Tom Doherty Associates book."
Physical Description
203 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN
9781250750556
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

The youngest winner ever of multiple important literary prizes in her native Korea, Ae-ran Kim's first full-length novel arrives stateside, hauntingly English-enabled by lauded translator Chi-Young Kim (no relation). Areum suffers from progeria, a rare disease that causes rapid, premature aging: "My dad sees his future eighty-year-old face in mine." At 16, he's the age his parents were when they had him. Their life together has hardly been easy, although undoubtedly, love and devotion have never been in short supply. His immediate plan is to "write a story of my parents from the very beginning and give this to them for my seventeenth birthday." Knowing their time together is limited, "instead of awards or a college diploma, I would gift them a story." With a final hospital stay looming, Areum agrees to appear on a reality TV show that promises him much-needed funds and connects virtually with another ill teen with whom he shares hopeful dreams. In a narrative about fatal illness, compounding moments of insight and joy resonate deeply, with heartwarming results.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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