Mom of the Day
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Description
Book Introduction
“I want to stay here a little longer. No dead boyfriend, no sick mother “A place where you can laugh without guilt.” Trying to understand the strangest parting with the person I love the most A young and late twenty-nine-year-old's clumsy caregiving and thoughtful farewell Kang Jin-ah's full-length novel, "Today's Mom," was published as the 25th issue of Minumsa's Today's Young Writer series. "Today's Mom" is a novel that records the time of loss experienced by the main character, Jeong-ah. Jeong-ah, who lost her lover in a sudden accident three years ago, is still living in the memory. Then, I get a call from my older sister saying that my mother's health checkup results are strange. The role that Jeong-ah, who has not yet come to terms with his death, accepts in the last year of her twenties is that of guardian of her mother who has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. The upright and smart older sister, Jeong-mi, and the awkward and late-comer Jeong-ah. The story of two sisters traveling back and forth between Seoul, Busan, and Gyeongju begins. Even though we know that nothing is as inevitable as a breakup, we still have no idea how to handle it well. "Today's Mom" is a companion for us. However, it is neither a guide leading the way nor a safety officer supporting from behind. It's our real friend who resets every time we go through a breakup, yet goes through it with his whole body. We sense the feelings behind Jeong-ah's childish tantrums, irritation, and indifference as she stands by her sick mother. The love of a person who must live, the best that cannot be helped. As novelist Kim Cho-yeop said in his recommendation, “Love always brings the pain of loss. “Today’s Mom” is a novel that tenaciously examines the true nature of love. |
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index
Part 1, Chapter 7
Part 2, Chapter 57
Part 3 115
Part 4 185
Part 5 265
Author's Note 283
Recommendation 287
Part 2, Chapter 57
Part 3 115
Part 4 185
Part 5 265
Author's Note 283
Recommendation 287
Into the book
Jeong-ah focuses on eating.
The ribs, well-seasoned and juicy, are so tender that they slide down my throat without even chewing them a few times.
It's fragrant when you put the crunchy green onions in your mouth while the meat is still juicy.
The texture is rich thanks to the chewy noodles.
I can't even chew it a few times, but I'm craving the juicy ribs again.
(……)
“Don’t just eat the flesh, you should eat the bones too.”
Mom demonstrates by licking and eating the tendons.
With the other hand, he picks out a large bone and places it on Jeong-ah's rice.
“I’m done.”
“Really? What about Jeongmi?”
“My way.”
The ribs move from bowl to bowl.
Knock knock, slurp.
The three mothers and daughters don't have much to say.
As usual.
--- p.25
In the first spring after his death, Jeong-ah was critical of all the flowers.
I looked at the magnolia tree blooming on someone else's wall and pretended to be dead, but it was still alive. I felt inwardly contemptuous.
(……) But this forsythia is different.
Just as new shoots sprout from dry branches, new shoots may sprout from my mother's body too.
Bewitched by that indifferent repetition, Jeong-ah also began to harbor hope.
Mom might not die.
Hope becomes vivid like a forsythia before our eyes, and now becomes a clear future.
When your mother gets healthy, you must never forget her.
You must always remember how precious your mother is.
Jeong-ah's eyes, which are so determined that she even makes a promise, are busy trying not to miss a single petal.
“Hey, look at this.”
Jeong-ah bends down at her mother's voice.
In the place my mother points, there are a few white flowers crouching between the yellow bushes, as if watching the sun.
“Is it pretty?”
--- pp.130-131
The doctor asks again in a firm tone.
“Is there anyone you want to meet?”
Mom is still looking down at the floor.
It seems like there is no intention of continuing the interrupted conversation.
But the doctor doesn't back down and looks at the mother.
He is stubborn, as if he is determined to get an answer.
And Jeong-ah is extremely grateful to that doctor.
I was curious, but I didn't have the courage to ask.
Jeong-ah opens her ears and waits for her mother's answer.
Mom, who had been hesitating and taking her time, slowly opens her mouth.
“Mom.”
“Really? Do you miss your mom?”
"yes."
Jeong-ah's face feels numb as her blood rushes to her at the word 'Mom' that her mother utters.
--- p.135
As soon as Jeong-ah gets into the car, her older sister gets angry.
“Why aren’t you doing anything?”
Just before leaving, my sister was busy talking to hospital staff here and there.
Jeong-ah looks at her sister with a blank expression, not knowing if it's annoyance caused by stress or if it's an order to actually do something.
"what?"
“Why do I have to do everything?”
“What should I do?”
“Finding hospitals, contacting people, everything.”
Jeong-ah only thought that these were her sister's business.
It would be right to apologize and come up with a solution now, but Jeong-ah is also annoyed by the attacker's tone.
The ribs, well-seasoned and juicy, are so tender that they slide down my throat without even chewing them a few times.
It's fragrant when you put the crunchy green onions in your mouth while the meat is still juicy.
The texture is rich thanks to the chewy noodles.
I can't even chew it a few times, but I'm craving the juicy ribs again.
(……)
“Don’t just eat the flesh, you should eat the bones too.”
Mom demonstrates by licking and eating the tendons.
With the other hand, he picks out a large bone and places it on Jeong-ah's rice.
“I’m done.”
“Really? What about Jeongmi?”
“My way.”
The ribs move from bowl to bowl.
Knock knock, slurp.
The three mothers and daughters don't have much to say.
As usual.
--- p.25
In the first spring after his death, Jeong-ah was critical of all the flowers.
I looked at the magnolia tree blooming on someone else's wall and pretended to be dead, but it was still alive. I felt inwardly contemptuous.
(……) But this forsythia is different.
Just as new shoots sprout from dry branches, new shoots may sprout from my mother's body too.
Bewitched by that indifferent repetition, Jeong-ah also began to harbor hope.
Mom might not die.
Hope becomes vivid like a forsythia before our eyes, and now becomes a clear future.
When your mother gets healthy, you must never forget her.
You must always remember how precious your mother is.
Jeong-ah's eyes, which are so determined that she even makes a promise, are busy trying not to miss a single petal.
“Hey, look at this.”
Jeong-ah bends down at her mother's voice.
In the place my mother points, there are a few white flowers crouching between the yellow bushes, as if watching the sun.
“Is it pretty?”
--- pp.130-131
The doctor asks again in a firm tone.
“Is there anyone you want to meet?”
Mom is still looking down at the floor.
It seems like there is no intention of continuing the interrupted conversation.
But the doctor doesn't back down and looks at the mother.
He is stubborn, as if he is determined to get an answer.
And Jeong-ah is extremely grateful to that doctor.
I was curious, but I didn't have the courage to ask.
Jeong-ah opens her ears and waits for her mother's answer.
Mom, who had been hesitating and taking her time, slowly opens her mouth.
“Mom.”
“Really? Do you miss your mom?”
"yes."
Jeong-ah's face feels numb as her blood rushes to her at the word 'Mom' that her mother utters.
--- p.135
As soon as Jeong-ah gets into the car, her older sister gets angry.
“Why aren’t you doing anything?”
Just before leaving, my sister was busy talking to hospital staff here and there.
Jeong-ah looks at her sister with a blank expression, not knowing if it's annoyance caused by stress or if it's an order to actually do something.
"what?"
“Why do I have to do everything?”
“What should I do?”
“Finding hospitals, contacting people, everything.”
Jeong-ah only thought that these were her sister's business.
It would be right to apologize and come up with a solution now, but Jeong-ah is also annoyed by the attacker's tone.
--- p.169
Publisher's Review
My mother was sick, so I started to wonder about her.
Jeong-ah, who has started taking care of her mother, discovers her mother's tastes that she had not known before.
For example, my mother likes flowers, but she says they are not good if they are wild flowers that bloom in the field, but if she picks them and puts them in a vase, she says, “Not really.”
Her mother's standards for taste are similar to Jeong-ah's standards of 'animals should be in the wild, not in a zoo', so Jeong-ah is happy to get to know her mother in a new way.
At the same time, I wonder if the 'desire to know' was not a selfish gesture for myself that would ultimately be left behind.
I feel a sad sense of helplessness now that nothing will change even if I know, along with the lazy reflection that I wanted to know too late.
But, selfish as she may be, Jeong-ah never stops being curious.
Even if my mother disappears from the world, even if the anniversary of her death comes around again and again, I will still ask those who remain about my mother.
I'll mostly be okay without you, but I promise I'll never forget you.
That is the crystallization of the time left for Jeong-ah, who spent a year with her sick mother.
Anyone who has learned that asking about a person is like remembering that person has also learned the precious truth that loss is not always filled with only pain.
Even when my mother was sick, my life was still more important.
"Today's Mom" is a story about wanting to know one's mother, but also about getting to know oneself.
It is filled with moments of wavering between the desire to be a good daughter and a mature adult and the real 'me'.
Although Jeong-ah wants to focus all her energy on her sick mother, she often fails.
Even though I know that I have little time left and that I should be mature and take care of each other and leave good memories, I always end up returning to my grumpy and blunt self.
Jeong-ah doesn't want to listen to her sister's order not to frown in front of her mother, and she complains to her college senior, Ko Ho-min, who does things for her, asking why he feels sorry for her.
Messy emotions that can't be hidden or suppressed because your mom is sick.
"Today's Mom" is a confession book that details even the ugly and weak heart.
Even as separation from my mother approaches, I cannot ignore these feelings.
That the immature 'me' who was just because my mother was sick doesn't suddenly become a mature person.
"Today's Mom" is a story about accepting that fact with great sway.
And perhaps, for those of us who will experience more and more breakups, this honest confession might be more helpful than any other words of comfort or self-help.
Author's Note
I've had a few strange experiences in my life.
The high school I attended was over an hour away from home by bus.
I left home and went to school when it was dark outside.
One winter, as I was leaving the house, I saw a white lump at the end of the alley.
I had to pass the lump to get to the bus stop, so I took a few steps closer and stopped.
An unknown dog was looking up at me.
It was smaller than a school bag and bigger than a lunch box.
I think it was a little awkward.
(……)
I walked again.
The dog followed along at a slight distance.
It was about a 10-minute walk to the bus stop, but there weren't many people at the bus stop at that time.
We stopped at the bus stop together.
(……)
For several weeks, the unknown dog accompanied me on my walk to school in the same way as before.
Then, at some point, it disappeared.
I searched all over the neighborhood but couldn't find it.
20 years later, it is now.
I can still clearly remember the look in that dog's eyes.
Where did you come from and where did you go?
Why, for what reason did it happen?
When I think about it, I keep wanting to add something to the eyes of an unknown dog.
Jeong-ah, who has started taking care of her mother, discovers her mother's tastes that she had not known before.
For example, my mother likes flowers, but she says they are not good if they are wild flowers that bloom in the field, but if she picks them and puts them in a vase, she says, “Not really.”
Her mother's standards for taste are similar to Jeong-ah's standards of 'animals should be in the wild, not in a zoo', so Jeong-ah is happy to get to know her mother in a new way.
At the same time, I wonder if the 'desire to know' was not a selfish gesture for myself that would ultimately be left behind.
I feel a sad sense of helplessness now that nothing will change even if I know, along with the lazy reflection that I wanted to know too late.
But, selfish as she may be, Jeong-ah never stops being curious.
Even if my mother disappears from the world, even if the anniversary of her death comes around again and again, I will still ask those who remain about my mother.
I'll mostly be okay without you, but I promise I'll never forget you.
That is the crystallization of the time left for Jeong-ah, who spent a year with her sick mother.
Anyone who has learned that asking about a person is like remembering that person has also learned the precious truth that loss is not always filled with only pain.
Even when my mother was sick, my life was still more important.
"Today's Mom" is a story about wanting to know one's mother, but also about getting to know oneself.
It is filled with moments of wavering between the desire to be a good daughter and a mature adult and the real 'me'.
Although Jeong-ah wants to focus all her energy on her sick mother, she often fails.
Even though I know that I have little time left and that I should be mature and take care of each other and leave good memories, I always end up returning to my grumpy and blunt self.
Jeong-ah doesn't want to listen to her sister's order not to frown in front of her mother, and she complains to her college senior, Ko Ho-min, who does things for her, asking why he feels sorry for her.
Messy emotions that can't be hidden or suppressed because your mom is sick.
"Today's Mom" is a confession book that details even the ugly and weak heart.
Even as separation from my mother approaches, I cannot ignore these feelings.
That the immature 'me' who was just because my mother was sick doesn't suddenly become a mature person.
"Today's Mom" is a story about accepting that fact with great sway.
And perhaps, for those of us who will experience more and more breakups, this honest confession might be more helpful than any other words of comfort or self-help.
Author's Note
I've had a few strange experiences in my life.
The high school I attended was over an hour away from home by bus.
I left home and went to school when it was dark outside.
One winter, as I was leaving the house, I saw a white lump at the end of the alley.
I had to pass the lump to get to the bus stop, so I took a few steps closer and stopped.
An unknown dog was looking up at me.
It was smaller than a school bag and bigger than a lunch box.
I think it was a little awkward.
(……)
I walked again.
The dog followed along at a slight distance.
It was about a 10-minute walk to the bus stop, but there weren't many people at the bus stop at that time.
We stopped at the bus stop together.
(……)
For several weeks, the unknown dog accompanied me on my walk to school in the same way as before.
Then, at some point, it disappeared.
I searched all over the neighborhood but couldn't find it.
20 years later, it is now.
I can still clearly remember the look in that dog's eyes.
Where did you come from and where did you go?
Why, for what reason did it happen?
When I think about it, I keep wanting to add something to the eyes of an unknown dog.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: March 27, 2020
- Format: Hardcover book binding method guide
- Page count, weight, size: 292 pages | 344g | 134*195*18mm
- ISBN13: 9788937473258
- ISBN10: 8937473259
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