Knife marks / Author's note

The life of my mother who raised me while running a noodle shop for over twenty years

To the protagonist, ‘I’, the mother is remembered as “a woman who holds a knife, not a woman who cries, a woman who puts on makeup, or a woman who obeys” (page 7).
My mother, who had been running a noodle shop for over twenty years, always had a knife in her hand.
My body and mind grew as I ate the food my mother made by cutting, slicing, and chopping with that knife.
Now an adult, the daughter looks back on the time that has passed while attending her mother's funeral.


My mother's life was not smooth.
Some things must have passed through my mother's heart as sharply as cutting her finger with a knife.
The mother's heart must have been disappointed by her sloppy husband who would just say "that's it" to whatever other people said, and must have been distressed by customers who complained about the food.
The mother sometimes had to listen to her daughter's complaint, "Do you like guests more than your children?" (page 28).
But my mother bravely went through each and every step of that life, holding a knife in one hand.
Knives are usually considered sharp, fearful, and something to be avoided, but author Kim Ae-ran gives the knife a new symbolism by borrowing the protagonist's memories.
In the work, the knife is always present in the mother's daily life, and is transformed into a source of life that feeds, raises, and saves others.
And the mother's life remains in her daughter's memory as a source of pride, as she can calmly say, "I know how to use a knife." (page 34).


Eating together and sleeping together
The meaning of family, which remains as a precious 'trace' in life

The separation from my mother came to me suddenly.
It is said that the mother was boiling noodles in the kitchen of the restaurant 'Matnadang' just before she collapsed.
While attending the funeral, I stopped by 'Matnadang' where my mother was staying, closed my eyes for a moment, and recalled the scenery of the past.
The side profile of his mother standing in the dim light of the dark kitchen, the mischievous pranks she played on him, the memory of crying and falling asleep next to her.
'I' realizes that I have never truly been hungry as a child, and that my mother, who had always satisfied my hunger, is no longer with me.


I swallowed the food my mother made along with the knife marks on the ingredients.
There are countless knife scars carved into my dark body.
It runs through my veins and touches me.
That's why my mother is sick.
All the agencies know this.
I understand the phrase 'my heart hurts' physically.
―Page 51 of the text

Although his mother has passed away, he feels that there are countless scars carved into his body by his mother, and he gains the strength to stand up again.
What a mother passed on to her daughter throughout her life may have been the will to live, a passionate affirmation and hope for life.

The novel "Knife Marks" makes us think about the meaning of family, which, whether we like it or not, remains like a beautiful tattoo or an indelible scar as we eat and sleep together.
How will we all remember our mothers and our families? "Knife Marks" is a widely beloved autobiographical work by author Kim Ae-ran.
We are reintroducing the "First Encounter with Novels" series, tailored to the eye level of young readers, and hope that it will allow young readers to approach excellent contemporary works.
For teenagers, family is an inseparable part of their lives, so this novel, with its colorful illustrations, will have even more special meaning.