Molka by Monika Kim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars**
I’ll admit to having no clue what molka were until I picked up this book. If you’re like me, here’s the definition provided in the publisher’s synopsis:
molka (n): the Korean term for spy cameras secretly and illegally installed, often to capture voyeuristic images and videos
These sound awful, right? A plague on society, where no one can presume themselves safe from the prying eyes of others. In public spaces, voyeurs taking advantage and watching unsuspecting individuals in their most private moments.
In this story, we follow two perspectives, Dahye and Junyoung, who both end up with connections to the molka issue, but in vastly different ways. It was interesting to follow both of these perspectives, and both filled me with emotion, though also in different ways.
Dahye’s story, which mostly revolves around her relationship with a wealthy young man that goes terribly wrong, was so compelling, and also heart-wrenching, for me to read. She is such a well-realized character, every aspect of her I felt was created with such thought and care.
The way Dahye and Junyoung’s perspectives connect more and more as the story progresses helped to increase the intensity of the story. I’m glad the author included both.
I did find Junyoung’s perspective rather disturbing. Once you read this, I’m sure you’ll understand why, but mainly because of the sick pleasure he was getting from the things he was doing. It left me unsettled, considering that people in our world can be this way.
Monika Kim truly has a knack for drawing Readers into the story. I also was super satisfied with the conclusion. Due to the themes explored, I thought it was so fitting for it to wrap-up the way it did. There’s a lot to unpack in this one, and I feel like Kim did a great job shining a light on some pretty uncomfortable topics.
Overall, this is an impressive Sophomore novel from Kim. I thought maybe The Eyes Are the Best Part would be difficult to match, because that was so engaging and explosive, but this definitely achieved the same levels of intrigue, social commentary and stellar character development.
Thank you to the publisher, Erewhon Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’ll read anything Monika Kim writes and am looking forward to whatever comes next!
