Once the Shore: Stories (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Yoon's collection of eight richly textured stories explore the themes of family, lost love, silence, alienation and the effects of the Japanese occupation and the Korean War on the poor communities of a small South Korean island. In the namesake story, a lonely young waiter connects with an American widow who has come to find the cave where her husband claimed to have carved their initials during his tour of duty in Korea. The narrator shifts between Jim coping with the loss of his big brother, a fisherman killed by a surfacing American submarine, and the sorrow of the widow. In Among the Wreckage, aging parents Bey and Soni hope to recover the body of their son, Karo, killed in a U.S. military bombing test on what was thought to be a deserted island. The sad journey provides Bey an opportunity to examine his inability to show affection to his wife and only child. Yoon's stories are introspective and tender while also painting with bold strokes the details of the lives of the invisible. (Apr.)
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Product Description

"So persuasive are Yoon's powers of invention that I went searching for his Solla Island somewhere off the mainland of South Korea—not realizing that it exists only in this breathtaking collection of eight interlinked stories...Yoon's writing results in a fully formed, deftly executed debut. The lost lives, while heartbreaking, prove illuminating in Yoon's made-up world, so convincing and real. To read is truly to believe."—San Francisco Chronicle

“Paul Yoon writes stories the way Fabergé made eggs: with untold craftsmanship, artistry, and delicacy. Again and again another layer of intricacy is revealed, proving that something as small as a story can be as satisfying and moving as a Russian novel.”—Ann Patchett

“These are lovely stories, rendered with a Chekhovian elegance. They span from post–World War II to the new millennium, with characters of different ethnicities, yet each story has a timelessness and relevance that's haunting and unforgettable. Yoon is a sparkling new writer to welcome and celebrate.”—Don Lee

“These are splendid stories, at once lyrical and plain-spoken and full of unusual realities. Once the Shore is a kind of fantastic Korean gazetteer that tours us confidently through unpredictable incidents and often startling conversations—Paul Yoon’s writing is erotic, haunting, original and worldly.”—Howard Norman

Spanning over half a century—from the years just before the Korean War to the present—the eight stories in this collection reveal an intricate and unforgettable portrait of a single island in the South Pacific. Novelistic in scope, daring in its varied environments, Once the Shore introduces a remarkable new voice in international fiction.

Publishers Weekly starred review: "Yoon's collection of eight richly textured stories explore the themes of family, lost love, silence, alienation and the effects of the Japanese occupation and the Korean War on the poor communities of a small South Korean island. In the namesake story, a lonely young waiter connects with an American widow who has come to find the cave where her husband claimed to have carved their initials during his tour of duty in Korea. The narrator shifts between Jim coping with the loss of his big brother, a fisherman killed by a surfacing American submarine, and the sorrow of the widow. In "Among the Wreckage," aging parents Bey and Soni hope to recover the body of their son, Karo, killed in a U.S. military bombing test on what was thought to be a deserted island. The sad journey provides Bey an opportunity to examine his inability to show affection to his wife and only child. Yoon's stories are introspective and tender while also painting with bold strokes the details of the lives of the invisible."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Sarabande Books; 1 edition (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932511709
• ISBN-13: 978-1932511703
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,503 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stories that linger like dreams, April 25, 2009

By	J. Weil (Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just finished Paul Yoon's amazing debut story collection. It took me a while, because I knew from the start that I wanted to savor it. Now, I want to go back through and read it again. These are not your typical stories. They don't seem to work the way most stories -- at least most that I read -- do. You don't read these stories simply to find out what happens. You read them to exist in the world with the character while the events of that world are happening. In that, Paul Yoon is doing something unique and precious with his writing. I don't quiet know how to get at what these stories accomplish, except that they feel to me like they float, like the worlds they contain are somehow unmoored from the world I experience every day, as if they are floating on the sea that surrounds the island on which the stories are set. Reading this book, you can feel the world rock and sway with the current. These stories are dream-like that way, and they will linger with you as powerfully as the most meaningful and affecting of dreams.

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful collection, June 18, 2009

By	D. McCoy "Drew" (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

I finally finished Paul Yoon's collection of short stories. It took a few months to read, mainly because I did not want the reading experience to end. This collection was amazing. Yoon writes with such graceful, elgant prose. His voice and control over his characters is amazing to read. All the stories were previously published and it's easy to see why. I'm very anxious and excited for more of Yoon's fiction. Lets hope he has a book coming out soon, but if not, I can and will turn back to the collection. This is a book you need to buy. Enjoy!

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Once the Shore, July 28, 2009

By	Digital Artist - See all my reviews

I will admit that the language in this book is beautiful. For some reason I thought this would be a sort of Korean "Walden Pond," but it is not. I only read the first two stories, and for me they are too sad and disturbing. With all the sadness in the world right now this is not the book for me.

I would like to not to rate the book at all because how can I rate a book I did not finish? I have written this review to help readers make a choice about reading "Once the Shore." Since I must give a rating, I have compromised with 3 stars.