Now that I have finished this novel, I noticed that it starts with “all the world began with a yes” (3) and the last word is also “yes” (77). Overall, I thought this book was interesting in that the author also seems to be a character himself. He knows his goal for writing is to “write a story with a beginning, middle, “grand finale” followed by silence and falling rain” (5). Something I found unique is his way of writing, where he sets super low expectations saying “so don’t expect stars in what’s coming: nothing will twinkle” (8). I thought it was great how raw he is, instead of trying to set a false impression and lure readers in. Another part of the novel that supports this is “I read nothing for fear of polluting the simplicity of my language with luxuries” (14). He does not try to accessorize himself in “gold” and is not afraid to show who he truly is. Following this, his whole intro feels like “mit-bap-kkal-gi” which is a korean phrase for “laying the floor” or “setting the stage” in preparation for disappointment. My thoughts are confirmed on page 9, “because I’m scared” and “I still haven’t worked up the nerve to write it” (13).
“This book is silence. This book is a question” (8). I began to ponder what he means by this and would love to know other people’s thoughts. Further, I was inspired by his confidence “to abandon the old already comfortable feelings” (11).
On another note, I felt like my inner thoughts were read so loud and clear when he said “but let’s get back to today. Because, as we know, today is today. You’re not understanding me and I darkly hear you laughing at me with the quick and rasping laugh of the old” (12). Also, at the start, I think he makes this “northeastern girl” super mysterious and I could not help but continuously be curious about who she is.
Something about the way he writes captivated me. Yes, I definitely got lost in all his words but some quotes were extremely powerful. For example, “for at the hour of death a person becomes a shining movie star, it’s everyone’s moment of glory and it’s when as in choral chanting you hear the whooshing shrieks” (20). I found that there’s a strange beauty to this book. My thoughts were a little all over the place for this book and I think that might be seen throughout this blog post. Hopefully, my ideas are still conveyed and can be understood.
Question: What do you think the title of this text entails? What does “star” mean?
(I sort of understood it as everyone is a star at their own thing or like a star on stage that takes effort to shine.)