Bookmarked: Molka by Monika Kim
Hey y'all let's see what's up today! So this book was actually in my list of new releases a couple months back, and I was super excited to start reading it because its a Korean horror. I've been a fan of Korean based horror for almost a decade with titles like Killing Stalking and Moebious being in my rotation pretty consistently despite my preference for 1970s-1980s style horror.
PLEASE check the content warnings before you read this yourself, this novel is very raw it is pretty explicit, and though I dont have a problem with that personally I encourage you to make sure that its something you're able to handle.
I am genuinely so excited to talk about this book, so without further adue let's just get on into it.
Content Warnings: Voyeurism, Genetalia, Masturbation, Strong Language, Grief, Sex, Misogyny, Death, Unplanned Pregnancy, Teen Pregnancy, Suicide, Drowning, Sibling Rivalry, Graphic Descriptions of A Corpse, Depression, Stalking, Leaked Sex Tapes, Invasion of Privacy, Parental Abuse, Parental Neglect, Blackmail, Sexual Assault, Incel Behavior, Delusions, Manslaughter, Lying, Murder, Revenge, Male Privilege, Female Rage
The Summary
After a hidden camera scandal sends Park Dahye's life spiraling out of control, she must confront the ghosts of her past and take matters into her own hands if she hopes to receive justice. Meanwhile Jungyoung is an IT worker that becomes dangerously obsessed with Dahye after using hidden cameras to spy on her in the bathroom. Plagued by hallucinations of her dead sister, Dahye begins her downward spiral with the very same man that sent her life into orbit to begin with.
The Review
This is one of those books that goes from like 0 to 100 really really quickly. Normally that isn't something that I personally like, however this book was fairly short so I appreciated that Ms. Kim got straight to the point. Sometimes I think authors try to build suspense by using very elaborate and flowery descriptions; however, they often overdo it and that can honestly make big reveals or plot twists fall a little flat so I appreciated the raw 'cut to the chase' bluntness.
Additionally, I appreciated the definition of what a 'molka' or 'molrae-kamera' (λͺ°λμΉ΄λ©λΌ) is. She included the definition and a brief little history right at the beginning of the novel and I feel like that little bit of context really sets the tone for the rest of the story because understanding its significance is a very crucial part to the horror element. It's also very important to understand that this is not something new but rather something that has simply evolved and gotten much worse over time.
I mean we've all heard horror stories about it. Ring cameras getting hacked, phone cameras getting hacked, Air B&Bs with hidden cameras, grocery stores with hidden cameras on the shelves, and now we have the addition of Flock mass surveillance cameras, AI Data Centers collecting our personal information, most apps and browsers requiring an ID to access content, and in my state of Tennessee there's now 24/7 mass drone surveillance in areas like Nashville. It truly feels like we have gotten way too comfortable with our privacy being invaded simply because someone told us it was acceptable. This book highlights the fact that it really isn't acceptable to have your privacy invaded at all, and it does so in a very intimate uncomfortable way.
I love when creators make something horrific out of the mundane, which is something that I also appreciated about the book just overall. Women face so much harassment and so much invasion of our privacy (or worse) and it is just so normalized. I feel like we get told to overlook these things so often that seeing attention being called to it is almost refreshing even if horror isn't everyone's cup of tea.
I also love the fact that this novel just highlighted the incel mindset. We've all come across them, and the one featured in this book is just so uncomfortable and creepy he almost reminded me of Bear from Obsession just without the magic aspect of a One Wish Willow. He's obsessed with a girl that's simply nice to him, and not really all that into him and it comes back to bite him.
Kim shows the way the justice system fails women in a few different lights throughout this novel and I really like that as well. I think being able to show how horrific these situations are and how more often than not the men responsible for sexually assaulting, exploiting, trafficking, and stalking women are never held accountable for their actions. It also highlights how women are seen as the problem in this situations, how the justice system rarely serves them proper justice, and given what's been a pretty hot topic this year with the Epstein files and how the people who are responsible for keeping us safe basically told us they can't bring any of those terrible people to proper justice because they're wealthy, powerful, and world leaders it just made this novel hit ten times harder.
This book also makes some nods to Korean folklore, which I really liked. The folklore in Asian culture is absolutely wild in the best way, and it's one of my favorite things to study, I loved seeing it used as a horror element it just added this overhanging feeling of "Oh this can only go poorly".
My only ONLY critique for this novel is that I feel like Dahye should have gotten to take out more men. She needed to have like a whole villain arc and I would have been here for it.
Closing
I absolutely loved this book, I think its probably one of my favorite reads this year. However, I will say that there were times it made me uncomfortable and I felt like as a woman it was good to just sit with the discomfort for a minute. Horror isn't designed to keep us comfortable, horror is meant to prey on our real life anxieties and Molka did that perfectly. If you want to pick up a copy of Molka for yourself you can do so here, though I highly recommend making sure it's going to be something that you're going to be okay with reading because no details were spared here and its a very raw novel. If you want to see more from me feel free to click the link below where you can find my other socials. Y'all take care, and thanks for stopping by!
Comments
Post a Comment