(English) The Affairs of a Lake
The new novel by Lee Hyeon, a writer who closely examines the hearts of those going through the pains of growth, The Affairs of a Lake details the journey through which 17-year-old protagonist Hojeong meets Eungi and experiences heart flutters and love, and how both characters overcome each of their hurts in the process.
Though adolescence is typically compared to spring, the period sometimes brings on harsh winds like winter. That’s the case for Hojeong in The Affairs of a Lake, beset by the relentless season. Unable to blend in with her happy family, Hojeong is overwhelmed and discomfited by her mother’s worries and her father’s attention. Cold and distant to her family, Hojeong is a wholly different person to her friends at school, warm and kind. Though both sides are part of who she is, Hojeong doesn’t want to show her parents how she treats people other than her family. Easily dubbed a product of adolescence, such discrepant attitudes coexist within adolescent hearts.
Memories with Eungi create fissures in Hojeong’s otherwise “safe” heart. Hojeong finds her curiosity about Eungi, who isn’t even on social media and uses a flip phone, grow and grow, and thoughts about Eungi that keep popping up in her mind develops into a crush. Walking home after school together and going out to eat a special meal instead of heading to the school cafeteria for dinner, Hojeong and Eungi spend trivial moments together that blossom into the beginning of love.
When Hojeong’s nemesis Gwak Geun and his friends spread a rumor about Eungi’s past, prompting Eungi to disappear, Hojeong is weighed down by guilt, on edge towards her friends, and unable to manage everyday life. Small things like going to school, eating, and sleeping become unbearable. Though she was prone to fight with and self-isolate from friends and family, Hojeong considers family therapy and reconciles with friends, preparing for a journey of healing and growth like a frozen lake that cracks and thaws.
“This novel will make readers lose their balance”
Growth and healing after the freezing winter of adolescence
The Affairs of a Lake skillfully captures the deep and divergent heart of an adolescent that can’t be summed up with a single word, that encompasses the throbbing sensation of a crush, conflict with friends and family, as well as loneliness. The book will soothe and reverberate deeply with those who suffered through both pain and happiness during unsteady times, as well as those who are waiting for a new spring after a long period of cold winter.
