I wanted to enjoy this collection more than I actually did. It’s likely a result of not understanding all the sources Kim was alluding to in her poems (though the poet’s notes at the end of the collection helped a little). It’s a little unfortunate, because I was really intrigued by her distinct, dreamlike style. Kim plays with an interesting mix of memory and imagination throughout her collection by turning to mythology and folklore meshing with the (im)migrant experience. I admit that I’m not sure I understood the question she wanted the reader to mull over (which I believe had something to do with identity), and this probably explains the difficulty I had in following this collection.

I think this is one I’m going to have to revisit in the future to see if I can better understand Kim’s ideas on a second read.