The Mountain: Stories

These six stories are about different individuals, set in different time periods and on different continents, and yet they read almost as a continuous narrative…almost. The characters are all people who have had trauma but find some moment, some measure of healing. The voice in which these stories are told, is both quiet and compassionate; it casts a spell on the reader and it makes the book very difficult to put down.

So often short story collections are uneven, a mix of the great, the good and the not-so-good, but this is such an even collection, all of the stories seemed equally good (which doesn’t mean you still can’t have favorites). I think the only other collection I have read which has been so similarly even is Alice show more Munro’s Open Secrets. This is a lovely read and would also be a nice gift for a reading friend. show less

Yoons writing envelops the reader in a quiet mood. The sentences are simple but the paragraphs are evocative. Each of these stories is cast in a different setting, but the settings are relevant only because of the protagonists' perceptions of them----just enough setting to orient us to the characters' experience. Each is rich with themes of loss and yearning but those feelings are evoked, not stated outright, and much is left unstated but nevertheless conveyed. Thus the reader's emotional engagement is at the forefront of the story, superseding the plot.
I had the same experience with his novel, the Snow Hunter. I was deeply moved, and I couldn't really explain how he did it. A master

Reading this collection of short stories was--well, it was an experience, and not one that I can say I particularly enjoyed. I will give Yoon credit for being able to create an atmosphere that completely draws you in to each story and overwhelms you. But at the end of every one but the last, I ended up feeling empty and depressed. It was exhausting to read of people living empty, lonely lives, accepting violence, hunger, loss, addiction, pain, exploitation, and poverty as if these were the expected norm. Perhaps they are for many people, and I feel badly for them; perhaps Yoon meant these stories to be a call to action. In any case, I was glad to come to the end, and I need to search my TBRs for something a bit more fun or uplifting, show more something that doesn't keep banging on the same depressing note on every page. I'm not one who always wants a happy ending; in fact, I often find them boring and unbelievable. But this book just plain exhausted me. I am emotionally worn out. show less

Reading this collection of short stories was--well, it was an experience, and not one that I can say I particularly enjoyed. I will give Yoon credit for being able to create an atmosphere that completely draws you in to each story and overwhelms you. But at the end of every one but the last, I ended up feeling empty and depressed. It was exhausting to read of people living empty, lonely lives, accepting violence, hunger, loss, addiction, pain, exploitation, and poverty as if these were the expected norm. Perhaps they are for many people, and I feel badly for the characters; perhaps Yoon meant these stories to be a call to action. In any case, I was glad to come to the end, and I need to search my TBRs for something a bit more fun or show more uplifting, something that doesn't keep banging on the same depressing note on every page. I'm not one who always wants a happy ending; in fact, I often find them boring and unbelievable. But this book just plain exhausted me. I am emotionally worn out. show less

The connecting thread through these stories is the theme, of displacement by war or another tragic happening. Men and women we hope are seeking answers or a new way to live. Loneliness, because so many have lost those important in their lives, or are now unhappy for different reasons, unable to forget. Not much happens in these stories, they are very slowly paced but as I read I realized the patience of both the writer and the reader. The trust of an author in their readers, that their patience will eventually be rewarded, when life and trauma are revealed, and the value in these stories become apparent. People, some just barely hanging on and the day to day living in a world no longer recognizable.

The prose is never melodramatic, but show more rather elegant and stately. The violence of war, not only on those who fought, but on those who are left, and in some the very land itself. Effects on the psyche, physical and mental scars, difficult to overcome. Although the stories are unfolded slowly, the message is fierce. In the last story, there are only six, the author reveals that the violence and battles are continuing now, maybe neverending sine we seem to learn so slowly or not at all. The stories encompass a wide Swatch of area, from the Hudson Valley, to Russia and Shanghai. It seems no area, no person will escape some form of tragedy.

ARC from NetGalley. show less

In The Mountain Paul Yoon’s stories quietly connect with one another as each character moves through the pages after WWII. Sometimes eerily depicted, as in “A Willow and The Moon” where a young woman follows in her mother’s morphine-addicted footsteps or “The Mountain,” an incredibly sad story of a young woman whose father’s past haunts her, these two stories were perhaps my favorites and in my mind exemplify Yoon’s compellingly beautiful fiction.

I really enjoyed the writing in this short story collection. The writing is spare, often stark, and affecting. The stories deal mainly with how people carry on following a tragedy, whether from the aftermath of war, illness or a death in the family. The stories have a melancholy feel, but they are also beautiful in how they highlight the resilience of people. Highly recommend!