As regular followers of this column know, I am making my way through all 13 books of this year’s Booker Longlist. Flashlight is the second one I’ve finished.
A year ago, I tried Susan Choi’s novel, Trust Exercise only to abandon it after 50 pages. I felt the writing was fussy, but I’ll admit that the timing wasn’t right either. However, I never have preconceived ideas about books, thus I just dived right in to Flashlight.
Flashlight is part family saga, part historical novel and part coming of age story. The family in question are The Kangs: father Serko , mother Anne and daughter, Louisa. The time frame is 1940 to present day.
The novel begins with a prologue as Louisa remembers her father’s last words to her when the family were in Japan. She has a memory of him disappearing and she is waking up on a beach. There is a shift and she is back in her native U.S.A trying to avoid a doctor’s interrogation about the trauma she suffered from back in Japan. Once out of the office, we find out that she has stolen the doctor’s flashlight.
This prologue is crucial to the book’s development. From here onwards we find out why Louisa was in Japan, the circumstances leading to her father’s disappearance, the reason why she lives in the States and, of course, the significance of the flashlight.
Flashlight’s chronology is messed up. After the prologue we begin with Louisa’s father’s childhood as Korean in Japan and the diaspora to the DPRK. We then jump to the States, and the focus is on Anne and her previous relationships up to her meeting with Serk. There is time shifts from the family’s sojourn in Japan, Louisa’s relationship with her parents, Anne’s health problems and her relationship with Serk. Each chapter focuses on that character’s point of view.
Flashlight is an expansive novel. Historically the book mentions events such as 9/11, the hippie movement, the DPRK’s stronghold on Japanese/Koreans during the lates 70’s and the modernisation of South Korea. These are just a few examples: to mention others would give away parts of the plot.
The novel, for me is a story about identity. Serk is a Korean brought up in Japan, then moves to The States. Throughout the whole book his confusion affects his character and informs a lot of his decisions. Anne, despite being brought up in the US, also has problems with knowing herself. This is evident in her actions. Louis, the child of these two people, is the one who suffers the most and their constant displacement also forms her character.
If you are a reader who likes optimistic, well-balanced characters, Flashlight is not a book for you. With the exception of one protagonist, all the people here scream at each other, act in a disrespectful manner, and use excessive sarcasm. They are a nasty bunch. Although there are reasons for this, it does get a bit tiring!
Generally when a book is all encompassing there will be sections that drag. In order to avoid this, I read Flashlight in 50 page bursts and that worked out well. There were only two parts which I felt were unnecessary. One included a section of letters concerning key plot points that had already been explained; and the conclusion, although heartfelt, could have been chopped in half! However, overall Flashlight was an enjoyable read with many memorable moments.
This also means my second Booker novel has been a success. Eleven more to go.
