Diya on Korea

Walking Practice is Dolki Min’s debut novel that has been translated from the Korean by Victoria Caudle.

I found the story, humorous, relatable, absurd and at times uncomfortable to read.

The story is told from the first-person perspective of an alien named Mumu who has accidently crash landed on earth fifteen years to date and has been trapped since.

They live their day-to-day on the planet by shape shifting into human form. They take on the gender of whatever satisfies the object of their lustful desires. They date humans and indulge in passionate sex and satisfy their hunger by killing and consuming them.

You are compelled to read on if only to understand this lonely alien as they describe their existence and struggle to fit in around human norms and societal expectations. You somehow make allowances for their behaviour and develop an unlikely affinity for them, by reading their inner monologue and their justification of why they do what they do.

You are charmed by their approach of carrying their heavy backpack. It consists of tools and what not that help them devour their prey. You feel sorry for them as they walk and get caught in the rush of the crowds and sympathise with their struggles. You identify with the conversations they have with their sexual conquests and unknowing victims.

 Often in literature,  sex and death are closely linked with sex being referred to as the little death or la petite mort (as coined by Roland Barthes, the French literary theorist) and it is these two activities where Min beautifully combines both humour and horror.

As the alien can change form to any gender, they have an interesting perspective of how gender is viewed amongst humans.

‘Only after a gender has been assigned that you are seen as human.’

In order for us humans to relate to someone, we need to catergorise them into this space first and foremost. According to Mumu, we have a difficult time not understanding someone if they don’t conform to one of these two catergories. This shows our prejudice.

Mumu also has an interesting observation and almost comical take on how women are supposed to act.

‘When you want to be a woman, follow my advice. Speak in a thin, pretty voice. Try pushing it up into your nose. Cover your mouth when you laugh.’

Given their shape shifting abilities, Mumu is unable to stay in their chosen body for long periods. They return to their home situated in a desolate forest where they can truly relax and be themselves. We get a sense of what they look like by the descriptions they provide and the drawings from the author contained in the book.   Walking on two legs is of great difficulty to them (as in their original body they have four legs or three and one arm) They loathe climbing up stairs and digesting the hair of humans.

Although it appears they do not trust humans, there is an inner longing to surrender to love and have a partner for life, but these relationships are short lived. The only human they appear to trust and reveal all to is the reader.

The novel itself began as a self-published one by the author in Korea. The translator, Victoria Caudle was sent a copy by a fellow translator, Soje, and was instantly drawn to the charismatic voice the author created with the alien.

Caudle was able to send a few translated pages and the outline of the story to literary agent, Barbara Zitwer.

Zitwer is primarily responsible for marketing well known Korean authors such as Han Kang, Hwang Seong-mi and  Shin Kyong-suk into the English market.  Zitwer declared it the best thing she had read in 10 years and was able to sell the book to HarperVia for the English language version and then to a publishing company in Korea Gingko Tree.  This was a first of its kind, as it usually happens the other way around.  

At a recent interview at the Korean Cultural Centre UK in April 2023, where Zitwer was promoting her own book ‘The Korean Book of Happiness’ Zitwer spoke of ‘Walking Practice and declared it to be a remarkable book.  She went on to praise Dolki Min who expresses himself brilliantly, but understands how it must be hard for him to not be out as a gay man in public, as it can be quite taboo in Korea. Yet he wears a leather mask and is annonymous to protect his family.

Dolki Min is the author’s pen name. In a recent interview with the Korean Herald, he revealed he was teased when younger about his walk as it was too girlish. It made him think about what the right way to walk was. You can see he has incorporated this into the novel where the alien has to practice walking in becoming human.  

Caudle who has done an excellent job in the translation, was challenged to find a different way to render the text into english as the original Korean version posed some challenges. But she was able to find a solution by playing about visually how the words are presented on the page. She explains this in the note from the translator in the novel.

The genre has been classified as horror, sci-fi, queer and transgender. However, I feel that there is a layer beyond this lens and that anyone who has ever felt like an outsider and uncomfortable in their own skin and surroundings, can relate. I certainly could as we all struggle to live up to a version of what society expects from us.

Overall Min has some very profound and interesting reflections on what it means to be human, to exist, to love and to live. If you want something fun, unusual and provocative, I would strongly recommend this.

‘Walking Practice’ by Dolki Min and translated by Victoria Caudle, available to purchase from all good book shops and online. Published by HarperVia