Rating: 3/5 Stars
Esther Yi’s debut novel, “Y/N”, invites its audience into the mind of a nameless Korean American writer residing in Germany. Unimpressed with contemporary culture and disdainful of her roommate’s obsession with the K-Pop group “Pack of Boys,” her life takes an unexpected turn when she attends the group’s concert for the first time. When the youngest member Moon enchants her with his performance, a casual outing turns into a fervent obsession. As Moon slowly becomes the focal point of her life, she delves into a world of self-delusion through the Y/N fan-fictions she writes about him, and begins to believe that they have destined soulmates, prioritizing him over every other facet of her life. When Moon abruptly leaves the group for unknown reasons, our protagonist embarks on a trip to Seoul, South Korea and pursues her imagined connection with him. As the lines between reality and fantasy blur, the novel explores the extent of her obsession and just how far she will go. This story is a cautionary tale that shows readers what leads some turning fellow humans into idols and losing themselves within fan culture and the consequences that entail while shedding light on the harsh realities of the K-Pop industry.
To begin, the protagonist’s character development provides insight into the consequences of extreme fandom, and what leads people to it. In the protagonist’s case, she works a mind-numbing job, has an apathetic boyfriend, and struggles to find meaning and satisfaction in her life. As a result, she turns to Moon and projects her faith, hope, and fantasies into him, hoping to find meaning through him. Additionally, the novel also does a wonderful job portraying the flaws of the K-Pop industry, through the actions and mannerisms of the “Pack Of Boys” members. Readers watch as they are overworked and forced to engage in obscure and uncomfortable para-social relationships and fan service. Finally, many parts of Yi’s work are beautifully written, with passages full of notable quotations. Through her distinguishable writing style, she makes this most apparent within the character O, who appears in the latter section and becomes the protagonist’s partner in crime throughout her search for Moon while in Korea.
Despite this, Y/N is not without flaws. Specifically within the first half of the novel, which takes place in Germany, the dialogue between some characters is redundant due to flowery sentences filled with complex societal and philosophical observations, hindering the progression of the plot. This leads to many sections reading like a classic, which does align with the social context of many scenes. For example, conversations between the protagonist and other Moon fans within fan event settings, both in Korea and Germany, appear inauthentic due to conversations being overly complex and formal. Although the novel frames our protagonist as uniquely academic, it seems that everyone she interacts with speaks with a similar vocabulary as her. Finally, while this representation of characters may be a way to to portray absurdism and irony, distinguishing when both elements occur can be challenging for readers, leading to confusion. As a result, many dismiss this novel as simply pretentious, strange and unclear (Goodreads).
Overall, Y/N is a worthwhile read for those who find the exploration of extreme fandom and the K-pop industry. She does this through a distinctive writing style and poetic vocabulary. However, for future readers unfond of flowery dialogues within modern settings and subtle representations of irony and absurdism, aspects of this novel, especially the first section, may be bothersome.