Graphic Novel Review: The Naked Tree by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
Posted on July 23, 2024 at 6:40 am by Gene Ambaum
The Naked Tree by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim. Translated by Janet Wong. Drawn & Quarterly, 2023. 9781770466678. 320pp.
The Naked Tree is based on a Korean novel by Park Wan-Suh that was originally published in 1971. According to the introduction by Park’s son Ho Won-Sook, his mother always said she was going to write about the artist Park Su-geun, who drew portraits for American soldiers at the PX in Seoul. Gendry-Kim’s graphic novel version veers from Park’s a bit but, according to Ho’s introduction and my wife’s readings, it seems to be quite loyal to it while extending beyond the original. (If you’re going to read the graphic novel, make sure you read the forward and Gendry-Kim’s afterward, which has photos of Park Wan-Suh and Park Su-geun.)
The story itself gives the sense of being a memoir, with the characters conveying at least in part the experiences of Park Wan-Suh and Park Su-Geun. It begins in 1951, after UN forces reclaimed Seoul from Communist forces. Miss Lee works in the PX, behind a counter where foreign soldiers come to have portraits painted on “silk” scarves. The artists who do the work are paid by the piece, and are called “signies.” No one makes much money. Miss Lee is very much alone; she lives with her mother, but she doesn’t like her. And she longs for someone to love. The shop’s owner hires a real artist, Ok Huido, and it’s Miss Lee’s job to bring in enough work for him and the others. Even as another man who works at the PX starts to show an interest in her, she falls herself falling for the married Mr. Ok.
I love the sense of history and tragedy that permeates this story, and particularly Miss Lee’s attitude toward her mother, which made it feel real and shocking. Gendry-Kim’s adaptation has sent my wife seeking more of Park Wan-Suh’s novels (and luckily the University of Washington’s libraries have several in Korean and English), and I’m planning on reading an English translation of the original just as soon as some of the details of this adaptation have left my brain. We both admire and highly recommend all of Gendry-Kim’s graphic novels.
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