Graphic Novel Review: Uncomfortably Happy by Yeon-Sik Hong

Posted on July 21, 2020 at 10:29 am by Gene Ambaum

Uncomfortably Happy by Yeon-Sik Hong. Translated by Helen Jo. Drawn & Quarterly, 2017. 9781770462601. 572pp plus an afterword by Jo.

This graphic memoir chronicles Hong and his new wife’s move to a home in the South Korean countryside. Facing constant money problems and deadlines for comics work that he’s not very invested in, at the beginning he seems to not enjoy much at all (other than his relationship). His wife, who is also an artist, seems much sunnier and consistent by comparison. As the year progresses they pull themselves out of debt and begin enjoying life on the mountain together (despite the rude tourists). Most impressive of all Hong changes, learning to let go, be present, enjoy his wife’s success, and roll with the punches as they face moving again at the end of the book. An amazing memoir with really fun, loose drawings that shows a maturing, loving marriage along with the slow pace of daily rural life in South Korea.