Review of Kim Ryeo-ryeong’s ‘The Trunk’, the book behind Netflix’s new Korean drama

A still from the Netflix adaptation of ‘The Trunk’, starring Gong Yoo (right) and Seo Hyun-jin.

There is a constant sense of unease that prevails through Kim Ryeo-ryeong’s novel The Trunk. It’s as if the characters exist in silos, and yet protagonist Noh In-ji keeps up a constant stream of musings about life, and many people from the past and present. 

A 2015 novel, The Trunk was recently translated into English by The KoLab. The timing couldn’t have been better — a much-hyped Netflix adaptation of the book, starring Korean superstar Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun-jin, releases today. Korean translations have taken the world by storm over the last few years, and given the global appeal of Korean dramas as well, it is hoped that one will boost the prospects of the other.

In the book, Noh Inji is employed with Weddings & Life, a shadowy organisation we know little about. As a ‘field wife’ who is a part of the secret New Marriage subsidiary, Inji is placed in contract marriages with different spouses for short periods of time. In a rare occurrence, Inji is reunited with Han Jeong-won, a music producer she was previously “married to”, and marries him yet again.

Throughout the novel, Jeong-won is simply referred to as ‘The Husband’ — a seemingly sweet and non-controversial man who has firm boundaries and respects the nature of their relationship. This, we find out, isn’t always the case with the men, often misogynistic and violent, that field wives encounter. But we never get too deep into the workings of the marriage agency, even when their ties to some sinister activity are revealed. Inji’s life as a field wife, for the most part, is mundane.

Author Kim Ryeo-ryeong

The focus of the novel rests solely on Inji’s reflections on marriage, love, family, and capitalism. In her, we have a feminist protagonist who constantly looks back at her life or at the people who inhabit her space, and questions the trappings of society and the boundaries it sets on love and relationships.

While Inji’s commentary is engaging, nothing else ever seems to happen despite a simmering tension between the protagonists. And, there are multiple subplots, dedicated to Inji’s neighbour granny, and her friend and her employee, which all feel muddled and unfinished. There is little to no progression or focus on the story itself, except for one part where the couple sets out in search of a missing person.

A still from Netflix’s adaptation of ‘The Trunk’.

South Korea, reeling from a decline in population growth, made headlines earlier this year when it was revealed that the fertility rate had dropped even further in 2023. Many Korean women have only one child or are choosing not to have children at all. Last November, the local administration of Seongnam, one of Korea’s largest cities, held a mass blind-dating event in a frantic attempt to reverse falling birth rates. Though the trailer of the new show indicates that the story might have some major changes, the overarching themes remain and are sure to shine a spotlight on Korean society.

Given this, The Trunk works better as a slow-burn dystopian social commentary rather than a mystery or a thriller.

poorvaja.sundar@thehindu.co.in

The Trunk

Kim Ryeo-ryeong, try The KoLab

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