A peaceful mystery
Similar to The Vegetarian, Lemon has a peaceful tone in horrifying circumstances. It is quite a strange way in which this mystery is set in. An intriguing aspect of Lemon is the abnormal twist, it ponders on the conundrum that has no solution. There are the aspects of the typical whodunnit, but there is focus on a philosophical side of identity. In some artistic way death and identity compliment each other. Kwon Yeo-sun created an original piece of art like none other I have read before. Complexity stuffed in the creases of the vague truth. Please be wary when reading this post as there is graphic violence present. This post may contain some spoilers, if you want to read it yourself please read this post at another time.
Narration
There are three different narrators and the narration takes place between 2002-2019. It takes quite the effort to line the information accurately. One have to read closely as not to miss any detail seeing that there are very few detail given in the first place. Kim Da-on deals with the death of her sister by going great lenghts to change her appearance to match her deceased sister’s beauty. This narration suggests that Kim Da-on knows who the murderer is. At the time of the murder, Taerim was a jealous girlfriend eventually becoming the wife of a former suspect. Her narration is uncanny and creates assumptions which would leave one speculating. Hae-on is the most reliable narrator as her narration is objective in comparison to the other two. I think the three narrators reporting the same event adds to the novel as a whole. It is necessary to reveal the different forms of trauma and grief haunting those that are left behind.
The colour yellow
This is a prominent theme and relates to the title in different ways. There is a soliloquy that is intriguing and prickles the curiosity. The narrator keeps information for herself, but there is a sense of a revelation which is illustrated by imagery of the colour yellow and lemon.
The victim, Kim Hae-on, wore a yellow dress when murdered and here she is reffered to as a “yellow angel”. It adds to the innocence of her character which will come to light through the novel.
Structure
There are eight chapters stretching through the years of 2002-2019. Each chapter has a title which I have noticed, highlights the main theme or event of the chapter. Another reason why one should do a close reading and interpret the novel with the information Kwon Yeo-sun have slipped in. It is interesting to note that the titles does not fall under the same category. Some focus on the physical aspects of the crime, other on the grief or philosophical questions.
A lack or a complete triumph?
I have read the opinions of other readers about Lemon and there seems to be a general consensus that there is something absent in the novel. I felt the same way directly after closing the book, but after it simmered for a few months I think that it is actually brilliant. Kwon Yeo-sun did succeed because this story stays with me even months after reading it and revisiting it made me come to the conclusion that there is no lack. If something was added to the novel it would not be Lemon as it is intended to be. The “lack” is what makes it different from other novels of its kind. I think one should look at Lemon as a whole without taking it apart. Rearrange it, but do not take a component of the novel and isolate it.
Thank you for reading my review. If you have an open mind and looking for something different, Lemon is certainly for you.
The post is my own creation and the photographs were taken by @fermentedphil's Nikon D300 camera. The quoted material is from the book itself and I hyperlinked the specific passage.