If I Had Your Face

Image. Frances Cha’s debut novel is titled, If I Had Your Face, and features four young women in Seoul struggling to find their place in the world. Cha helps us understand the choices faced by women in Korea and how image can be something with which one is never satisfied. Readers can identify with the well-drawn characters and can feel the power of friendship and love that leads them through difficulties. Gender inequity in South Korea is portrayed with raw and unblinking imagery and stories. Economic inequality adds to the struggle for these characters both in terms of the cost of looking one’s best and in being able to raise a child. Some book clubs will find this debut novel will open broad conversations about contemporary issues. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase If I Had Your Face from amazon.com.