“Red” Serves as Poetic, Intense Debut for New Author

For the longest time in storytelling, both fiction and reality, there’s always this implied notion to polarize people into one specific persona or archetype, based on who they are and what they’re capable of.  To see a person as good or evil, right or wrong, and selfish or selfless always was turned to as an easy route to generalize people without really digging deeper into their stories.  Maybe it’s within the recent time (or maybe its just of a high observance of this blogger) that society is coming to realize that we’re all capable of being various shades of gray.

There’s a balance in everyone and the universe in general that is to be maintained and that is what the protagonist, Sera, comes to learn in EJ Koh’s debut novel, “Red.”  In an otherworld where everyone is energy-driven- Spirits by white energy, Wakes by black- Sera finds herself questioning about her place as a Spirit.  Spirits are born to obey while Wakes are only about themselves.  However, after encountering an imprisoned Wake named Azel, watches her mother get killed and has herself exiled from society, Sera goes on a journey with Azel of revenge and discovering the true power she possesses.

Maybe it’s understandable in the matter of which this is a first novel, but there were some sequences that seemed incredibly slow.  They would just drag on for so long and I don’t know if that was unintentional or if it was to create slow-mo scenes.  For that, Koh could have gone back and tidied up those moments a little better.

There were also moments whereas I wasn’t sure what to be visualizing in my head.  Koh seldomly described the physical surroundings and environments of her characters and as a result, I often had to rely on vague instincts on what their settings could look like.  Yes, Koh has definitely created an ingeniously different world, but I just wish she could have described more of that.

Despite the minimal weaknesses “Red” has, Koh definitely makes up for it with its numerous pluses.  It’s really the kind of book where it’s nearly impossible to look away from.

One might argue that the fact that a young girl going out for revenge is not exactly an ideal portrait of the typical hero’s journey.  However, it really is incredible though when you look at this misfit who had to watch a loved one die and then undergo a transformation into such a strong character.  With the fact that Sera evidently grapples with loss and loneliness makes me wonder if those experiences came from Koh’s experience of having to live on her own at the age of 14, after her immigrant parents moved back to Korea.

The third person narration, while seemingly ignored for the most part in regular stories, made a heavy and impressionable presence throughout the novel.  Lines such as thoughts about flying through the universe and the relationship between time and escape was kind of like Koh’s way of putting herself as a character in the story.  Her narration is very poetic, which would make sense knowing of her background as a poet.

In some ways, Koh was able to incorporate assets of our society into the world of her creation; perhaps to depict and observe for the benefit of figuring it all out.  An example can be seen when given a glimpse of the society of the Wakes, where they will do or see almost anything if it’s anything but boring.  With that, Koh writes at one point, “Curiosity made a space for entertainment.  Entertainment that provided escape, not physical escape, but a retreat from the all-important question: How do I find something meaningful in myself?”  This in turn can reflect upon today’s case of reality shows dominating pop culture.

To generally describe “Red,” Koh has created a different kind of book that benefits for a more crazed reading experience.  While she’s noted that this book can entertain a male gamer or an Asian American woman, I think her audience can reach out to an even wider demographic; in particular, fans of “The Hunger Games” trilogy.  Without a doubt, there’s a reason why “Red” is now Top Rated on Amazon in all of the Sci-Fi-/Fantasy section next J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.”

To learn more about Koh and her work, be sure to check out her website: This Is EJ Koh.