Mater 2-10
Catalina’s Review:
Historical fiction is a must for my summer reads. This one centers on three generations of railway workers in Korea, spanning from the Japanese colonial era to the 21st century. The story delves into themes of identity, historical trauma, and global capitalism.
Centred on three generations of a family of rail workers and a laid-off factory worker staging a high-altitude sit-in, Mater 2-10 vividly portrays the lives of ordinary Koreans, starting from the Japanese colonial era, continuing through Liberation, and right up to the twenty-first century. It is at once a gripping account that captures a nation’s longing to be free from oppression, a lyrical folktale that manages to reflect the realities of modern industrial work, and a culmination of Hwang’s career — a masterpiece thirty years in the making.
A true voice of a generation, Hwang shows again why he is unmatched when it comes to depicting the struggles of a divided nation and bringing to life the trials and tribulations of the Korean people.
