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Same Bed Different Dreams
A wild, sweeping novel that imagines an alternate secret history of Korea and the traces it leaves on the present—loaded with assassins and mad poets, RPGs and slasher films, K-pop bands and the perils of social media.
In 1919, far-flung Korean patriots establish the Korean Provisional Government to protest the Japanese occupation of their country. This government-in-exile proves mostly symbolic, though, and after Japan’s defeat in World War II, the KPG dissolves and civil war erupts, resulting in the North-South split that remains today.
But what if the KPG still existed now, today—working toward a unified Korea, secretly harnessing the might of a giant tech company to further its aims? That’s the outrageous premise of Same Bed Different Dreams, which weaves together three distinct narrative voices and an archive of mysterious images and twists reality like a kaleidoscope, spinning Korean history, American pop culture, and our tech-fraught lives into an extraordinary and unforgettable novel.
Early on we meet Soon Sheen, who works at the sprawling international technology company GLOAT, and comes into possession of an unfinished book authored by the KPG. The manuscript is a mysterious, revisionist history, tying famous names and obscure bit players to the KPG’s grand project. This strange manuscript links together figures from architect-poet Yi Sang to Jack London to Marilyn Monroe. M*A*S*H is in here, too, and the Moonies, and a history of violence extending from the assassination of President McKinley to the Soviet downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007.
Just as foreign countries have imposed their desires on Korea, so too has Park tucked different dreamers into this sprawling bed of a novel. Among them: Parker Jotter, Korean War vet and appliance-store owner, who saw something--a UFO?--while flying over North Korea; Nora You, nail salon magnate; and Monk Zingapan, game designer turned writing guru. Their links are revealed over time, even as the dreamers remain in the dark as to their own interconnectedness. A thrilling feat of imagination and a step forward from an award-winning author, Same Bed Different Dreams begins as a comic novel and gradually pulls readers into another dimension—one in which utopia is possible.
In 1919, far-flung Korean patriots establish the Korean Provisional Government to protest the Japanese occupation of their country. This government-in-exile proves mostly symbolic, though, and after Japan’s defeat in World War II, the KPG dissolves and civil war erupts, resulting in the North-South split that remains today.
But what if the KPG still existed now, today—working toward a unified Korea, secretly harnessing the might of a giant tech company to further its aims? That’s the outrageous premise of Same Bed Different Dreams, which weaves together three distinct narrative voices and an archive of mysterious images and twists reality like a kaleidoscope, spinning Korean history, American pop culture, and our tech-fraught lives into an extraordinary and unforgettable novel.
Early on we meet Soon Sheen, who works at the sprawling international technology company GLOAT, and comes into possession of an unfinished book authored by the KPG. The manuscript is a mysterious, revisionist history, tying famous names and obscure bit players to the KPG’s grand project. This strange manuscript links together figures from architect-poet Yi Sang to Jack London to Marilyn Monroe. M*A*S*H is in here, too, and the Moonies, and a history of violence extending from the assassination of President McKinley to the Soviet downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007.
Just as foreign countries have imposed their desires on Korea, so too has Park tucked different dreamers into this sprawling bed of a novel. Among them: Parker Jotter, Korean War vet and appliance-store owner, who saw something--a UFO?--while flying over North Korea; Nora You, nail salon magnate; and Monk Zingapan, game designer turned writing guru. Their links are revealed over time, even as the dreamers remain in the dark as to their own interconnectedness. A thrilling feat of imagination and a step forward from an award-winning author, Same Bed Different Dreams begins as a comic novel and gradually pulls readers into another dimension—one in which utopia is possible.
528 pages, Hardcover
First published November 7, 2023
787 people are currently reading
38.8k people want to read
About the author
Ed Park
49books36.1kfollowersI'm the author of the forthcoming story collection AN ORAL HISTORY OF ATLANTIS (July 2025)—preorder it now!
My novel SAME BED DIFFERENT DREAMS (2023) was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for fiction. It's now out in paperback.
My debut novel, PERSONAL DAYS (2008), was named a top 10 fiction book by Time Magazine and one of the decade's top 10 pop culture moments by The Atlantic. It was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Asian American Literary Award, and the John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize.
WEIRD MENACE, a long story in the form of a DVD commentary track, is available as an Audible Original. (It will also appear in AN ORAL HISTORY OF ATLANTIS.)
What else? I'm a founding editor of THE BELIEVER, and I've written for The Atlantic, Harper's, The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, Bookforum, The Baffler, and many other places. (Check out ed-park.com or for some recent pieces.)
NB, I am *not* the author of THE WORLD OF THE OTTER, by the late nature writer Ed Park, but it's worth picking up if you see a copy (and like otters).
My novel SAME BED DIFFERENT DREAMS (2023) was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for fiction. It's now out in paperback.
My debut novel, PERSONAL DAYS (2008), was named a top 10 fiction book by Time Magazine and one of the decade's top 10 pop culture moments by The Atlantic. It was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Asian American Literary Award, and the John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize.
WEIRD MENACE, a long story in the form of a DVD commentary track, is available as an Audible Original. (It will also appear in AN ORAL HISTORY OF ATLANTIS.)
What else? I'm a founding editor of THE BELIEVER, and I've written for The Atlantic, Harper's, The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, Bookforum, The Baffler, and many other places. (Check out ed-park.com or for some recent pieces.)
NB, I am *not* the author of THE WORLD OF THE OTTER, by the late nature writer Ed Park, but it's worth picking up if you see a copy (and like otters).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 547 reviews
December 26, 2023
In Same Bed Different Dreams Ed Park satirizes clandestine political struggle and all the trashy and kitschy stuff in the past and the present of mass media and pop culture.
The book starts with a question: What is history?
It all started with the Greek word: ō � a wise man who knows� And through a series of transformations the word eventually acquired its modern meaning.
The novel is a patchwork of the three interlocking parallel narrations:
2333 is a story of the Korean War veteran who wrote a set of the loosely connected and cheap science fiction tales;
The Sins is an account of the Gloat functionary � Gloat is an apt and clever alias of the computer empire Google � who reads Same Bed, Different Dreams, a book by a mysterious Korean author consisting of the sequence of dreams;
Dreams is a fictionalized history of the Korean Provisional Government full of intrigues, conflicts, spying, assassinations and ending in the inner schism resulting in the appearance of two Koreas and the war…�
History is an omnivorous mole blindly digging a tunnel and consuming all the worms, insects and rhizomes it encounters on its way.
The book starts with a question: What is history?
That is the question, that is the job. Might a deeper understanding of history benefit the company, or is it to be avoided at all costs? Teams are told to blue-sky it, whiteboard pros and cons. When you break the word down, what does it tell you? The Latin, from the Greek.
It all started with the Greek word: ō � a wise man who knows� And through a series of transformations the word eventually acquired its modern meaning.
The novel is a patchwork of the three interlocking parallel narrations:
2333 is a story of the Korean War veteran who wrote a set of the loosely connected and cheap science fiction tales;
The Sins is an account of the Gloat functionary � Gloat is an apt and clever alias of the computer empire Google � who reads Same Bed, Different Dreams, a book by a mysterious Korean author consisting of the sequence of dreams;
Dreams is a fictionalized history of the Korean Provisional Government full of intrigues, conflicts, spying, assassinations and ending in the inner schism resulting in the appearance of two Koreas and the war…�
The bad blood among the San Francisco Koreans in 1907 foretells the rifts that will appear in the Korean Provisional Government, shortly after its founding in 1919. Some push for armed resistance, others for diplomacy. KPG members will excommunicate one another, form tenuous alliances, even resort to murder. By 1930, two definite wings will have formed. Each operates in secret and tries to subvert the other, even though both have the same goal: a free Korea.
History is an omnivorous mole blindly digging a tunnel and consuming all the worms, insects and rhizomes it encounters on its way.
May 23, 2023
Ed Park spins historical fact into brilliant literary fiction with Same Bed Different Dreams. His gripping prose and flair for unconventional storytelling makes even the most opaque sections completely engrossing. This book will coast onto yearly Best-of lists (including my own) and it should be in contention for major literary awards. I was simply blown away.
It’s a mesmerizing fever dream of a novel, with an expansive story that contracts on a whim. It’s sprawling, yet intimate. The subtle interconnections between its nested layers are a joy to puzzle out and it begs to be re-read. Starting over with more enlightened eyes (and maybe a character web to track the broad cast of players and their connections) would certainly yield a different, yet still satisfying, experience.
While it’s difficult to describe the book in terms of plot, if you’re an enjoyer of secret societies, doomsday cults, alternate histories, coded messages, spies, double agents, artificial intelligence, and the history of Korea � give this book a go. If you bristle at the thought of an unconventional narrative structure without much hand-holding, perhaps skip it. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was certainly mine.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
See this review and others at and follow on Twitter.
It’s a mesmerizing fever dream of a novel, with an expansive story that contracts on a whim. It’s sprawling, yet intimate. The subtle interconnections between its nested layers are a joy to puzzle out and it begs to be re-read. Starting over with more enlightened eyes (and maybe a character web to track the broad cast of players and their connections) would certainly yield a different, yet still satisfying, experience.
While it’s difficult to describe the book in terms of plot, if you’re an enjoyer of secret societies, doomsday cults, alternate histories, coded messages, spies, double agents, artificial intelligence, and the history of Korea � give this book a go. If you bristle at the thought of an unconventional narrative structure without much hand-holding, perhaps skip it. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was certainly mine.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
See this review and others at and follow on Twitter.
July 26, 2023
My favorite book of 2023 has arrived. Or, will officially arrive in November. I’m not lying when I say it has all the makings of a great novel� big, expansive, written like DeLillo, hockey references and it is so meticulously and brilliantly crafted. It’s the type of book that you will want to pick back up and reread immediately. I can’t think of a book I’ve read in recent years that I had so much fun with. Please. Preorder!!!
Read
October 4, 2024Had a conversation with Ed Park about this book here:
November 7, 2023
Now available.
At first glance, you might think that this is a book of short stories, but it's more like interconnected intervals. This is a very complex story, with Korea at its center, written in circles from the outside in. It's a lot like trying to unlock a puzzle box from the inside. I spent part of my time fascinated and part of it frustrated. You cannot imagine how these characters and concepts are going to cross paths or connect, but they all do, eventually. The alternate history of Korea requires the most close-reading, and not coincidentally, the most patience.
The book is divided into three separate unfolding styles of storytelling, mostly rotating in order. It takes a minute to get used to, but soon you settle into the three main voices: Soon Sheen, a frustrated Korean-American writer who works for a tech giant, a manuscript of an alternate Korean history, written by the Korean Provisional Government, which apparently has never disbanded and has remained in secret exile, and Parker Jotter, a Korean War vet and former POW who has written science fiction novels that are now mostly forgotten. It is Soon Sheen who comes into possession of the manuscript.
The overall narrative interrogates the nature of history, our relationship with technology, racism, the lure of cults, and about a thousand pop culture references along the way. Trying to summarize this in a somewhat cohesive way is like trying to carry oil in your hands.
The story opens with an introduction which doesn't particularly fit into the three POV. Modern day scholars on a panel discussion consider the nature of history. Is it a shared set of facts, an important field of study, or perhaps no more useful than today's algorithmic data? What the academics forget is the simplest aspect of all: that history requires two things: an observer and someone to live it.
Park seems to do two things consistently in these story segments: leave the conclusions up to the reader, and bash the hell out of anything that might deem itself overimportant or too precious. The intro intends to teach the reader something, and maybe all the installments have that goal in common. One thread I noticed throughout the stories is that success isn't usually due to talent or level of skill, but rather to the twin advantages of money and opportunity.
With the first POV, that of Soon Sheen at a literary event he doesn't particularly want to attend, we discover Park's penchant for the satirical and the absurd. It is a comedy of the present day ill-mannered, and though it's supposed to be over-the-top, it somehow tries too hard, or maybe that's merely reflective of the characters. A couple of the jokes are pretty good. I will admit that the plethora of terrible and often tasteless groaners do perfectly illustrate the pain that is semi-forced camaraderie. It's also about twice as long as it should be, to create the kind of punch the author intends. At any rate, having very little knowledge of Korean-American culture, I was fascinated by all the culinary references.
In the second POV, the manuscript, we have a fun blend of satire, a mix of real and alternate history, and good humor. I like that the author plays with format. Even the font changes.
By far, I enjoyed the POV of Parker Jotter the most. From the very first fragmentary segment, his story is funny, poignant, well-written, thought-provoking, and very entertaining. The author does a great send-up of 60s paranoia, early mass-market sci-fi novels, and burgeoning cults. By this point, we recognize certain oft repeated phrases endemic to all the installments of the overall story.
How much the reader enjoys the iteration of each POV depends on how much one enjoys experimental fiction. By far, I enjoyed the "2333" (Parker Jotter) series of installments, the first to ask "What is history?" The 2333 stories (named after Jotter's sci-fi series novels) are engaging, clever, and funny.
"The Sins" series follows the modern-day insecure and paranoid writer (Soon Sheen) who has only seen one minor publishing success. Those story installments greatly improved after the first one, which was a relief, and gave the overall story a lot of strength and structure. As much as I didn't enjoy the first story in "The Sins" series, the second one was better, and the third was perfect.
The "Dream" series (the manuscript written by the KPG) is good, but a little dry, detailing Korean political history and the lack of respect Korea has endured for generations, having been abused by more powerful nations. Dream One has the best storytelling, with a little blessed humor thrown in here and there. To be sure, it's a heavy subject. It's not poorly told, just surprising, so much nonfiction juxtaposed by a little alternate history. Sometimes you have to look up events to see what is true and what isn't. For instance, Douglas MacArthur really did want to drop 26 atom bombs on Manchuria.
If the entirety of the collection had been stories like "2333: Extradition to Gambrinus (1966)" I would have been much happier, but truly, as everything began to connect, it really became something much greater than the sum of its parts. I still had mixed feelings, but good ones overall.
As mentioned, the manuscript is a blend of actual history with fictional alternate history, which affects events in the lives of the other characters. This is most interesting to me in the stories of Parker Jotter, who may have seen a real UFO during the Korean war, and whose wife is caught up in the Moonies called "The Divine Precepts."
Along the way, there are techbros, poets, celebrities, writers, game developers, and every aspect of culture. There's a lot here.
The alternate and secret history of Korea is presented in all of its complexity, which is a prodigous feat, but it does not make it altogether engaging. We get bogged down in so much detail.
I suspect that readers who really really loved David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas will appreciate the level of detail it takes to craft a story of near-endless concentric circles, anchored by a place. Overall, I would say that I really enjoyed most of the book, but I wish the Dream series had been a little more compact.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House for providing an early copy of this book for review.
At first glance, you might think that this is a book of short stories, but it's more like interconnected intervals. This is a very complex story, with Korea at its center, written in circles from the outside in. It's a lot like trying to unlock a puzzle box from the inside. I spent part of my time fascinated and part of it frustrated. You cannot imagine how these characters and concepts are going to cross paths or connect, but they all do, eventually. The alternate history of Korea requires the most close-reading, and not coincidentally, the most patience.
The book is divided into three separate unfolding styles of storytelling, mostly rotating in order. It takes a minute to get used to, but soon you settle into the three main voices: Soon Sheen, a frustrated Korean-American writer who works for a tech giant, a manuscript of an alternate Korean history, written by the Korean Provisional Government, which apparently has never disbanded and has remained in secret exile, and Parker Jotter, a Korean War vet and former POW who has written science fiction novels that are now mostly forgotten. It is Soon Sheen who comes into possession of the manuscript.
The overall narrative interrogates the nature of history, our relationship with technology, racism, the lure of cults, and about a thousand pop culture references along the way. Trying to summarize this in a somewhat cohesive way is like trying to carry oil in your hands.
The story opens with an introduction which doesn't particularly fit into the three POV. Modern day scholars on a panel discussion consider the nature of history. Is it a shared set of facts, an important field of study, or perhaps no more useful than today's algorithmic data? What the academics forget is the simplest aspect of all: that history requires two things: an observer and someone to live it.
Park seems to do two things consistently in these story segments: leave the conclusions up to the reader, and bash the hell out of anything that might deem itself overimportant or too precious. The intro intends to teach the reader something, and maybe all the installments have that goal in common. One thread I noticed throughout the stories is that success isn't usually due to talent or level of skill, but rather to the twin advantages of money and opportunity.
With the first POV, that of Soon Sheen at a literary event he doesn't particularly want to attend, we discover Park's penchant for the satirical and the absurd. It is a comedy of the present day ill-mannered, and though it's supposed to be over-the-top, it somehow tries too hard, or maybe that's merely reflective of the characters. A couple of the jokes are pretty good. I will admit that the plethora of terrible and often tasteless groaners do perfectly illustrate the pain that is semi-forced camaraderie. It's also about twice as long as it should be, to create the kind of punch the author intends. At any rate, having very little knowledge of Korean-American culture, I was fascinated by all the culinary references.
In the second POV, the manuscript, we have a fun blend of satire, a mix of real and alternate history, and good humor. I like that the author plays with format. Even the font changes.
By far, I enjoyed the POV of Parker Jotter the most. From the very first fragmentary segment, his story is funny, poignant, well-written, thought-provoking, and very entertaining. The author does a great send-up of 60s paranoia, early mass-market sci-fi novels, and burgeoning cults. By this point, we recognize certain oft repeated phrases endemic to all the installments of the overall story.
How much the reader enjoys the iteration of each POV depends on how much one enjoys experimental fiction. By far, I enjoyed the "2333" (Parker Jotter) series of installments, the first to ask "What is history?" The 2333 stories (named after Jotter's sci-fi series novels) are engaging, clever, and funny.
"The Sins" series follows the modern-day insecure and paranoid writer (Soon Sheen) who has only seen one minor publishing success. Those story installments greatly improved after the first one, which was a relief, and gave the overall story a lot of strength and structure. As much as I didn't enjoy the first story in "The Sins" series, the second one was better, and the third was perfect.
The "Dream" series (the manuscript written by the KPG) is good, but a little dry, detailing Korean political history and the lack of respect Korea has endured for generations, having been abused by more powerful nations. Dream One has the best storytelling, with a little blessed humor thrown in here and there. To be sure, it's a heavy subject. It's not poorly told, just surprising, so much nonfiction juxtaposed by a little alternate history. Sometimes you have to look up events to see what is true and what isn't. For instance, Douglas MacArthur really did want to drop 26 atom bombs on Manchuria.
If the entirety of the collection had been stories like "2333: Extradition to Gambrinus (1966)" I would have been much happier, but truly, as everything began to connect, it really became something much greater than the sum of its parts. I still had mixed feelings, but good ones overall.
As mentioned, the manuscript is a blend of actual history with fictional alternate history, which affects events in the lives of the other characters. This is most interesting to me in the stories of Parker Jotter, who may have seen a real UFO during the Korean war, and whose wife is caught up in the Moonies called "The Divine Precepts."
Along the way, there are techbros, poets, celebrities, writers, game developers, and every aspect of culture. There's a lot here.
The alternate and secret history of Korea is presented in all of its complexity, which is a prodigous feat, but it does not make it altogether engaging. We get bogged down in so much detail.
I suspect that readers who really really loved David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas will appreciate the level of detail it takes to craft a story of near-endless concentric circles, anchored by a place. Overall, I would say that I really enjoyed most of the book, but I wish the Dream series had been a little more compact.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House for providing an early copy of this book for review.
December 23, 2023
Expansive, ambitious, impressive � do I think it was a little chaotic? Maybe. But I still had a very good time
Charles Yu + Emily St. John Mandel + Trust by Hernan Diaz + Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida
Charles Yu + Emily St. John Mandel + Trust by Hernan Diaz + Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida
November 13, 2023
This is it people, this is it right here� the book you all need to read right now. Ed Park’s ‘Same Bed Different Dreams�. And it’s wild.
A work of speculative fiction spanning the entire 20th Century and beyond, this is nothing short of spectacular. Honestly, I feel so excited about this book! I could easily go in for round two, there really is something entirely addictive about it.
Comparisons to Pynchon, DeLillo and the likes of have been made, and it certainly sits comfortably on the shelf next to them and writers/works of that calibre. (Needless to say, if you enjoy Pynchon, DeLillo, Bolaño, Roth, Adam Levin then you’re gonna be right in with this one.)
It’s an epic for sure. The plot, scale and scope are staggering, with a cast list that would make George RR Martin wince.
But that’s the thing� There is so much in this book that it’s mind boggling when you take a step back and consider it all; but Ed Park has done an amazing job of keeping it accessible at all times. It’s really easy to read. The prose is razor sharp, clear, clean and well edited. How Park has managed it is nothing short of genius.
I’m not going to write much about the plot, as you should find that out for yourself, other than to ask, what could possibly link Dangun (from Korean mythology), Oddjob from 007, Syngman Rhee, Picasso’s Massacre en Corée, Ronald Reagan, Friday The 13th the movie, Marilyn Monroe and Kim Jong II?! Well, I couldn’t possibly say�
A work of speculative fiction spanning the entire 20th Century and beyond, this is nothing short of spectacular. Honestly, I feel so excited about this book! I could easily go in for round two, there really is something entirely addictive about it.
Comparisons to Pynchon, DeLillo and the likes of have been made, and it certainly sits comfortably on the shelf next to them and writers/works of that calibre. (Needless to say, if you enjoy Pynchon, DeLillo, Bolaño, Roth, Adam Levin then you’re gonna be right in with this one.)
It’s an epic for sure. The plot, scale and scope are staggering, with a cast list that would make George RR Martin wince.
But that’s the thing� There is so much in this book that it’s mind boggling when you take a step back and consider it all; but Ed Park has done an amazing job of keeping it accessible at all times. It’s really easy to read. The prose is razor sharp, clear, clean and well edited. How Park has managed it is nothing short of genius.
I’m not going to write much about the plot, as you should find that out for yourself, other than to ask, what could possibly link Dangun (from Korean mythology), Oddjob from 007, Syngman Rhee, Picasso’s Massacre en Corée, Ronald Reagan, Friday The 13th the movie, Marilyn Monroe and Kim Jong II?! Well, I couldn’t possibly say�
November 7, 2023
This highly imaginative story is, at its core, a quirky and frankly vertiginous lesson in how foreign governments shaped the fate of Korea and one group’s secret struggle to undo the damage. It is infused with sci-fi elements, real and invented history, and a concocted account of the Korean Provisional Government formed in 1919 when Japan occupied Korea.
The novel opens with a scholarly discussion about the nature of history. One scholar claims history to be the message from a genius, ruined by the rain. This is the warning shot for readers, as the adventure unfolds through three intersecting storylines with a host of characters and some wacky cameos. The main points of view are that of tech worker Soon Sheen, Korean War veteran and sci-fi novelist Parker Jotter, and, most challenging, the text of a book—Same Bed Different Dreams—written by the “Scourge of Seoul� Echo.
This wonderful book requires more tracking and juggling skills than I possess, but for those who enjoy puzzles, escape rooms, and treasure hunts, it might be your book.
“In 1904, as war erupts between Japan and Russia, Syngman is granted an early release. The conflict spells a death sentence for Korea. The two neighbors want her, each for its own purpose: Japan for a foothold on the continent, Russia for access to warm-water ports. Horace or Homer sermonizes: Same bed, different dreams.�
The novel opens with a scholarly discussion about the nature of history. One scholar claims history to be the message from a genius, ruined by the rain. This is the warning shot for readers, as the adventure unfolds through three intersecting storylines with a host of characters and some wacky cameos. The main points of view are that of tech worker Soon Sheen, Korean War veteran and sci-fi novelist Parker Jotter, and, most challenging, the text of a book—Same Bed Different Dreams—written by the “Scourge of Seoul� Echo.
This wonderful book requires more tracking and juggling skills than I possess, but for those who enjoy puzzles, escape rooms, and treasure hunts, it might be your book.
“In 1904, as war erupts between Japan and Russia, Syngman is granted an early release. The conflict spells a death sentence for Korea. The two neighbors want her, each for its own purpose: Japan for a foothold on the continent, Russia for access to warm-water ports. Horace or Homer sermonizes: Same bed, different dreams.�
November 12, 2023
Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park is a dark comedic work of speculative fiction that weaves together fact and fiction in a tangled web of immaculate beauty. The writing and story felt as to me like Delillo and Roth had a baby whose weird uncle was Pynchon. Never have I experienced a novel of this size that upon completion I flip right back to page one and go again. There is a subtle hunger brimming within these pages, it begs and pleads to be revisited like an old friend catching up after a brief hiatus. Following the past century of Koreas history and war Park tight rope walks across the 38th parallel intertwining four main stories with thousands of subplots and anecdotes we witness the rebirth or rather the underground continuance of the Korean Provisional Government (KPG) that supposedly perished after the Korean War, but did the war ever end? And if not, then wouldn’t the KPG still be around today? Park explores this beyond the pale
.
The sheer magnitude of information to unpack with this novel is impossible, I have to first praise Ed Park for his genius in the way he melds together every character in this book, big or small, everyone counts. Littered with strange anecdotes, anagrams flying left and right, the number 2333, strange Sci-Fi cult novels, McKinley’s assassination, UFO’s, Buffalo Sabres lore and history ( damn you Brett Hull) and the many odd relations to the ever persistent KPG. Friday the 13th ( the movie) Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Regan, Philip Roth, Jesus Christ ( all members of the KPG) I could literally go on for pages about the many plots and subplots, the facts and the fictions that dance around this rollercoaster of a ride but then you wouldn’t get the same experience I did, or maybe we would, who knows ( Same bed different dream right?) Whether you enjoy a puzzling work of literary art, or a multifaceted interwoven network of bullet point facts this book is for you, an arduous task at times with some of the oddest things you’ll ever experience but you know what they say, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and Ed Park has created the most remarkably bizarre novel that will single handily keep Wikipedia afloat ( my top read of 2023)
.
The sheer magnitude of information to unpack with this novel is impossible, I have to first praise Ed Park for his genius in the way he melds together every character in this book, big or small, everyone counts. Littered with strange anecdotes, anagrams flying left and right, the number 2333, strange Sci-Fi cult novels, McKinley’s assassination, UFO’s, Buffalo Sabres lore and history ( damn you Brett Hull) and the many odd relations to the ever persistent KPG. Friday the 13th ( the movie) Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Regan, Philip Roth, Jesus Christ ( all members of the KPG) I could literally go on for pages about the many plots and subplots, the facts and the fictions that dance around this rollercoaster of a ride but then you wouldn’t get the same experience I did, or maybe we would, who knows ( Same bed different dream right?) Whether you enjoy a puzzling work of literary art, or a multifaceted interwoven network of bullet point facts this book is for you, an arduous task at times with some of the oddest things you’ll ever experience but you know what they say, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and Ed Park has created the most remarkably bizarre novel that will single handily keep Wikipedia afloat ( my top read of 2023)
December 29, 2023
Same Bed Different Dreams is the strange, weird, and totally unique novel of creative genius by Ed Park. I have no idea how to explain it, so I will share part of the blurb: "A wild, sweeping novel that imagines an alternate secret history of Korea and the traces it leaves on the present." There is a strange assortment of characters, but "their links are revealed over time, even as the dreamers remain in the dark as to their own interconnectedness."
At over 500 pages, the story requires commitment from the reader and, truthfully, I almost quit at 25%. I felt like I had no idea what was going on, but shortly thereafter, I was hooked. I am sure that I still don't understand it all. It is a complex story, but for me it was worth it.
I received a drc via NetGalley. Many thanks.
At over 500 pages, the story requires commitment from the reader and, truthfully, I almost quit at 25%. I felt like I had no idea what was going on, but shortly thereafter, I was hooked. I am sure that I still don't understand it all. It is a complex story, but for me it was worth it.
I received a drc via NetGalley. Many thanks.
March 11, 2023
Hats off to a book that's both super-duper complicated and a comfy(-wumfy) read. It can't be easy to do or my home library would be exclusively stocked high with books only written so. And and and historical conspiracy fiction is so easily sloshed and spilled, leaving g'awful stains if not handled with utmost care! For me, this was the ultimate fun read, with large portions doled via pop-culture-factoid nuggets, a la Reed's Mumbo Jumbo and Bowman's Big Bang, throwing around genres as smokescreens to keep you constantly guessing at just what exactly you're experiencing (yeah, this book's a magic show). Be prepared to second guess your own memory and/or kickstart bizarre connective arcs between fictional/real characters/events, as for every card that is flipped to reveal an answer, you'll find yourself going "oh but what was on the top side of the card again?" (I mean, if you hate magic, you've probably only run into bad magicians).
It's March and this comes out in November. I will surely forget EVERYTHING about it by then. Sigh. And don't "run into" bad magicians.
It's March and this comes out in November. I will surely forget EVERYTHING about it by then. Sigh. And don't "run into" bad magicians.
May 27, 2023
I cannot make heads or tails of this book. It's boring, there's no character development, the plot is non-existent, and the book the character Soon is reading (this is supposed to be the main point of the book) is one of the dumbest things I have ever read. It's not even a story, just a list of people/events that are nonsensical and read like it was written by someone was drunk or high.
Shelved as 'began-may-finish'
December 6, 2023Stopped because it is a complex book that will take more concentration than I can give it right now. So many characters introduced so fast at the beginnings of both the ‘current� and Korean history tales that I couldn’t keep them straight. But I liked the writing and the structure.
August 24, 2023
Only a masterful writer can pull off a slapstick parody cum geopolitical sci-fi thriller, wrapped around a singular telling of Korean-American history, heavily infused with genius-level wordplay and nerd pop easter eggs. Browsing the back cover, I was initially skeptical that a book like this could ever make sense. However, the novel drew me in with its comedic intro, followed by fascinating snippets of Korean history and an oddball pulp sci-fi story. From beginning to end, I was thoroughly entertained, educated and enlightened. Defying the odds, Mr. Park takes modern Korean history and fleshes out certain moments, connecting invisible threads across time zones and cultures, creating a masterwork.
Between bouts of laughter and reflection, I found that the time I spent reading SBDD would soon be matched by the time I spent researching the various characters and events presented by Mr. Park throughout his novel (thank you, Internet!). Did such things happen? Were these people real? More often than not, my curiosity sent me down several rabbit holes: the poet Yi Sang, the tragic story of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, the Moon-funded movie Inchon!, the Sabres/Flyers playoff bat-fog, on and on...
As a 2nd generation Korean-American, I felt like the novel was directly relevant to my life and the awkward ways in which my Korean heritage intersected with my 1980's suburban upbringing. That said, I've never read anything quite like this book, and I do think its uniqueness will appeal to a wide audience. The mind of Mr. Park is expansive, and he ultimately challenges us to see where we, the readers, fit in to the multi-generational narrative of history. SBDD was one of the best novels I've read in recent memory, and I'm wishing I had more.
Between bouts of laughter and reflection, I found that the time I spent reading SBDD would soon be matched by the time I spent researching the various characters and events presented by Mr. Park throughout his novel (thank you, Internet!). Did such things happen? Were these people real? More often than not, my curiosity sent me down several rabbit holes: the poet Yi Sang, the tragic story of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, the Moon-funded movie Inchon!, the Sabres/Flyers playoff bat-fog, on and on...
As a 2nd generation Korean-American, I felt like the novel was directly relevant to my life and the awkward ways in which my Korean heritage intersected with my 1980's suburban upbringing. That said, I've never read anything quite like this book, and I do think its uniqueness will appeal to a wide audience. The mind of Mr. Park is expansive, and he ultimately challenges us to see where we, the readers, fit in to the multi-generational narrative of history. SBDD was one of the best novels I've read in recent memory, and I'm wishing I had more.
February 12, 2024
1/3 of the way through and ended up a DNF. This was an interesting premise, but the audiobook version was all over the place and I couldn’t follow anything. I’ll need to pick this back up for a second go when I have the hard copy in front of me.
September 15, 2023
One of those books that feels impossible to give a star rating for.
This book is not for me. I am not the reader for this book. First, do we call it a book.? There are no plurals in Korean language. However, this is a books. Very early on I got the feeling the number of genres, settings, eras, narrators and shifts in style would be too hard to follow. I decided to try to let it flow over me, Jack Kerouac-style (also wondering if Mr. Park was on any mind-altering substances). Pulling some words from the book blurb itself: wild, outrageous premise, sprawling, and “…weaves together three distinct narrative voices and an archive of mysterious images and twists reality like a kaleidoscope..�. Yes, I agree, but very difficult to follow. Like playing Baduk with an expert and you don’t know any of the rules, and then the room changes and you have a different player? No, the room changes and you are now in a single person submersible at midnight zone. Is that an anglerfish? Fish, ish, sh. Are these metaphors confounded and confusing or enjoyable? If enjoyable, then check out this books where the metaphor is at a higher level.
For me, trying to let it flow didn’t work. Trying to attend closely didn’t work. Nonetheless I found enjoyable passages, some humorous, some poignant. I wish I could make it less difficult to get through. He started it in 2014. Maybe I’ll take several years to finish it as well.
This book is not for me. I am not the reader for this book. First, do we call it a book.? There are no plurals in Korean language. However, this is a books. Very early on I got the feeling the number of genres, settings, eras, narrators and shifts in style would be too hard to follow. I decided to try to let it flow over me, Jack Kerouac-style (also wondering if Mr. Park was on any mind-altering substances). Pulling some words from the book blurb itself: wild, outrageous premise, sprawling, and “…weaves together three distinct narrative voices and an archive of mysterious images and twists reality like a kaleidoscope..�. Yes, I agree, but very difficult to follow. Like playing Baduk with an expert and you don’t know any of the rules, and then the room changes and you have a different player? No, the room changes and you are now in a single person submersible at midnight zone. Is that an anglerfish? Fish, ish, sh. Are these metaphors confounded and confusing or enjoyable? If enjoyable, then check out this books where the metaphor is at a higher level.
For me, trying to let it flow didn’t work. Trying to attend closely didn’t work. Nonetheless I found enjoyable passages, some humorous, some poignant. I wish I could make it less difficult to get through. He started it in 2014. Maybe I’ll take several years to finish it as well.
October 30, 2023
Simply fantastic
November 14, 2023
This book may clock in at 577 pages, but it feels like it’s so much longer. I don’t mean that as an insult. I mean that as a compliment. This book is not a trifling thing–it’s a deep, dense, carefully-constructed, intricately-woven, and ineffably magical text that takes little to no time at all to sink a hook in you before reeling you into a story of an alternative history where Korea has had a shadow government at work behind the scenes since the 19th century. All of its members work to keep Korea unified, but not all of them agree as to how to do so. Some members don’t even know they’re members. Some become members posthumously. Some are tapped to be members, unwittingly, since birth. Cogs become sprockets that move the chain along the track.
To tell you the truth, it’s difficult to describe this book, because it’s not a singular book. There’s essentially four “books� inside Same Bed Different Dreams.
1.The present-day story of our main protagonist, Soon Sheen, a sometimes-author who works for a tech conglomerate called GLOAT;
2. The five “Dreams� that make up the “book� within the book, called “Same Bed Different Dreams�;
3. The story of Parker Jotter, a Korean War veteran/POW and author of a series of sci-fi novels;
4. A handful of miscellaneous stories about historical events that are tied to fiction and fact by tenuous yet absolutely fascinating strings, like absurd Reddit conspiracy theories or internet train wrecks you just can’t look away from;
There are two phrases repeated throughout the text, like magic, ritual, or religion. One’s a riddle and one’s evocative of an axiom or a proverb.
“Did the straight line murder the circle?� (Or variations on this riddle.)
“Same bed, different dreams.�
The first? Well, that you’ll have to figure out yourself, just like I did.
The second? Korea is the same bed. Everyone: the Koreans (North, South, or otherwise), Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Americans? They all have different dreams for that same bed. None of them involve unifying Korea as Korea. They all involve molding Korea into some kind of vision of what they think Korea should be.
This entire book is about the shadow government known as the KPG and their intergenerational efforts to bring about the unification of Korea no matter what. Kick everyone out of the bed. Same bed, same dream. No matter how delusional the vision, no matter how tenuous the ties. No matter how far-fetched the plans or how desperate the hope.
The research that must have gone into this book has to have been insane and had to have taken ages. From obscure film references to real and imagined Korean authors to real-life cults like the Moonies to American games shows to slapstick silent films to the assassination of President McKinley to the fate of KAL flight 007. The list could go on and on. What matters is that not only is the Korean War extensively researched for the purposes of this book (since a great deal of this book centers around the division of Korea), but that every real-life event and/or person has been extensively researched for the matter of this book so that when Park inevitably twists the narrative to fit his alternative history spin on matters, everything that needs to connect does so seamlessly, as if it was always meant to be that way.
Ed Park is an extremely talented author, deftly writing four books in one, all with different tones, tenors, and modes. Soon Sheen’s story of working at GLOAT and reading “Same Bed Different Dreams� in pieces is written like a contemporary fiction novel, with Soon playing the part of a beleaguered father and corporate drone that has become enraptured with a secret book that fell into his hands seemingly by accident. “Same Bed Different Dreams� has a harsh tone and clipped economy of words that reminds one of both a confession and a manifesto. The story of Parker Jotter, Korean War vet, POW, and sci-fi author is written almost like a psychological fiction novel where the protagonist is a psychologically-compromised war vet whose thoughts and ideas might not all be his own. All the miscellaneous stories about historical events and people sprinkled throughout the book here and there vary in tone and complexity but never vary in interest.
This book is a wonder, and one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s barely got a plot. It’s barely got a vibe. It’s barely got atmosphere. So what does it have? Beauty. The beauty of words. That’s all. It’s just a book that’s made up of beautiful words made into beautiful sentences made into beautiful pages made into a beautiful book.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was written without any offer or acceptance of compensation.
File Under: 5 Star Review/AAPI Fiction/Alternative Earth Fiction/Historical Fiction/Literary Fiction/Meta Fiction/OwnVoices/Satire/Secret Society/Speculative Fiction
To tell you the truth, it’s difficult to describe this book, because it’s not a singular book. There’s essentially four “books� inside Same Bed Different Dreams.
1.The present-day story of our main protagonist, Soon Sheen, a sometimes-author who works for a tech conglomerate called GLOAT;
2. The five “Dreams� that make up the “book� within the book, called “Same Bed Different Dreams�;
3. The story of Parker Jotter, a Korean War veteran/POW and author of a series of sci-fi novels;
4. A handful of miscellaneous stories about historical events that are tied to fiction and fact by tenuous yet absolutely fascinating strings, like absurd Reddit conspiracy theories or internet train wrecks you just can’t look away from;
There are two phrases repeated throughout the text, like magic, ritual, or religion. One’s a riddle and one’s evocative of an axiom or a proverb.
“Did the straight line murder the circle?� (Or variations on this riddle.)
“Same bed, different dreams.�
The first? Well, that you’ll have to figure out yourself, just like I did.
The second? Korea is the same bed. Everyone: the Koreans (North, South, or otherwise), Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Americans? They all have different dreams for that same bed. None of them involve unifying Korea as Korea. They all involve molding Korea into some kind of vision of what they think Korea should be.
This entire book is about the shadow government known as the KPG and their intergenerational efforts to bring about the unification of Korea no matter what. Kick everyone out of the bed. Same bed, same dream. No matter how delusional the vision, no matter how tenuous the ties. No matter how far-fetched the plans or how desperate the hope.
The research that must have gone into this book has to have been insane and had to have taken ages. From obscure film references to real and imagined Korean authors to real-life cults like the Moonies to American games shows to slapstick silent films to the assassination of President McKinley to the fate of KAL flight 007. The list could go on and on. What matters is that not only is the Korean War extensively researched for the purposes of this book (since a great deal of this book centers around the division of Korea), but that every real-life event and/or person has been extensively researched for the matter of this book so that when Park inevitably twists the narrative to fit his alternative history spin on matters, everything that needs to connect does so seamlessly, as if it was always meant to be that way.
Ed Park is an extremely talented author, deftly writing four books in one, all with different tones, tenors, and modes. Soon Sheen’s story of working at GLOAT and reading “Same Bed Different Dreams� in pieces is written like a contemporary fiction novel, with Soon playing the part of a beleaguered father and corporate drone that has become enraptured with a secret book that fell into his hands seemingly by accident. “Same Bed Different Dreams� has a harsh tone and clipped economy of words that reminds one of both a confession and a manifesto. The story of Parker Jotter, Korean War vet, POW, and sci-fi author is written almost like a psychological fiction novel where the protagonist is a psychologically-compromised war vet whose thoughts and ideas might not all be his own. All the miscellaneous stories about historical events and people sprinkled throughout the book here and there vary in tone and complexity but never vary in interest.
This book is a wonder, and one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s barely got a plot. It’s barely got a vibe. It’s barely got atmosphere. So what does it have? Beauty. The beauty of words. That’s all. It’s just a book that’s made up of beautiful words made into beautiful sentences made into beautiful pages made into a beautiful book.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was written without any offer or acceptance of compensation.
File Under: 5 Star Review/AAPI Fiction/Alternative Earth Fiction/Historical Fiction/Literary Fiction/Meta Fiction/OwnVoices/Satire/Secret Society/Speculative Fiction
November 30, 2023
Same Bed Different Dreams might find its way into my "Jacobim Mugatu - I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!" Hall of Fame. There is a lot of serious praise at the front of this book's hype train, including the most irresponsible of them all, Jonathan Lethem's comps to Bolaño and Gravity's Rainbow - an author and a book it's obvious he must've never read
The experience of reading Same Bed Different Dreams is akin to watching an early 90's MTV music video - all quick zooms and cuts, with the music teleported in from somewhere unrelated to the flashing images. Or to "Nosferatu" but where the cut pieces of film(pages) in SBDD steal half the story - I remembered names as I read them (most of the time, I think) but never knew who they were or who they were connected to, or what their back story had been. Each time a section presented me a character, it was like the flashing, color-soaked, freakout intercuts from "Natural Born Killers." I was always caught off-guard, "...wait, was that...? How do I remember that character...? Was she the daughter of...? Did he write the book on...?"
On the whole the experience of reading SBDD was splashy, disorienting, frustrating, and ultimately left me feeling cheated
Gravity's Rainbow is a masterwork of erudition and craft. Bolaño at his best created kaleidoscopic Rubik's Cubes which he spun into place, interlocking the reader without tricks or distortion
SBDD is a rushed, mess
The experience of reading Same Bed Different Dreams is akin to watching an early 90's MTV music video - all quick zooms and cuts, with the music teleported in from somewhere unrelated to the flashing images. Or to "Nosferatu" but where the cut pieces of film(pages) in SBDD steal half the story - I remembered names as I read them (most of the time, I think) but never knew who they were or who they were connected to, or what their back story had been. Each time a section presented me a character, it was like the flashing, color-soaked, freakout intercuts from "Natural Born Killers." I was always caught off-guard, "...wait, was that...? How do I remember that character...? Was she the daughter of...? Did he write the book on...?"
On the whole the experience of reading SBDD was splashy, disorienting, frustrating, and ultimately left me feeling cheated
Gravity's Rainbow is a masterwork of erudition and craft. Bolaño at his best created kaleidoscopic Rubik's Cubes which he spun into place, interlocking the reader without tricks or distortion
SBDD is a rushed, mess
Read
November 6, 2023It took me months to read this book. I was so intrigued by the blurb, but I kept coming up against my ignorance of Korean history, which I've been reading around the edges of for the past nearly ten years. Not enough.
Reading this book was like peering through a sliver in a curtain, just to find that there was a kaleidoscope right up against that sliver, and as soon as I made some sense of a pattern, the writer would give it a crank and all the pieces would gyrate wildly into a new pattern. Maybe this is a book that, despite being written in English, is about Asians, for Asians?
Anyway, there is a lot of glimpses into Korean history here, but a lot of it is alternate history. Science fiction, metafiction, satire (it's shot through with humor) and speculation abound. It's a remarkable book, about which one can say, truly, that publishers do NOT publish "the same old thing." There is nothing like this one out there!
But as for evaluating, it's this kind of book that makes me really glad I don't do stars here on ŷ.
Reading this book was like peering through a sliver in a curtain, just to find that there was a kaleidoscope right up against that sliver, and as soon as I made some sense of a pattern, the writer would give it a crank and all the pieces would gyrate wildly into a new pattern. Maybe this is a book that, despite being written in English, is about Asians, for Asians?
Anyway, there is a lot of glimpses into Korean history here, but a lot of it is alternate history. Science fiction, metafiction, satire (it's shot through with humor) and speculation abound. It's a remarkable book, about which one can say, truly, that publishers do NOT publish "the same old thing." There is nothing like this one out there!
But as for evaluating, it's this kind of book that makes me really glad I don't do stars here on ŷ.
May 16, 2024
This will be history from the foreigner’s point of view.
Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction - but a novel that reminded me of why I prefer to read translated fiction for insights into different cultures.
At the heart of Same Bed Different Dreams is a novel-within-the-novel, with almost the same title - Same Bed, Different Dreams. In the novel’s fictional world this is a translation of a book, 같은 침대 다른 꿈을, by a famous Korean author, � 유진 (Cho Eujin). He is being rebranded in English as “Echo�, taking the “E� from his given name and the “cho� from his family name. Which makes litte sense - the first syllable of 우진 is a “yu� sound, not “eh� (indeed the name is popular for Korean Americans males as it sounds very similar to the English Eugene), and the “cho� is like “chosen�.
But this fictional novel-in-a-novel is largely a Wikipedia-based listicle of well known Korean history. So when early on Admiral Yi Sun-sin (이순�) is mentioned we get a paragraph explaining who he is. Which would be like an English novel thinking readers need an explanation of who Admiral Nelson is (ummm that incredibly famous military hero whose statue is at the top of a column in the main square in the capital city), although Admiral Yi is more Nelson+Wellington+Montgomery.
And this rather shallow regurgitation is combined with a sub-Pythonesque zany story in which Ed Park seems particularly keen to make fun of how native Korean speak English (as opposed to the accent of an American of Korean origin) - so we have a visitor from South Korea ordering a “Brenda for his wipe� in an appliance store - much hilarity ensues when in transpires that he actually wants to buy a blender for his wife, so much so that the characters revisit the hilarious scene many (and there are far too many) pages later.
To be fair to Ed Park, he knows all of this. And I think - and certainly hope - the book may be intended as a commentary on literature about a country from a colonial/diaspora perspective - 교포splaining, to coin a term.
Tellingly one character points out that the first mention of Admiral Yi in US fiction was in Zuckerman Unbound by Philip Roth. Roth of course a long-term favourite in the eyes of the US media (and his own?) for the Nobel Prize, but part of a group of writers the permanent secretary of the committee brutally dismissed for the insularity and international ignorance of their writing. And the novel points out, wonderfully, Roth somehow managed to mangle the Admiral’s name as “Vinunsin�. So I will round the rating up to 2.
For balance a much more favourable review in by , and a follow up .
Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction - but a novel that reminded me of why I prefer to read translated fiction for insights into different cultures.
At the heart of Same Bed Different Dreams is a novel-within-the-novel, with almost the same title - Same Bed, Different Dreams. In the novel’s fictional world this is a translation of a book, 같은 침대 다른 꿈을, by a famous Korean author, � 유진 (Cho Eujin). He is being rebranded in English as “Echo�, taking the “E� from his given name and the “cho� from his family name. Which makes litte sense - the first syllable of 우진 is a “yu� sound, not “eh� (indeed the name is popular for Korean Americans males as it sounds very similar to the English Eugene), and the “cho� is like “chosen�.
But this fictional novel-in-a-novel is largely a Wikipedia-based listicle of well known Korean history. So when early on Admiral Yi Sun-sin (이순�) is mentioned we get a paragraph explaining who he is. Which would be like an English novel thinking readers need an explanation of who Admiral Nelson is (ummm that incredibly famous military hero whose statue is at the top of a column in the main square in the capital city), although Admiral Yi is more Nelson+Wellington+Montgomery.
And this rather shallow regurgitation is combined with a sub-Pythonesque zany story in which Ed Park seems particularly keen to make fun of how native Korean speak English (as opposed to the accent of an American of Korean origin) - so we have a visitor from South Korea ordering a “Brenda for his wipe� in an appliance store - much hilarity ensues when in transpires that he actually wants to buy a blender for his wife, so much so that the characters revisit the hilarious scene many (and there are far too many) pages later.
To be fair to Ed Park, he knows all of this. And I think - and certainly hope - the book may be intended as a commentary on literature about a country from a colonial/diaspora perspective - 교포splaining, to coin a term.
Tellingly one character points out that the first mention of Admiral Yi in US fiction was in Zuckerman Unbound by Philip Roth. Roth of course a long-term favourite in the eyes of the US media (and his own?) for the Nobel Prize, but part of a group of writers the permanent secretary of the committee brutally dismissed for the insularity and international ignorance of their writing. And the novel points out, wonderfully, Roth somehow managed to mangle the Admiral’s name as “Vinunsin�. So I will round the rating up to 2.
For balance a much more favourable review in by , and a follow up .
December 27, 2023
My favorite novel of 2023, Same Bed Different Dreams supposedly took fifteen years to create. And how could it not have taken that long? Compared to Pynchon's Gravity‘s Rainbow, as well as to DeLil’s Underworld, Same Bed is a monumental systems novel --that was as fun to read as it was awe-inspiring! I was smiling and laughing for 500 pages. I was also wildly googling things to figure out what was real and what was a Parksonian hallucination. The story is told in three narrative strands. The main strand, or seed story is about a Korean-American named Soon Sheen—a guy who used to write fiction and still knows a lot of writers and artists who’s now working for a tech giant called GLOAT� he has a dog and a kid and a wife and mostly lives a humdrum life but one night he meets up with some old artist artist buddies in Manhattan for a dinner and accidentally brings home an unpublished manuscript by a South Korean literary legend known as Echo, who was also at the dinner.
The book, called Same Bed, Different Dreams (note the comma) forms the second part of the book and is composed of a long series of vignettes that together create a fascinating alternative history about the Japanese occupation of Korea and the Korean Provisional Government.
And the third strand is a piece of science fiction that was written by a former vet of the Korean War an African-American living in Buffalo New York. In every section, I thought “this one is my favorite…� but then I’d change my mind. Because on every page something drew me in, made me laugh or think, or feel fascinated,
I think it was in the New York Times review where they mentioned that it felt like a debut novel because it was so incredibly creative
This is a book of secret societies, anagrams, acronyms, real history and invented history —and there are so many pop cultural references. I was googling almost every paragraph and it was so interesting to see what was real and what was invented by him--- it was an absolutely phenomenal book.
This year I’m doing a big re-read of Moby Dick and thinking about how much I love books that utilize exposition and history� and why not? If it is voiced it adds so much novelistic layers. Not everything needs to be written like a screenplay. And it doesn’t hurt that on the sentence level the prose pops!
My top three of the year:
Same Bed Different Dreams
Door of No Return
In Ascension
My Top Five
Same Bed Different Dreams (Park)
Door of No Return (Diop)
In Ascension (MacInnes)
New Earth (Row)
Prophet Song (Lynch)
The book, called Same Bed, Different Dreams (note the comma) forms the second part of the book and is composed of a long series of vignettes that together create a fascinating alternative history about the Japanese occupation of Korea and the Korean Provisional Government.
And the third strand is a piece of science fiction that was written by a former vet of the Korean War an African-American living in Buffalo New York. In every section, I thought “this one is my favorite…� but then I’d change my mind. Because on every page something drew me in, made me laugh or think, or feel fascinated,
I think it was in the New York Times review where they mentioned that it felt like a debut novel because it was so incredibly creative
This is a book of secret societies, anagrams, acronyms, real history and invented history —and there are so many pop cultural references. I was googling almost every paragraph and it was so interesting to see what was real and what was invented by him--- it was an absolutely phenomenal book.
This year I’m doing a big re-read of Moby Dick and thinking about how much I love books that utilize exposition and history� and why not? If it is voiced it adds so much novelistic layers. Not everything needs to be written like a screenplay. And it doesn’t hurt that on the sentence level the prose pops!
My top three of the year:
Same Bed Different Dreams
Door of No Return
In Ascension
My Top Five
Same Bed Different Dreams (Park)
Door of No Return (Diop)
In Ascension (MacInnes)
New Earth (Row)
Prophet Song (Lynch)
December 22, 2023
3.5
----
"Same bed, different dreams. Korea is the bed."
I started this novel certain that it would be a triumph of historical fiction. Alternate histories are fascinating, with limitless potential to explore in a narrative of this scale. I can't deny that Ed Park's isn't a well-researched, innovative dive into the history of the Korean Provisional Government, but I wish it were a more focused one. There's a lot of history to cover, but this book is dense to the point of losing the threads that make its story compelling. In fact, it took me over a month to finish reading it.
"The Sins" chapters are by far the story's most compelling aspect. I was instantly charmed by Soon Sheen's wit and humor as a character. The problems start arising once "Dream One" begins. From there on, the book zig zags so sporadically that it's difficult to keep track of character motivations, narrative messages, etc. Whenever we returned to Soon's point, I was fully invested in the unraveling mysteries. Outside of that, I was mostly confused and overwhelmed by the dense amount of information pummeled in my brain.
I really wanted to hail this book as a new favorite of mine. Ed Park is clearly a talented writer, but this novel might work better in a different medium. Visual storytelling in television, or even a video game, would help make this more impactful and less hazy. The story is already quite episodic, so I think the author's intent would thrive that way.
----
"Same bed, different dreams. Korea is the bed."
I started this novel certain that it would be a triumph of historical fiction. Alternate histories are fascinating, with limitless potential to explore in a narrative of this scale. I can't deny that Ed Park's isn't a well-researched, innovative dive into the history of the Korean Provisional Government, but I wish it were a more focused one. There's a lot of history to cover, but this book is dense to the point of losing the threads that make its story compelling. In fact, it took me over a month to finish reading it.
"The Sins" chapters are by far the story's most compelling aspect. I was instantly charmed by Soon Sheen's wit and humor as a character. The problems start arising once "Dream One" begins. From there on, the book zig zags so sporadically that it's difficult to keep track of character motivations, narrative messages, etc. Whenever we returned to Soon's point, I was fully invested in the unraveling mysteries. Outside of that, I was mostly confused and overwhelmed by the dense amount of information pummeled in my brain.
I really wanted to hail this book as a new favorite of mine. Ed Park is clearly a talented writer, but this novel might work better in a different medium. Visual storytelling in television, or even a video game, would help make this more impactful and less hazy. The story is already quite episodic, so I think the author's intent would thrive that way.
October 24, 2023
Months later, I am still thinking about Ed Park's delightfully dizzying novel. There's a lot in the book that naturally tickles my game-obsessed brain, from the straightforward, as with the entire chapter dedicated to the lives of a pair of tabletop game developers in the late '70s, to the more obscure, as in the way the three seemingly separate narratives diverge and intertwine in ways that beg exploration, like a maze. As much as I felt instinctively compelled to dive into the puzzle elements (the interconnectivity of which often reminded me of Milorad Pavic's Khazar Dictionary), it was the characters that grabbed me and refused to let me get lost among the novel's more abstract delights. I can't think of another novel I've read that features such compellingly rendered strangers on a train, who I got to know for a short while and will never spend more time with. That means, in a lot of ways, the mysteries of the their lives go unsolved, but that's life, right? I wouldn't turn down a sequel, or a twice-the-size director's cut, though.
June 5, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Ed Park weaves Korean and American history with science fiction and speculative fiction in this masterpiece. I learned a lot about Korean, Japanese and US presidential history. He masterfully changes the narrative from history to fiction, in a way that left me in a dream-like state wondering whether things really happened or were just a dream. There were a lot of narratives and characters, and changes in voice throughout. In the end I was heartened to experience the return of some of the main characters from the beginning.
Ed Park weaves Korean and American history with science fiction and speculative fiction in this masterpiece. I learned a lot about Korean, Japanese and US presidential history. He masterfully changes the narrative from history to fiction, in a way that left me in a dream-like state wondering whether things really happened or were just a dream. There were a lot of narratives and characters, and changes in voice throughout. In the end I was heartened to experience the return of some of the main characters from the beginning.
May 31, 2023
ARC received in return for an honest review. Quotes are from the ARC version for review purposes and may not reflect the final passages in the book. DNFed at 50% through. Here's why...
Same Bed Different Dreams (SBDD) describes itself in a meta way early on.
"I said, 'It’s really not bad, when you take a step back.'
'Yeah, he does his own thing. Like with point of view.'
'Right.' Point of view?
'And how it goes back and forth in time.'
'Yeah, totally �' I said."
Totally... That aside, why this rating?
What worked?
* The historical characters and facts, who though woven into a fictional narrative, serve to call out historically-untold or minimized experiences of the treatment of Korea at the hands of Japan and during the World Wars, when the fate of an entire country was decided for it by bigger countries.
What didn't work?
* At one point, there is a video game in the outermost book based upon a board game within a book within the book. At least I think that's the right level of things. That is to say, the nesting of narratives is ambitious but very difficult to follow.
* The misogyny - There in the drinking culture scenes and in guy's "locker room talk"-style passages. It's very clearly written from a man's perspective. Some examples, though possibly historically-derived, include:
"A year earlier, rumors that the PM bought the virginity of a fifteen-year-old geisha were met with a shrug, even a sort of patriotic admiration for how he’s sustained a deep-rooted folk practice."
"It’s the mixing of races that stimulates. In Britain as a youth, he sampled tarts white as paper. On his continental tour, he tasted the confections of Vienna and Paris. But he considers a Korean girl the most tempting: so close, yet so despised. Sadako will be his to civilize."
Women aren't tarts or confections. They don't exist for men's consumption, nor to be "tamed." While it's possible that these were the perspectives of the historical figures involved, they feel uncomfortable and unnecessary in telling what an alternate Korean history could have looked like. What is the goal here?
* The first half of the nested book within a book reads as a set of (well-researched) tell-not-show style encyclopedia entries. For example:
"Bae Boonam becomes Udam becomes Dayama Sadako becomes Bae Boonam again, a double or triple agent. Kim Jongsook of Manchuria becomes Vera Kim. Franziska Maria Barbara Donner of Vienna becomes Francesca Rhee, the frugal 'Martha Washington' of South Korea. All are members in good standing of the Korean Provisional Government."
* What's actually true historically? The blend of fact and fiction makes it harder to take away what you might have learned as a reader and what's fabrication. At that point, maybe just take the wiki entries of the historical figures listed and read those instead?
* The narrative within the narrative within the narrative doesn't really seem to contribute much to the goal of exploring alternate Korea. It does introduce confusion though.
I give credit to the lofty goal of the premise and the historical facts it does teach. That said, I wouldn't recommend this book.
Same Bed Different Dreams (SBDD) describes itself in a meta way early on.
"I said, 'It’s really not bad, when you take a step back.'
'Yeah, he does his own thing. Like with point of view.'
'Right.' Point of view?
'And how it goes back and forth in time.'
'Yeah, totally �' I said."
Totally... That aside, why this rating?
What worked?
* The historical characters and facts, who though woven into a fictional narrative, serve to call out historically-untold or minimized experiences of the treatment of Korea at the hands of Japan and during the World Wars, when the fate of an entire country was decided for it by bigger countries.
What didn't work?
* At one point, there is a video game in the outermost book based upon a board game within a book within the book. At least I think that's the right level of things. That is to say, the nesting of narratives is ambitious but very difficult to follow.
* The misogyny - There in the drinking culture scenes and in guy's "locker room talk"-style passages. It's very clearly written from a man's perspective. Some examples, though possibly historically-derived, include:
"A year earlier, rumors that the PM bought the virginity of a fifteen-year-old geisha were met with a shrug, even a sort of patriotic admiration for how he’s sustained a deep-rooted folk practice."
"It’s the mixing of races that stimulates. In Britain as a youth, he sampled tarts white as paper. On his continental tour, he tasted the confections of Vienna and Paris. But he considers a Korean girl the most tempting: so close, yet so despised. Sadako will be his to civilize."
Women aren't tarts or confections. They don't exist for men's consumption, nor to be "tamed." While it's possible that these were the perspectives of the historical figures involved, they feel uncomfortable and unnecessary in telling what an alternate Korean history could have looked like. What is the goal here?
* The first half of the nested book within a book reads as a set of (well-researched) tell-not-show style encyclopedia entries. For example:
"Bae Boonam becomes Udam becomes Dayama Sadako becomes Bae Boonam again, a double or triple agent. Kim Jongsook of Manchuria becomes Vera Kim. Franziska Maria Barbara Donner of Vienna becomes Francesca Rhee, the frugal 'Martha Washington' of South Korea. All are members in good standing of the Korean Provisional Government."
* What's actually true historically? The blend of fact and fiction makes it harder to take away what you might have learned as a reader and what's fabrication. At that point, maybe just take the wiki entries of the historical figures listed and read those instead?
* The narrative within the narrative within the narrative doesn't really seem to contribute much to the goal of exploring alternate Korea. It does introduce confusion though.
I give credit to the lofty goal of the premise and the historical facts it does teach. That said, I wouldn't recommend this book.
January 4, 2024
What is history?
I've noticed that one of the themes found in my reading this year has been the twisting of history and the mixture of fact with fiction. No one quite does it like Ed Park though and not many books have made me want to reread it immediately like SBDD did (still debating when I'll do this....soon!)
I'm still trying to wrap my head around how Park juggled all these storylines, characters, and 100 years of history without it ever feeling bogged down. Part of it is that he trusts you as a reader, which makes you trust him and the plot. I felt like he used Soon Sheen as a way to talk to you directly - Sheen is reading SBDD along with you and sometimes comments how there are so many characters and name changes to keep track of. Once I looked up a character and couldn't find much; a few pages later Sheen mentions looking up the same person and not finding much 🤯🤣
I was swept away by Park's command and enthusiasm for history. The dreams section does start off a little dry, but you do want to know more. As they expanded and blended more with the plot I found myself racing to see how it all connects with the other story lines- ending with the beautiful dream five.
Dreams? What am I talking about? Sheen is reading a book by Echo that is the history and the future of both Korea and America and how the Korean Provisional Government has always (and still is?) there. This is divided into five dreams, which are mixed in with Sheen's storyline and that of Parker Jotter, a Korean War vet who became a sci-fi writer after the war. These were some of my favorite parts, with all the timelines, totems, and characters crossing paths. I'm still wondering why the one chapter switched to second person 👀
You're going to hear that this book is complicated, it's not. It is a lot of information and he's working on so many levels that I'm sure I haven't found them all. But the book always makes sense and there's enough within the pages to just get it at that level. Be ready to have your political and pop culture history tested and enjoy the ride. It will all (or almost all) make sense in the end. And then read it again.
I've noticed that one of the themes found in my reading this year has been the twisting of history and the mixture of fact with fiction. No one quite does it like Ed Park though and not many books have made me want to reread it immediately like SBDD did (still debating when I'll do this....soon!)
I'm still trying to wrap my head around how Park juggled all these storylines, characters, and 100 years of history without it ever feeling bogged down. Part of it is that he trusts you as a reader, which makes you trust him and the plot. I felt like he used Soon Sheen as a way to talk to you directly - Sheen is reading SBDD along with you and sometimes comments how there are so many characters and name changes to keep track of. Once I looked up a character and couldn't find much; a few pages later Sheen mentions looking up the same person and not finding much 🤯🤣
I was swept away by Park's command and enthusiasm for history. The dreams section does start off a little dry, but you do want to know more. As they expanded and blended more with the plot I found myself racing to see how it all connects with the other story lines- ending with the beautiful dream five.
Dreams? What am I talking about? Sheen is reading a book by Echo that is the history and the future of both Korea and America and how the Korean Provisional Government has always (and still is?) there. This is divided into five dreams, which are mixed in with Sheen's storyline and that of Parker Jotter, a Korean War vet who became a sci-fi writer after the war. These were some of my favorite parts, with all the timelines, totems, and characters crossing paths. I'm still wondering why the one chapter switched to second person 👀
You're going to hear that this book is complicated, it's not. It is a lot of information and he's working on so many levels that I'm sure I haven't found them all. But the book always makes sense and there's enough within the pages to just get it at that level. Be ready to have your political and pop culture history tested and enjoy the ride. It will all (or almost all) make sense in the end. And then read it again.
November 14, 2023
A beguiling amalgamation of fact and fiction, retracing the steps of the Korean diaspora to create a history of its own. Park takes the Korean Provisional Government (KPG) and explodes it into the future, greatly expanding its membership to people in all walks of life and maintaining its presence at a simmer into the modern day.
With a Mitchell/Mandeleqsue sensibility, Park takes three disparate narratives and through circuitous references and a natural feeling repetition, connects the story into one multi-layered but easy to follow novel. SBDD tracks the stories of failed NYC novelist turned copywriter(ish?) in a large technocorporation Soon Sheen, a Korean war vet named Parker Jotter who wrote a series of largely unknown pulp sci-fi stories in the 1960's, and finally the overall modern history of the KPG and Korea as depicted through history books and pop culture. Each character is given plenty of room to breathe and are filled with a lively cast of family members, writers, and presidents.
I think there is a version of this novel that would not cohere so beautifully, but SBDD succeeds at everything it is trying to do and by the end of the novel, you too, might just be a member of the KPG.
With a Mitchell/Mandeleqsue sensibility, Park takes three disparate narratives and through circuitous references and a natural feeling repetition, connects the story into one multi-layered but easy to follow novel. SBDD tracks the stories of failed NYC novelist turned copywriter(ish?) in a large technocorporation Soon Sheen, a Korean war vet named Parker Jotter who wrote a series of largely unknown pulp sci-fi stories in the 1960's, and finally the overall modern history of the KPG and Korea as depicted through history books and pop culture. Each character is given plenty of room to breathe and are filled with a lively cast of family members, writers, and presidents.
I think there is a version of this novel that would not cohere so beautifully, but SBDD succeeds at everything it is trying to do and by the end of the novel, you too, might just be a member of the KPG.
Shelved as '2023'
November 28, 2024📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Random House
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