Graphic Novel | Girls
First Line: Do you really have to go?
In The Color Of Earth: Book 1 (review here), Ehwa experiences the early stages of puberty including those awkward secret crushes that never amount to anything. The subsequent books follow Ehwa as she matures into a young woman and falls in love with a boy from the neighboring village. In The Color Of Water, she continues to sort through the many sexual connotations that everyone seems to know about except her. Her mother also struggles to relate to Ehwa, trying to determine if her little girl is growing up too quickly.
From page 165And so Ehwa falls in love with Duksam, whose master will eventually try to bargain for Ehwa's hand in marriage for himself. This results in disaster, and Duksam decides to leave his village and search for better work in order to support Ehwa if they marry.
Mother: So I suggest you find a man who's like a warm breeze that caresses your cheek and gently lifts and flutters your skirt. You don't want a man like a tornado. If you marry one of those, you'll suffer all your life.
Ehwa (blushing): Pfft.
Mother: That's why I'm putting so much work and detail in this pouch. I'm praying with each stitch that you'll find a man who's truly devoted to you.
In The Color Of Heaven, Ehwa now finds herself in the same situation as her mother: waiting for the unexpected return of a beloved. She has never been very good with patience, but Ehwa finds that it will be the only thing that carries her through the days without Duksam. Her mother takes this time to prepare her for wifely duties, only to discover that she is just as temperamental as Ehwa, which means that theirs is a quite lively household until the men return.
From page 149The Color Trilogy is quite a pleasant read that wanders about as Ehwa grows up, and yet I still wished that it her coming-of-age took a while longer. There were some snippets that ended too quickly for me, and sometimes I felt that the symbolism escaped me to fully understand what exactly happened. There were butterflies and beetles and ducks and chestnuts - and while there were some footnotes, but you can only have so many footnotes on the page! ;)
Ehwa (frustrated): Who cares if it's bitter or tough? Bitter, tough or sweet as sugar, once you eat it, it's going to the same place.
Mother: Nonsense. There isn't a wife alive who can cook well who isn't loved by her husband.
Ehwa (running off, upset): Who cares if I'm not loved? I can just do all the loving.
Mother (frustrated): The things coming out of your mouth these days.
One thing that bothered me was that I couldn't really tell that Ehwa grew up. Either the changes were extremely subtle, or she never really shows her age! I'm not exactly sure her exact age in these books (only that time does indeed pass), but I swear her height and body shape never changes. I think the only noticeable difference would be her hair, which goes from chin-length to a single long braid. When Ehwa and her mother had a spat, Ehwa's expressions always looked awfully childish even in the 3rd book.
Again, the illustrations were magnificent, especially the backdrops when Ehwa or her mother ran outside and contemplated their turbulent emotions. In the foreward, Kim Dong Hwa mentions his mother as a "clumsy sixteen-year-old" and I have to wonder how close to truth Ehwa's stories are. It seems pretty amazing that people may still live in villages without any sort of technology, and I am impressed with all the rich culture that Kim Dong Hwa depicted through his art.
One last note: This does contain some sexual content, though it is tastefully done. Nothing too extreme and mostly told through symbolism, but if you rather not, here's your fair warning.
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Disclosure 10/7/09: PUBLISHER
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