Review

Jessica Jung's brutal depiction of the K-pop world

Shine by former Girls' Generation member Jessica Jung is part of a two-book deal and slated for a screen adaptation.
Shine by former Girls' Generation member Jessica Jung is part of a two-book deal and slated for a screen adaptation. PHOTO: CORIDEL ENTERTAINMENT

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

SHINE

By Jessica Jung

Simon/Paperback/344 pages/$16.91

Available here.

3.5 stars

This debut novel of Jessica Jung, formerly of Girls' Generation, may be a work of fiction technically but one cannot be faulted for thinking it is an autobiography in disguise.

In Shine, a Korean-American girl named Rachel is plucked from ordinary teenage life to move to Seoul, where she struggles to debut as an idol under a major K-pop agency. Rachel, who has a younger sister, is nicknamed Princess Rachel, as she is thought to be the agency's favourite trainee.

Jung has an almost identical backstory as her character, from her "Princess" nickname to her younger sister Krystal Jung, who later became part of the nowdefunct girl group f(x).

The book has already drawn the ire of fans of Girls' Generation, which Jung left in 2014 after an ugly falling-out. Some have accused Jung of capitalising on the group's fame despite having left six years ago.

The 31-year-old tells Time magazine that the book draws plenty from her own life and encounters in the K-pop world. She even invites fans to look for clues to find out "who's who, what's what, what's true, what's not".

The book certainly provides plenty of gossip fodder about the K-pop industry.

Jung is almost brutal in depicting how unhealthy the system can be - with teenage girls literally weighed on a scale and swiftly insulted for any gains, and severe bullying incidents which include drugging someone's drink.

The darker overtures of the book are balanced by Jung's love for K-pop - her characters come alive when performing and believe that their music truly has the power to connect people.

The main characters and central relationships in the book are also deftly crafted.

The antagonist of the story - Mina, an heiress and a trainee alongside Rachel - remains unlikable till the end of the book, but her arc unfolds in a way that evokes sympathy.

Her relationship with Rachel is also fascinating.

They are fierce competitors who detest each other, but when they are made to work together, it becomes clear to both that their nemesis may also be one of the few people in the world who understand how much work they have put in to become K-pop idols.

Another intriguing relationship is that between Rachel and her love interest, a top K-pop star named Jason Lee. He seems too good to be true at first, but is later exposed for his complicity in keeping up the double standards for men and women in the K-pop industry - which tends to judge and punish women more harshly.

Shine by former Girls' Generation member Jessica Jung is part of a two-book deal and slated for a screen adaptation.

Rachel's complicated relationship with her mother, who is reluctant to fully support her K-pop dream, falls flat in comparison. Rachel's mother has potential to be an interesting character, but her clash with Rachel was resolved all too conveniently in one unsatisfying chapter.

That said, Shine, which is part of a two-book deal and slated for a screen adaptation, maintains a high energy level throughout before ending on an enticing note that would leave readers wanting more.

If you like this, read: K-pop Confidential by Stephan Lee (Point, 2020, $15.47, available here), a coming-of-age novel about straight-A Korean-American student Candace Park, who keeps her K-pop obsession to herself. But when she gets through a global audition to become a K-pop trainee, she is confronted by the cost of realising her dream.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 20, 2020, with the headline Jessica Jung's brutal depiction of the K-pop world. Subscribe