anon · 4mo
hi lili 🥺 i just want to say i love your writing, and how intricately you write your characters. there’s a lot of thought that goes behind that complexity and layers of the characters, and the dynamics of the relationship. i don’t think i’ll get over masquerade, i love how you masterfully craft out everything, and how you establish so many things in the story and touch on real life issues in a realistic manner. i love character driven, slow burn (?) stories that touch on mental health aspects, and i think you truly delivered. if i could give 12532542466446 kudos to masquerade i would :’)
i love your writing, and it really struck me and made me think. there were many lines that had me pausing and really thinking, and going back to just to re-read.
yeonjun is my favourite character in the story, and i think you painted him in such a beautiful way, slowly unveiling his layers.
the slow descent of the story as it progresses, slowly revealing more aspects of each character and proving the relationship of yeonbin to be toxic was something i devoured :’3 i love reading about toxic relationships, especially codependency and i think you wrote it in a way without romanticising it which i deeply appreciate.
you keep us ambivalent in our emotions when reading, and i think you’ve really succeeded in hooking your readers in as a writer. soobin as an unreliable narrator, that being in his mind/thoughts feels so wrong yet so right at the same time. one second i am rooting for the relationship, the next second i am praying for the downfall (breakup).
i’m just curious are there any books you recommend, or fics that have a profound impact on you, or songs you listen to, that shape the way you write? thank you! 💛
aaaa honestly this message stayed in my inbox so long because i kept rereading it and every reply i typed felt inadequate :’) i can’t express how much this message means to me and how grateful i am to you 🥹 honestly, stories like what you’ve described are my favorite kind to write. i just love delving into the emotions and minuscule complexities of life that people face, even when it’s not maybe the most interesting thing on the surface. i think a lot of our worst struggles are internal, so i guess i tend to lean more towards that narrative in my writing. life is hard :’) but i love being able to write about it through the lens of someone that i really want to be happy. the end goal of masquerade was never to just grotesquely describe how much those two characters are causing each other to suffer, but to highlight the very real and very confusing challenges that come with accepting yourself and what you want from the world. i tried very hard not to romanticize the underlying issues of their relationship (though i know a lot of people would disagree lol) because it would take away from the actual story being told. so im always so thankful to readers who understand the real premise and meaning of the narrative
to answer your question, i read a lot of abstract/surrealist realistic fiction! i like books that sort of subvert reality in a way where the lines are blurred between what’s happening in the protagonist’s mind and what’s actually taking place in real life. i also really like low science fiction, where something just fantastical enough to be abnormal is a key element of the story because it gives the writer more possibilities in their medium. here are some recommendations that kind of highlight what i’m talking about!
the woman in the purple skirt by natsuko imamuta
lonely hearts killer by tomoyuki hoshino
we, the children of cats by tomoyuki hoshino
the memory police by yoko ogawa
we do not part by han kang
the 7 and 1/2 deaths of eleven hardcastle by stuart turton
thank you again so much for writing this message 💓 ily and i hope you’re doing well ><
