Plant Lady by Minyoung Kang
Author: Minyoung Kang
Translator: Shanna Tan
Narrator: Jennifer J. Kim
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Psychological Horror | Thriller | Translated Fiction
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis
Moving on from a traumatic experience, Yoohee opens her own plant shop in the hopes of starting fresh.
By day, her shop is a peaceful sanctuary filled with thriving plants. Yoohee welcomes customers, shares gardening advice and carefully tends to every leaf and flower, although anyone foolish enough to mistreat one of her beloved plants may quickly discover just how protective she can be.
But after dark, Yoohee's gardening takes a considerably more sinister turn.
As the consequences of her past threaten to catch up with her and a determined police inspector begins asking questions, the peaceful life Yoohee has cultivated may prove much more difficult to protect than her plants.
My Thoughts
Apparently all I need to root for a serial killer is a beautiful plant shop and a list of terrible men.
Who knew?
Plant Lady is a fairly short book, the audiobook is only a few hours long, and that usually makes me slightly nervous. Shorter stories can sometimes move so quickly that the characters or plot don't have enough room to develop properly.
Not here.
I don't know whether it was Minyoung Kang's writing, Jennifer J. Kim's narration, or the combination of both, but everything flowed incredibly smoothly.
I usually listen to audiobooks at around 1.75–2x speed, and even at that pace, the story never felt rushed. Instead, it was an incredibly easy and strangely pleasant listening experience.
Considering, you know...
Murder.
Cough.
Our Lovely Plant Lady
I absolutely loved Yoohee.
By day, she's tending to her beautiful plant shop and garden, sharing gardening advice on social media, welcoming customers and ensuring her plants are healthy and thriving.
By night?
Oh well....
Let's just say she has some rather unusual extracurricular activities.
Yoohee is a fascinating morally gray character, and much of her story revolves around misogyny, abuse and the ways institutions repeatedly fail the women who need their protection.
Yoohee has very strong feelings about abusive men.
And when the people who are supposed to do something about them fail?
Well...
Yoohee is rather resourceful.
Am I supposed to be cheering for this woman?
Probably not nearly as enthusiastically as I was.
But here we are.
Dark, Unsettling... and Strangely Cozy?
One of my favorite things about Plant Lady was the contrast at the center of Yoohee's character.
There's something almost cozy about her everyday existence. She's surrounded by greenery, cares deeply for her plants, talks about gardening and runs this beautiful little shop.
Then you remember exactly what kind of story you're reading.
That contrast between something nurturing and something deeply disturbing worked incredibly well. The book manages to be dark and unsettling without losing the strangely peaceful quality surrounding Yoohee and her plants.
And her garden?
Absolutely flourishing.
I'm sure that's entirely unrelated to anything else happening in this story.
Cough again...
The Investigation
Of course, Yoohee can't simply go about her... gardening... forever without attracting some unwanted attention.
Enter the detective.
This man drove me slightly insane.
He knew something wasn't right, but he couldn't find the evidence he needed and yet he JUST. KEPT. PUSHING.
Sir.
Go home.
Find a hobby.
Take up gardening!
Actually...
Maybe don't do that.
At some point, I started wondering whether he might mysteriously contribute to the continued health of Yoohee's garden himself.
Alas...
Still, his persistence creates an interesting tension because you're essentially watching an investigator do his job while simultaneously thinking:
Could you perhaps... not?
That's what happens when a book successfully convinces you to root for its morally questionable protagonist.
Audiobook Thoughts
Jennifer J. Kim's narration was excellent.
Her performance perfectly complemented the book's quiet, unsettling atmosphere. There was something wonderfully controlled about the listening experience that suited Yoohee and the story incredibly well.
Combined with the short runtime and smooth pacing, this became one of those audiobooks that was incredibly easy to devour in a single sitting.
The translation by Shanna Tan also read very naturally in English, while maintaining the story's distinctive atmosphere and tone.
Final Thoughts
Plant Lady was dark, strangely cozy, morally messy, occasionally funny and incredibly easy to devour.
I loved Yoohee far more than I probably should have, the plant-shop setting provided such an unusual contrast to the darker elements of the story, and I was especially impressed by how complete the book felt despite its relatively short length.
Jennifer J. Kim's narration only made the experience better, and I finished the audiobook wishing I could spend a little longer in Yoohee's world.
Would I trust her?
Absolutely not.
Would I shop at her plant store?
...probably.
I'd just be extremely respectful to the plants.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Support your local plant lady!
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