If I Had Your Face

Ara

Sujin is hell-­bent on becoming a room salon girl. She has invited Kyuri from across the hall to our tiny apartment, and the three of us are sitting on the floor in a little triangle, looking out the window over our bar-­dotted street. Drunk men in suits stumble by, contemplating where to go for their next round of drinks. It is late and we are drinking soju in little paper cups.

Kyuri works at Ajax, the most expensive room salon in Non­hyeon. Men bring their clients there to discuss business in long dark rooms with marble tables. Sujin has told me how much these men pay a night to have girls like Kyuri sit next to them and pour them liquor, and it s taken me a long time to believe her.

I d never heard of room salons before I met Kyuri, but now that I know what to look for, I see one on every side street. From the outside, they are nearly invisible. Nondescript signs hang above darkened stairways, leading to underground worlds where men pay to act like bloated kings.

Sujin wants to be a part of it all, for the money. Right now she is asking Kyuri where she got her eyes done.

I got mine done back in Cheongju, says Sujin sorrowfully to Kyuri. What a mistake. I mean, just look at me. She opens her eyes extra wide. And it s true, the fold on her right eyelid has been stitched just a little too high, giving her a sly, slanted look. Unfortunately, the truth is that even apart from her asymmetrical eyelids, Sujin s face is too square for her to ever be considered pretty in the true Korean sense. Her lower jaw also protrudes too much.

Kyuri, on the other hand, is one of those electrically beautiful girls. The stitches on her double eyelids look naturally faint, while her nose is raised, her cheekbones tapered, and her entire jaw realigned and shaved into a slim v-­line. Long feathery eyelashes have been planted along her tattooed eye line, and she does routine light therapy on her skin, which glistens cloudy white, like skim milk. Earlier, she

Frances Cha is a former travel and culture editor for CNN in Seoul. She grew up in the United States, Hong Kong, and South Korea. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the Columbia University MFA writing program, she has written for The Atlantic, The Believer, and the Yonhap News Agency, among others, and has lectured at Columbia University, Ewha Womans University, Seoul National University, and Yonsei University. She lives in Brooklyn.

The chapters alternate among the women, each one breathing new life into the old chestnut, You never know what goes on behind closed doors. . . . Take a closer look and you ll find the sisterhood at the heart of this ambitious book. It s the scaffolding and also, occasionally, the wrecking ball. The New York Times Book Review 
 
[Cha] has a biting wit and an eye for absurd glitz. . . . Ultimately, female friendship bolsters precarious fortunes in this gripping novel compelling readers to consider what remains after beauty fades. O: The Oprah Magazine
 
An enthralling tale about the weight of old traumas, economic disparity and the restoring power of friendship . . . [A] powerful debut. People
 
"If I Had Your Face isn t just a good book it s a book we need, badly. . . . The vivid characters at the novel s core make for a compelling read, and in a time of such global division, hopefully a uniting one. . . . If you read one book this month, make it If I Had Your Face. InStyle

[A] powerful and provocative rendering of contemporary South Korean society, one that might be considered bleak if not for the women themselves, who occasionally surprise with their compassion and bravery. At heart, If I Had Your Face is a novel about female strength, spirit, resilience and the solace that friendship can sometimes provide. The Washington Post

  Magnificent . . . With unblinking focus, [Cha] confronts some of the darkest consequences of contemporary gender inequity. Booklist (starred review)

  Searing . . . Essential reading in what Jia Tolentino memorably called the age of Instagram face. Vogue (UK) 

Make way for Frances Cha, an entrancing new voice who guides us into the complexities and contradictions of modern-day Seoul, a dissonant, neon world that is ripped open to bare the same universal and human challenges that face us all. I