If I Had Your Face

Throughout the novel, the way that the characters understand each other often differs from the intention or perspective of another. Character’s perceptions and how they often are juxtaposed against reality is a theme within the narrative that allows readers to understand the complexities of Seoul’s society for the women living within it. The novel is told from four different points of view, allowing for each character to provide their own understanding of various situations to the reader; these perspectives are often contrary to the perspectives of another character or the intentions behind their actions.

Ara, with her complex relationship with her upbringing, does not enjoy visiting her parents at the estate she grew up in. When she decides to take Sujin and Miho home with her for the Lunar New Year, Miho falls in love with the beautiful estate, saying that “If I lived here, I would never leave” (157). Ara chooses to ignore Miho’s comment, but it shows the very different perspectives that the friends have about Ara’s home. To Ara, the estate represents the bitter memories she holds about the traumatic event that led to her inability to speak and the complicated feelings about her parents’ social position within the home.