there is, however, a certain reflectiveness that pervades kim wonu's fiction, and this quality has much to do with the way in which kim's own experiences are brought to bear in his fictional accounts. the falsity and hypocrisy that underlie middle-class rhetoric of success is part of his life as well; the sense of weariness generated by life's routines can be detected in kim's reminiscences of his own youth. kim wonu's critical voice thus conveys something stubborn yet honest at the same time. combined effectively with meticulous, insightful descriptions of ordinary people and events, this voice allows kim wonu's works to become something more than mere 'novel of manners' and offer intellectually engaging portraits of life that are at once fiercely critical and heart-warming.