👧 Book Review: The Best Girls by Min Jin Lee (Kindle Edition, Disorder Collection)
A haunting and emotionally resonant short story that explores the cost of silence, the weight of duty, and the quiet rebellion of a young girl raised in a patriarchal world—Min Jin Lee delivers a powerful meditation on gender and sacrifice.
🧠 Overview
Published as part of Amazon’s Disorder collection in June 2019, The Best Girls is a 20-page short story by acclaimed author Min Jin Lee, best known for her novels Pachinko and Free Food for Millionaires. Inspired by a true event, the story follows a young Korean girl from a poor, traditional family in Seoul who has internalized the belief that only boys can bring honor and prosperity. As the eldest of four daughters, she resolves to shoulder her family’s burdens—no matter the cost.
This story is part of Disorder, a six-part series of unsettling tales that explore psychological tension, societal imbalance, and personal trauma.
✨ Key Themes
- 🧍♀️ Gender and patriarchy: The protagonist’s life is shaped by a cultural narrative that devalues girls, leading her to suppress her own needs
- 🧠 Silence and sacrifice: The story examines how internalized expectations can lead to devastating choices made in isolation
- 🧬 Family and duty: The narrator’s love for her family is both her strength and her undoing
- 🌫️ Emotional restraint: Lee’s prose is spare and deliberate, amplifying the quiet intensity of the narrator’s inner world
“She is a good girl. And she knows what good girls must do.” — The Best Girls description
💬 Reader Reception
- ⭐ Goodreads rating: 3.94/5 from over 5,700 readers
- 📖 Readers praise the story’s emotional depth, minimalist style, and social critique
- 🧾 Some found the ending abrupt or wished for more context, but most agree it’s a powerful standalone piece
- 💬 “A gut punch in under 20 pages. Min Jin Lee says more in silence than most do in a novel.” — Goodreads reviewer
⚠️ Considerations
- 📄 Short format: At 20 pages, it’s a vignette rather than a full narrative arc
- 📚 Heavy themes: Deals with emotional trauma and cultural oppression—best for mature readers
- 🧾 Not plot-driven: Focuses on internal conflict and atmosphere over external action
🏁 Final Verdict
The Best Girls is a quietly devastating short story that captures the emotional toll of growing up in a world that refuses to see you. Min Jin Lee’s writing is restrained yet piercing, making this Kindle Original a standout in the Disorder collection. If you’re drawn to stories that explore identity, gender, and cultural expectation with nuance and empathy, this one is not to be missed.
