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November 21st, 2023
Shen: I was not expecting the book to be as violent as it was, but loved that it went there. There's a hyperviolence to the narrator's thoughts and actions that's very compelling to me and never goes over the line. It's tasteful for the most part and the scenes in which our narrator butchers the bodies of their victims is contrasted with these pretty delicious-sounding cooking scenes. It's a darkly funny but piercing reminder of what it takes to consume and how comfortable humans are at the top of the food chain.
Besides food, I found the alien's thoughts on gender really interesting. As they shapeshift into the preferred body type and sex of whomever they're luring through the dating app, they take pleasure in how they're perceived as if it's a game. It's made clear that they have no preference of what form to take but that they recognize the misogyny that's directed towards them when they present as a conventional woman. There's a simplicity in the ways they think about how girls and women shrink themselves for men and the various acts of violence committed against them. The rage that they feel from this was so satisfying, especially since they have the capability to punish the men who do them wrong.
I found the narrator's voice very charming as they have a slightly maniacal sense of humor and a wisdom that contrasts their sometimes crude statements. This made Walking Practice really fun to read and it was easy to root for the alien despite the questionable morals of what they were doing.
The ending is unexpected, poignant, and best left to your imagination. Even if you can guess what happens, the way Min lays out this finale is so simple yet heart-wrenching. Throughout the book, the reader sees how lonely the alien actually is and how, despite them laughing at humans for wanting love and comfort, they are no exception.
Walking Practice is a wonderfully fresh and sometimes frantic look into the strangeness of being human through an alien lens.
