In this article, Channel-Korea will talk about the hidden messages in Jonghyun’s novel, Skeleton Flower. So stay tuned!
About The Novel
SHINee’s Jonghyun released his novel Skeleton Flower, Things That Have Been Released And Set Free on November 19th, 2015. His novel was published by SM Entertainment. In the novel, he told behind-the-scenes stories about love and breakups through his feelings, and he included pictures that were taken and selected by him. The novel told what was behind the stories for all the tracks included in his recent solo album. Skeleton Flowers consisted of 12 chapters and 1 additional chapter for an author’s note. The novel became one of the most sought-after pieces of Jonghyun memorabilia. At first, the book was sold in limited numbers at his first solo concert and at online bookstores. Due to the increasing demand for the book, his publisher and agency, SM Entertainment, decided to release the book in offline bookstores, too. One of Jonghyun’s fans made an unboxing video of Skeleton Flower, and uploaded the video on her YouTube channel. The book was sleek and small. She got it from an auction site and it cost her quite a bit of money. She wasn’t really sure about the contents of the book, since it was written in Korean. However, she was amazed by the beautiful and amazing pictures the book contained. She was also impressed by Jonghyun’s multiple talents, since he could write and produce songs. Now, Jonghyun could add the title of author to his multiple career list.
The Correlation Between The Novel and The Songs
Jonghyun released his first studio album, Story Op.1, a ballad album, on September 17th, 2015. Jonghyun published his novel, Skeleton Flower, two months after releasing Story Op. 1. The novel told what was behind the story about all tracks in his first studio album. According to an interview, Jonghyun said that his mother used to give him money if he wrote a book report. After reading his review, his mother would decide whether to give him pocket money or not based on the quality of the book report. If he wrote the report after reading the entire page, her mother would give him pocket money. Due to the habit of reading books and writing book reports, he grew fond of reading books. He grew up with books, since both of his parents love reading. Whenever he found a book that he liked, Jonghyun read it several times. Regarding his book, Skeleton Flower, he said that the book was his personal desire. He said that literature and movies have introductions, development, and conclusions, while music and songs have no plot. He wished that his book will influence his music and his music will influence his book.
Synopsis
Summary for Skeleton Flower: Things That Have Been Released and Set Free “How far can I go? And how long can you be with me?” He asked her. She was silent. All she did was hug him quietly. And I ask you, as well. “How far have I come? And since when have you been with me?”
Review
The reviews for Skeleton Flower were mainly positive, even from people who are not K-Pop fans. The idea behind the writing was good, and the writing was perfectly executed. Pictures inside the novel told stories about Jonghyun’s view of the world and the things that attracted him. Global reader asked for the novel to be translated to English so that more readers could read and understand his views and thinking. However, translating to English could result in a reduced meaning. Perhaps the translator could reduce the broad meaning of Jonghyun’s words. It is better to learn the Korean language to fully get his point of view in Skeleton Flower. Another reviewer said that the novel perfectly summed up Jonghyun’s emotion and loneliness. If a person felt lonely or unsure and needed reassurance, she could find some comfort and strength from reading Skeleton Flower. After the tragic death of SHINee’s Jonghyun, keen fans noted about his alleged depression in one of episode of JTBC’s Knowing Brothers. On the program, SHINee was invited as the guest. One Knowing Brothers cast member asked JOnghyun about his novel. Jonghyun said that it was his childhood dream of becoming a writer. He finally fulfilled his dream after publishing Skeleton Flower. When asked about the most memorable line from his book, he said “He couldn’t imagine encountering the type of depression even in his dreams.” Though he said it while laughing, fans thought that at the time he already in the state of depression.
Fan Translation Project
Tweets by sigani_jina One of Jonghyun’s hardcore fans made an English translation of Skeleton Flower and published the translation on Twitter account, @singani_jina. The fans uploaded links of translations from each chapter from May 15th, 2018 until April 8th, 2019. As of January 2020, the fan-translation project has been read by more than 20.000 readers. That was all the information about the hidden message in Jonghyun’s Skeleton Flower. Don’t forget to give your comments and views regarding Jonghyun’s novel, Skeleton Flower in the comment section below.
