Review: Cheon Seon-Ran’s A Thousand Blues

tldr: It’s about taking in a robot and saving a horse… and somehow, it completely touched my heart.

I loved the beginning—it had that soft ache, like you already knew this was going to be a beautiful kind of heartbreaking. The story follows Coli, a robot who starts asking the kinds of questions about life and being human that most of us don’t stop to think about. They’re simple, but deep—and honestly, I don’t think many of us could answer them. We’re so caught up in chasing what society tells us matters, we forget to look at the small, meaningful things.

The way Coli observes people is so natural and unforced, but the effect is powerful. The writing isn’t overly emotional or dramatic—it just lets things be. And that quietness made it all the more moving.

I read the ending on a train and totally teared up—had to casually blink it away like I wasn’t falling apart in public. In the author’s note, she mentions that she wrote this as a reminder to slow down. I didn’t really get that as the main takeaway, though. To me, it felt more like a story about life, love, connection, and being present for each other. And maybe that’s part of slowing down too.

It’s a warm, healing kind of read—soft, emotional, and really different from most books I’ve come across lately. Definitely one that stays with you.