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othersociologist's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: War and Animal cruelty
tlindhorst's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is book of short stories about the Korean diaspora. Stretching from the Edo period in Japan to a Russian island today, Yoon weaves history through out these tantalizing fragments of stories. This is a book in which the reader’s reflection will reveal more and more. An undercurrent of loneliness, isolation and trauma haunts these stories.
Having read other reviews, I want to add that I enjoyed the fragmentary style that left mystery after mystery unresolved in these stories. In my own reflections on what the author may have been trying to communicate, I saw the structure of these stories as a mirror of the dislocation and loss of cohesion that comes about through forced migration, war, trauma. This is not a collection for people looking for an uplifting read or stories that have a clear and unified arc.
Having read other reviews, I want to add that I enjoyed the fragmentary style that left mystery after mystery unresolved in these stories. In my own reflections on what the author may have been trying to communicate, I saw the structure of these stories as a mirror of the dislocation and loss of cohesion that comes about through forced migration, war, trauma. This is not a collection for people looking for an uplifting read or stories that have a clear and unified arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, War, and Death of parent
dembury's review
2.0
Objectively I can acknowledge the historical hauntedness that runs through these stories and appreciate the exploration of the Korean diaspora, but at the same time I’m going to acknowledge that Yoon’s writing is so deeply flat and stiff that I was bored shitless most of the time reading this. This man must hate adjectives and sentence structure variation because his prose is downright monotone. For veryyyyy brief moments, that tone amplifies a portion of a story, but then immediately it just becomes dull again.
Every single one of the stories also has the same style ending, almost a trailing-off of the voice that just…ends.
“At the Post Station” is the strongest work in this collection, but even that ultimately felt unfinished.
Every single one of the stories also has the same style ending, almost a trailing-off of the voice that just…ends.
“At the Post Station” is the strongest work in this collection, but even that ultimately felt unfinished.
dingokitty14's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
elyseyost's review
fast-paced
4.25
I’ll start off by saying that Paul Yoon has beautiful prose that made this book a very enjoyable read. Overall, I think many of the short stories lacked depth in a way, like, I needed more from them in order to get closure and/or full connection to the themes. I feel that the last short story was the most successful and the most ‘complete.’ Even though the narrator’s voice seemed distant from the characters, this piece seemed to be a profound message on generational trauma and the stories that don’t survive to the next generation.
tarrowood's review against another edition
5.0
Quick bout of short stories this afternoon/evening. Yoon paints some full characters that imbue truth and beauty some of the most haunting ways
book_concierge's review
3.0
From the book jacket: On Sakhalin Island, a boy searches for his father, a prison guard. In Barcelona, a woman is tasked with spying on a prize-fighter who may or may not be her estranged son. A samurai escorts an orphan to his country men during the Edo period. A formerly incarcerated man starts a new life in a small town in upstate New York and attempts to build a family.
My reactions:
I like this kind of literary fiction. This is a collection of short stories, all featuring Koreans. The settings and time frame vary, from Europe to Asia to North America, from the 19th century to contemporary times.
What they have in common is the way in which Yoon depicts his characters. We learn about their dreams, aspirations, disappointments, frustrations through the actions they take.
My reactions:
I like this kind of literary fiction. This is a collection of short stories, all featuring Koreans. The settings and time frame vary, from Europe to Asia to North America, from the 19th century to contemporary times.
What they have in common is the way in which Yoon depicts his characters. We learn about their dreams, aspirations, disappointments, frustrations through the actions they take.
jayisreading's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
It wasn’t until after I finished this short story collection that I realized I had somewhat high expectations for this book, because I felt a bit disappointed by it. I do want to start with the positive, which is that I found the focus on the Korean diaspora across time and different locations wonderful; it was also what pulled me to this collection in the first place. Furthermore, I really appreciated that Yoon drew attention to other members of the diaspora who weren’t necessarily Korean American and/or from South Korea (which I feel is often the assumption). Ultimately, the short stories are a welcome contribution to highlight other members of the diaspora and their lived experiences, while also showcasing the shared connection of displacement that members of any diasporic community so often feel. I also know this won’t work for everyone, but I didn’t mind the lack of resolution for these stories. I thought it worked well with the general tone.
What didn’t work for me as well is likely a “it’s not you, it’s me” situation. More specifically, I didn’t particularly enjoy Yoon’s writing style, though it could be this particular collection and I just need to check out his other works. The prose was quite sparse, and I often found myself wanting more from these stories than what was given. My favorite was probably “At the Post Station,” which was set in Japan during the Edo period, though even this story left me wanting more.
I think I’ll have to check out Yoon’s other books before I draw any conclusions about his writing style. I really appreciated the overarching concept of this collection, as well as the fact that he had very strong and clear themes, but I wish more was done with them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Ableism, and Racism
Minor: Colonisation, War, Physical abuse, and Rape
hayleyrhiannon's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0