Reviews

Exhibit: A Novel by R.O. Kwon

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dfostermartin's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

jiscoo's review

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4.25

white-hot, nearly nauseating prose. oh so very julien baker–coded.

sleepingsaha's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Not for me. Kwon has an eye for captivating images and I was intrigued by the relationships (of all kinds) in this novel. I think it’s taking on a lot, though — from questions about why Lidija is taking a break to Jin’s professional struggles to Jin’s relationships with Lidija and Philip to the ghost story that’s supposedly being told to Jin (whose mechanism is never fully explored, which I was irked by). I think all of these were individually interesting but were not quite interpolated. As a result, the book felt disjointed and I found the ending to be rushed. Also, kind of a side note, but I found the branding of the book as a, like, sexy summer read to be somewhat at odds with how heavy the contents can be and the overall seriousness of the book’s tone.

little_imp_academia's review

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dark

1.0

alisonbyrnes's review

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4.5

Maybe a 5

sash512's review

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dark hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

janeaustentatious2's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I was really excited to read this book after reading The Incendiaries by the same author (which was one of my favorite books a couple of years ago). I think that R.O. Kwon is really a master of prose, and she excels at describing the mundane and the inner lives of her characters. I really think that she shines the most in writing about the intersections of sexuality, race, and religion. I did not enjoy this book as much as the previous novel; however, I did enjoy exploration of Jin and Lidiya's relationship (and consequently, Jin's relationship with her husband, Phillip). Stylistically, I like the alternating chapter structure with the tale of the Kisaeng told by Jin. As a book, it doesn't give a lot in terms of concrete details, but I did appreciate the vibes.