Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Lemon by Kwon Yeo-sun

6 reviews

caroisreading's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

This is a very quick and haunting read, thought-provoking about classism and its effect on families, their trauma and grief. 

Hae-on is a high schooler and is found murdered. Her case has gone cold. Her defining characteristic is her overwhelming beauty, paired with her vapid personality. We switch from the POVs of her younger sister Da-on, and two of her classmates, who each give us pieces to essentially solve the puzzle. 

There are big leaps in timeline, and undefined switches in POV, which might be confusing, but I really appreciated the effect it gave -- stumbling around in memories, trying to make sense of it all. Without spoilers, I can say Kwon Yeo-Sun beautifully balanced that fine line with the reader, giving us just enough to understand each character's personality, backstory and role in the murder. You're forced to overcome your own prejudice to see clearly what's right in front of you.

Give this a read if you're in the mood for a short book, Korean authors and stories, and darker plots.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Fatphobia, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Grief, Violence, and Chronic illness

caitlynes91's review against another edition

4.25

still collecting my thoughts but wow this snuck up on me and hit like a gut punch.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Murder

Minor: Ableism, Police brutality, and Classism

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Car accident, Grief, Death, Misogyny, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Child death, Classism, Murder, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Mental illness

Moderate: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Ableism, Body shaming, Blood, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Rape and Pedophilia

withlivjones's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

An interesting exploration of grief, guilt, and the lasting impact of the death of a teenager on various people who knew her. I thought that the concept was intriguing but I expected it to be a somewhat different book, more of a murder mystery, but instead it focuses much more on the fallout of the murder rather than the murder itself. There are some lines that really pack a punch, and I particularly like the chapters where the narration is in the form of a one-sided conversation as you can get a real sense of character. I wouldn’t say that I really enjoyed this book as I just felt that something was missing from it, but I am glad that I read it nonetheless. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death

Moderate: Murder, Cancer, Death of parent, and Police brutality

Minor: Alcohol, Terminal illness, and Eating disorder

twilightfan420's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

This is the fastest Ive read a book in a while; it was so easy to devour. I loved how the murder mystery was central, but not singular to the plot. I found that the character development created more personal mysteries in a way and I felt like I was unraveling a whole pictured as I read further. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Police brutality

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Eating disorder, Police brutality, and Child death