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rieviolet's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
All in all, I liked this book much more than I thought. I especially liked the discussion on such themes as orientalism, colonisation and cultural appropriation. There were also a lot of characters that really stood out and that I became quite fond of. The ending was quite a lot to take in, I wasn't really expecting anything else (given the time period and the setting), but still it was quite a lot to digest (Victor, you really were a piece of garbage till the end).
I liked the historical segments (I'm always interested in learing more about Korean history) but sometimes they felt a bit too much disconnected, not very well intergrated into the story. But, above all, there were a lot of general comments/reflections just placed in the middle of the narration that stood out a bit too much to me, they kind of disrupted the narrative flow.
Also, I'd have done without some of the more gruesome details, for example do I really need to know about Korean execution practices?
I quite appreciated the author's note at the end in which she shared the intentions and emotions throughout her writing process. I think that it helped me to contextualize the novel and expand its meaning and scope.
I liked the historical segments (I'm always interested in learing more about Korean history) but sometimes they felt a bit too much disconnected, not very well intergrated into the story. But, above all, there were a lot of general comments/reflections just placed in the middle of the narration that stood out a bit too much to me, they kind of disrupted the narrative flow.
Also, I'd have done without some of the more gruesome details, for example do I really need to know about Korean execution practices?
I quite appreciated the author's note at the end in which she shared the intentions and emotions throughout her writing process. I think that it helped me to contextualize the novel and expand its meaning and scope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Murder, Violence, Grief, Suicide, Cultural appropriation, War, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Torture, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Genocide, and Sexism
Minor: Cannibalism, Ableism, Death of parent, Vomit, Infertility, Infidelity, Child death, Miscarriage, and Suicide attempt
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