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knkoch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I chose this book for a small buddy reads group based on my experience with Where Reasons End, and this was quite different in style and tone. While Reasons was incisive, pared down, timeless, and almost austere, Kinder than Solitude was nearly its opposite; unbearably heavy with the weight of the past, and deeply interwoven with the city and context of Beijing. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but I preferred the former.
I liked the way I eventually got clear portraits of the three main characters, both in childhood and vastly changed as adults. My empathy for them, though, was rather dampened by their excessive introspection and grim views of humanity. They were all prone to many generalized pronouncements on life, which someone in my buddy read pointed out early on and was thereafter hard to ignore. Overall, not my favorite, but an interesting one to get multiple viewpoints on. I still look forward to other works by Yiyun Li soon!
I liked the way I eventually got clear portraits of the three main characters, both in childhood and vastly changed as adults. My empathy for them, though, was rather dampened by their excessive introspection and grim views of humanity. They were all prone to many generalized pronouncements on life, which someone in my buddy read pointed out early on and was thereafter hard to ignore. Overall, not my favorite, but an interesting one to get multiple viewpoints on. I still look forward to other works by Yiyun Li soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
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