Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Shoko's Smile by Choi Eunyoung

7 reviews

hkingcrab's review

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

I'm not great at articulating thoughts, or especially my feelings into words, but I honestly didn't have to; in so many unexpected ways, this book articulated them for me. I think this is my favourite short story collection, if not my favourite novel ever. It's hard (again) to express how MUCH THIS BOOK MEANS to me as a half-korean person and feminine-presenting person. Choi Eunyoung작가님 put so much human into these stories across ages and experiences. Somehow EVERY SINGLE ONE hit harder than the story before. She captures loss and grief so well. I won't go into detail regarding the story plots, but she speaks on very loaded topics (please read content warnings). The translator also did an Amazing job capturing the poetry of Choi Eunyoung's writing. I will be rereading and rereading this for many days to come.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Self harm

Minor: Alcohol

Mention of the Sewol Ferry tragedy, Vietnam War, depression, overall unwellness

creatingavery's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Misogyny, Sexism, Racism, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, and Death

heatherjay94's review

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

So much pain.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Grief

Moderate: War, Terminal illness, Torture, and Child death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

seulgireads's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic friendship

Minor: Self harm, War, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Death

garynoplastie's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Terminal illness, Violence, Cancer, Misogyny, and War

Minor: Animal death, Classism, Death, Infertility, Medical content, Miscarriage, Vomit, and Alcohol

Boat accident, war related trauma

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

this is a beautiful collection of short stories, each distinct yet threaded w/ a commonality of bittersweet reflection thats tinged w/ melancholy.

shoko's smile both squeezes and fills my heart w/ its perceptive meditation on life and - perhaps most astonishingly - its mastery in capturing and somehow succinctly articulating all the subtle ways ppl drift from one another, the oft confounding how's and why's relationships - even and esp dear ones - tense, transform, and taper off over time. it's both life's tragedy and happiness that ppl can find so much solace and love in one another, yet nothing can ensure that any of it will endure.

i also admire how choi brings up and explores so many underrepresented and maybe-taboo topics in her stories - esp considering her home country's social and political climates - some of which include korea's own little-known war atrocities abroad; disability; state violence and unjudicial repression; feminism and local rigid age-based social hierarchy; and ofc, the sewol tragedy. and they're all examined thru various types of relationships as well, be it friends, families, lovers, neighbors, those from other cultures, etc.

the book's overall calm, sparse feeling + writing, and melancholic yet a lil hopeful rumination on life strike a chord with(in) me, even reminding me of my lifetime fav kitchen, and this has for sure become another fav, albeit a bittersweet, heartrending one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Sexism, and War

Minor: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Torture, Police brutality, Murder, Death, Child death, Violence, Racism, Xenophobia, and Grief

lucykateburns's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Abandonment, Chronic illness, Death, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Ableism, War, and Xenophobia