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wendys_lit's review against another edition
3.0
I think this book was meant for a very particular audience. Those who love numbers, puzzles, and authors who write in a stream of consciousness type style, this is the read for you.
I had read this book thinking this was going to focus more on the living conditions in North Korea, or maybe the thought process of someone living in the poverty-stricken, dictator led country, but what I got was more a collection of thoughts and scenes from a boy's both seemingly unlucky and lucky life. You get a glimpse of the rough conditions of prisoner camps, but not enough to mention it as the main plot.
I think what fell flat were all the other characters beside the protagonist. They were all over the place in terms of how well they were described or what importance they led to the story, and I couldn't really tell what anyone's true motives were? Which is fine, if it's just a couple of people, but that was essentially the whole cast who's intentions and goals were vague. The number analogies were just too much for me to enjoy or understand, but that's my own damn fault, because boy oh boy do I hate math, but I'm not docking any points there. The so-called mystery held at the beginning of the story wasn't really what I was into either; I was more focused on the main character's history rather than solving the who-dunnit case.
I really liked the main character Gilmo, and thought the twist at the end (meant to explain his behaviors) was surprisingly well done, without demeaning through the trope at all. The pacing was actually really good too, and the events that occurred were wild enough to make you have to suspend your disbelief, but not to the point where you couldn't enjoy it. The prose isn't dense or flowery, and that's something sort of fresh from translated fiction I read. Again, not a bad read by any means, just not meant for me!
I had read this book thinking this was going to focus more on the living conditions in North Korea, or maybe the thought process of someone living in the poverty-stricken, dictator led country, but what I got was more a collection of thoughts and scenes from a boy's both seemingly unlucky and lucky life. You get a glimpse of the rough conditions of prisoner camps, but not enough to mention it as the main plot.
I think what fell flat were all the other characters beside the protagonist. They were all over the place in terms of how well they were described or what importance they led to the story, and I couldn't really tell what anyone's true motives were? Which is fine, if it's just a couple of people, but that was essentially the whole cast who's intentions and goals were vague. The number analogies were just too much for me to enjoy or understand, but that's my own damn fault, because boy oh boy do I hate math, but I'm not docking any points there. The so-called mystery held at the beginning of the story wasn't really what I was into either; I was more focused on the main character's history rather than solving the who-dunnit case.
I really liked the main character Gilmo, and thought the twist at the end (meant to explain his behaviors) was surprisingly well done, without demeaning through the trope at all. The pacing was actually really good too, and the events that occurred were wild enough to make you have to suspend your disbelief, but not to the point where you couldn't enjoy it. The prose isn't dense or flowery, and that's something sort of fresh from translated fiction I read. Again, not a bad read by any means, just not meant for me!
finyb's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this book. A very good book if you're looking for something character driven and slow paced. Not a great book if you want a mystery.
thepoptimist's review against another edition
4.0
We’re introduced to our protagonist as he’s being held in New York for murder. He’s got a rap sheet that finds him wanted by Interpol for drug smuggling, money laundering, mass murder, stock manipulation and spying for his North Korean home. If that’s not enough, he’s found at the murder scene, blood on his hands, covering the room in strange symbols.
An interrogator is brought in to unravel how a North Korean ended up traversing the world to end up in New York. It’s here we find that Gilmo has Aspergers and is some sort of mathematical savant. From there author J.M Lee serves up a bit of Forrest Gump meets The Hundred-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. It’s a pulpy romp that screams to be made into a movie. An easy distracting read.
An interrogator is brought in to unravel how a North Korean ended up traversing the world to end up in New York. It’s here we find that Gilmo has Aspergers and is some sort of mathematical savant. From there author J.M Lee serves up a bit of Forrest Gump meets The Hundred-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. It’s a pulpy romp that screams to be made into a movie. An easy distracting read.
jlsigman's review against another edition
5.0
This is a wonderfully complicated, beautifully translated book. We spend time in North Korea, various parts of China, South Korea, Mexico, and the United States. Jim Lee turns a very critical and detailed eye to everything until you feel the starvation, the misery, and the confusion of a young man who cannot understand the worlds he gets thrust in to. By the end, you are left wondering how much was real. Highly recommended.
girlaboutlibrary's review against another edition
2.0
This review, and many more like it, can be found on my blog Girl About Library
Flipping through channels or scrolling through Netflix, few things stop me faster than a documentary or news story about North Korea. I'm not sure when I first became so intrigued by North Korea, but this frightening, mysterious, and fascinating place captures both my attention and imagination. I was immediately intrigued after reading the description for "The Boy Who Escaped Paradise" by Chi J.M. Lee...
"The Boy Who Escaped Paradise" reminded me of Slumdog Millionaire meets Forrest Gump, two excellent stories, with an intriguing setting in North Korea. As a reader, it was easy to see what the author was trying to do and I was really rooting for him because the concept for the story is incredibly interesting.
The main character, Gilmo, understands the world around him through mathematical principals- personally, I understand the world through anything but math, so following the main character's principals and logic was tough, even with sound explanations. More confusing than the math itself, was how the main character even obtained all of this knowledge. Gilmo's formal education would obviously have been a huge part of his life, but little of it is mentioned in the book. While it is easy to agree that Gilmo is brilliant, it was incredibly difficult as I read to just accept that someone in Gilmo's position would know the names of all of these mathematical principals.
There were several moments where I really enjoyed the author's use of math to understand his surroundings. I was particularly struck by his use of math to determine how long he and his fellow workers had been at the prison camp:
" I started to think of a formula that calculated the length of someone's stay at a prison camp from the number of remaining joints on his hands."
I really wanted to like this book, the plot and characters seemed so intriguing and I have a deep interest in the setting - but I just didn't enjoy it. I think there were several reasons why "The Boy Who Escaped Paradise" wasn't very enjoyable for me- but the bulk of it I am crediting to the translation. There were many awkwardly worded moments that just fell flat for me. I was taken completely out of the story by this, and when I look back on my notes that feeling appears again and again. In this same vein, huge plot points were dropped with no build up or explanation for the reader. These moments that should have been so important to the book, left me confused and disappointed.
North Korea is still fascinating to me and, for that alone if you are interested in that location as well, this a good read. The author included many details about life in North Korea and the dangers after leaving North Korea as a refuge in Asia and America.
Flipping through channels or scrolling through Netflix, few things stop me faster than a documentary or news story about North Korea. I'm not sure when I first became so intrigued by North Korea, but this frightening, mysterious, and fascinating place captures both my attention and imagination. I was immediately intrigued after reading the description for "The Boy Who Escaped Paradise" by Chi J.M. Lee...
"The Boy Who Escaped Paradise" reminded me of Slumdog Millionaire meets Forrest Gump, two excellent stories, with an intriguing setting in North Korea. As a reader, it was easy to see what the author was trying to do and I was really rooting for him because the concept for the story is incredibly interesting.
The main character, Gilmo, understands the world around him through mathematical principals- personally, I understand the world through anything but math, so following the main character's principals and logic was tough, even with sound explanations. More confusing than the math itself, was how the main character even obtained all of this knowledge. Gilmo's formal education would obviously have been a huge part of his life, but little of it is mentioned in the book. While it is easy to agree that Gilmo is brilliant, it was incredibly difficult as I read to just accept that someone in Gilmo's position would know the names of all of these mathematical principals.
There were several moments where I really enjoyed the author's use of math to understand his surroundings. I was particularly struck by his use of math to determine how long he and his fellow workers had been at the prison camp:
" I started to think of a formula that calculated the length of someone's stay at a prison camp from the number of remaining joints on his hands."
I really wanted to like this book, the plot and characters seemed so intriguing and I have a deep interest in the setting - but I just didn't enjoy it. I think there were several reasons why "The Boy Who Escaped Paradise" wasn't very enjoyable for me- but the bulk of it I am crediting to the translation. There were many awkwardly worded moments that just fell flat for me. I was taken completely out of the story by this, and when I look back on my notes that feeling appears again and again. In this same vein, huge plot points were dropped with no build up or explanation for the reader. These moments that should have been so important to the book, left me confused and disappointed.
North Korea is still fascinating to me and, for that alone if you are interested in that location as well, this a good read. The author included many details about life in North Korea and the dangers after leaving North Korea as a refuge in Asia and America.
sadpear's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the unfolding and the memories! This made me want to read more by this author.
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