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emerentina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Torture, Police brutality, Self harm, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Rape, Blood, Death, Sexual violence, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Alcoholism, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
dmhl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
After you died I couldn't hold a funeral,
So these eyes that once beheld you became a shrine.
These ears that once heard your voice became a shrine.
These lungs that once inhaled your breath became a shrine.
Graphic: Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Grief, War, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Confinement, Blood, Gun violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death, Police brutality, Body horror, Child death, and Genocide
claireh6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Police brutality, Self harm, Physical abuse, Child death, Mass/school shootings, Death, Sexual violence, Grief, Alcoholism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Drug abuse
abbyarm's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Torture and Violence
Moderate: War, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Rape, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
mcfay's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.25
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Torture, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Death, Confinement, Alcoholism, and Blood
catandherbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Blood, Gun violence, Police brutality, Violence, and War
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Suicide attempt
madamenovelist's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Grief, Vomit, Torture, Child abuse, Genocide, Sexism, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Death, Medical trauma, Murder, Blood, Gore, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Medical content, and Mass/school shootings
mick_travel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Body horror, Death, Torture, Sexual violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
shane_delier's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Child death, Police brutality, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
helium's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
To be honest, I randomly picked this up because I wanted to read a book from this author and this happened to catch my eye, so I went into this book without knowing what it was about.
I kind of regretted it when I first started reading it, not because this book is bad, but because I rarely read books that touch on very political situations. I'm not exactly sure why I do that, but I decided to still read this book and ... it broke my heart.
Let me just start by commenting on the author's writing (as well as the awesome translation). I especially loved her unique usage of pronouns in each of her chapters to convey a specific atmosphere and way of telling a story in each chapter dedicated to a certain character. Some chapters feel like letters to the readers. Some chapters made me forget that I am simply a spectator. She mainly uses the pronoun "You" which is something quite unique in my opinion as I have not seen many authors use this pronoun in the way that she does. Most would opt for "I". But she doesn't and I think it contributed a lot to make me appreciate her writing even more.
She also includes a lot of symbolism and imagery in her descriptions which are absolutely beautiful and incredibly heartbreaking as well. One thing that did make my reading difficult, other than the content, is that she uses a fragmented timeline style in her chapters and sometimes, it does get confusing, but when you get used to it, it's quite easy to follow.
I found that her talent really shined through as an author and a storyteller in this book. I keep thinking about certain passages in this book, some were incredibly powerful and others simply tore my heart out. It was truly an unforgettable read.
To describe this as historical fiction makes me feel uneasy. I mean, this is about the Gwangju uprising, is this really historical when these events happened only 40 years ago? The South Korea that is known nowadays is very different from the one described in this book and this book really helped put things into perspective.
I loved everything about this book, especially the fact that it has made me more aware because although this book is fiction, it is inspired by a real story close to the author who also grew up during the Gwangju uprising. She also includes characters from all the possible perspectives and I find it amazing how she was able to achieve that and still make everything very coherent.
Anyways, I'll stop rambling about this book, but it was really amazing and I think it will stay with me for a while.
TW: VIOLENCE, death, suicide
P.S: Note to myself. I can't believe I was avoiding the k-drama Youth of May because I didn't want to get heartbroken and then stumbled upon this book instead...
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Gun violence, Violence, Child death, and Suicide attempt