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sanfriedchicken's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
So this was one hell of a story. It leads with a premise that sucked me in and I’m so glad that I ended up reading this book. It’s a debut novel, and it was great!
Min is a biracial Korean American who has been living Seoul for almost 3 years after making a pilgrimage in order to get in touch with 1/2 of his heritage. He has always felt displaced and unfortunately Seoul does not offer him the feeling of home that he was after.
He does however meet and get into a relationship with a college student named Yujin.
Quick aside: These meditations on biracial identity were something I hoped the book wouldn’t spend too much time on because I just wanted to know why Yujin kills herself but they end up being relevant to other characters and themes explored in the book.
Oh, yeah so his girlfriend Yujin kills herself.
Yujin is perfect. She’s pretty and confident, studious and has a promising career ahead of her so it’s the shock of a lifetime when Min learns that she killed herself.
The book and folds in a dual narration, one his and one hers where he tried and find out why she kills herself and Yujin reveals why she did it. I really liked the writing. It was incredibly evocative from both narrations. When you get to the end, learning why Yujin did what she did; the reason was a little bit lacklustre and the book’s climax as a whole isn’t quite so climactic at the end of it all. That said, I enjoyed the characters and the unveiling of the city where they live which is described with as much care and character as the characters themselves.
But please tell me a why Min ends up having sex with Misaki, Yujin’s roommate? I mean I kinda know, but it was still jarring to read on the page. I hate how tragically Yujin and Sora end their story. Not to be sentimental but I kind of want to know what the reality where they go away to Europe looks like.
Oh and the scenes at Samsung while Min was working were like comedy sketches. Why did they do him like that??
Min is a biracial Korean American who has been living Seoul for almost 3 years after making a pilgrimage in order to get in touch with 1/2 of his heritage. He has always felt displaced and unfortunately Seoul does not offer him the feeling of home that he was after.
He does however meet and get into a relationship with a college student named Yujin.
Quick aside: These meditations on biracial identity were something I hoped the book wouldn’t spend too much time on because I just wanted to know why Yujin kills herself but they end up being relevant to other characters and themes explored in the book.
Oh, yeah so his girlfriend Yujin kills herself.
Yujin is perfect. She’s pretty and confident, studious and has a promising career ahead of her so it’s the shock of a lifetime when Min learns that she killed herself.
The book and folds in a dual narration, one his and one hers where he tried and find out why she kills herself and Yujin reveals why she did it. I really liked the writing. It was incredibly evocative from both narrations. When you get to the end, learning why Yujin did what she did; the reason was a little bit lacklustre and the book’s climax as a whole isn’t quite so climactic at the end of it all. That said, I enjoyed the characters and the unveiling of the city where they live which is described with as much care and character as the characters themselves.
But please tell me a why Min ends up having sex with Misaki, Yujin’s roommate? I mean I kinda know, but it was still jarring to read on the page. I hate how tragically Yujin and Sora end their story. Not to be sentimental but I kind of want to know what the reality where they go away to Europe looks like.
Oh and the scenes at Samsung while Min was working were like comedy sketches. Why did they do him like that??
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Minor: Racial slurs
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