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ok7a's review
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Rape, Murder, Violence, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Misogyny and Infidelity
sarracenia's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was excited to find a book by an Indonesian author (in translation) at my local library in a London suburb, so of course I had to borrow it.
This is a mixed bag of very short stories. It took a while to adjust to the author's style with its short and often abrupt sentences, and I'd love to read the original Indonesian to see how this works. Some stories were disappointing - the version of Cinderella told here is almost identical to one in a children's book we have at home, and I couldn't see what being written into Indonesian and then translated back into English had done for it. A lot of the stories end very suddenly, and while I feel sure this is the intended effect, it was a little too abrupt and ambiguous at times. Despite this, I enjoyed many of the stories. Scream in a Bottle was good, as was The Well, Doors and The Obsessive Twist. I'd be interested to read more by this author.
This is a mixed bag of very short stories. It took a while to adjust to the author's style with its short and often abrupt sentences, and I'd love to read the original Indonesian to see how this works. Some stories were disappointing - the version of Cinderella told here is almost identical to one in a children's book we have at home, and I couldn't see what being written into Indonesian and then translated back into English had done for it. A lot of the stories end very suddenly, and while I feel sure this is the intended effect, it was a little too abrupt and ambiguous at times. Despite this, I enjoyed many of the stories. Scream in a Bottle was good, as was The Well, Doors and The Obsessive Twist. I'd be interested to read more by this author.
Graphic: Blood and Violence
forlorn_traveller's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Violence
isabelanth's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Rape, Violence, and Blood
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