Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Podziemie pamięci by Yōko Ogawa

131 reviews

lpdx's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity and Injury/Injury detail

theliteraryhooker's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.25

While this is a very slow burn of a novel, the emotional impact it conveys is next level. Multiple times I had to set this book aside because it was just breaking my heart. A very non-traditional dystopian novel that is all the more effective for its unique approach to topics like fascism, humanity, society and love. Highly recommend giving this a read, but be prepared for the emotional toll it will take.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Minor: Police brutality, Death of parent, and Animal death

baileyt2424's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Grief, and Police brutality

joshoonet's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

• Different from anything I've read before for sure
• Has a very dreamlike atmosphere
• Mostly like it for the vibes and unique setting, plot is almost secondary
• There will be no answers
• Some beautiful descriptions

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation and Dementia

Moderate: Confinement and Death

Minor: Sexual assault, Body horror, and Pregnancy

Confinement/Sexual Assault:

the protagonist writes a novel, in which a woman is locked in a clock tower and alluded to be taken advantage of; no graphic descriptions at all

Deportation:

when people don't forget things they're supposed to, they get taken away by the memory police and are never seen again.

Body Horror:

not sure if this qualifies? But at some point body parts start to "disappear" aka go numb and aren't associated with the body anymore; this causes some concern

ko_rax's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Confinement, and Police brutality

laindarko2's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

sarcasmpotato's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed the overall suspense and pacing of the novel. I wasn’t sure where the author would take it but it ended up intriguing and thought provoking 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality and Confinement

Moderate: Death of parent

3eggomelet's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Confinement, Police brutality, and Rape

Minor: Body horror and Death of parent

dearbhlanoonan's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Violence

samarakroeger's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• 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

3.5

I was not the biggest fan of the narration style chosen by the author/translator. It does not make sense within this dystopia for a first person present tense narration when this person is continuously losing her memory for things but the narrative still references these things in her voice. She shouldn’t be able to point out that she has no idea what a bird is because she is acknowledging the loss of a named thing. 

Anyways, this book deals with themes of loss, memory, confinement, and censorship, just like many well known and loved dystopias. There were clearly many interpretations/allusions to a wide variety of real-life issues, which managed to be both vague and pretty obvious. It’s giving Anne Frank. It’s giving Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative diseases. It’s even giving abusive relationship. Obviously, it’s giving police state — that’s literally what this is.  

It’s like someone took Ishiguro’s favorite themes (memory, time, loss) but forgot the nuance and subtlety. 

Don’t get me wrong, I still liked the book despite my qualms. I don’t think it’s anything particularly special and only time will tell if it has had a true effect on me. While it felt kind of slow and repetitive at times, I did listen to it in two sittings over the course of 24 hours. And I’ve been in a reading slump. I’d call it a success. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Police brutality