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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I don't read much crime fiction, possibly none, so I have nothing to compare it to, but this was a quick and enjoyable read for me - interesting characters and setting, and the writing goes down smooth. People in this book have an amazing capacity to function in spite of multiple stab wounds and heavy blood loss - I guess going into shock doesn't make for exciting action in books or movies. This isn't a gritty book - there's a sight patina of softness and melancholy overall which I found oddly pleasant, considering that it was being applied to assassins.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I did not expect to like this but I did. Who knew assassins could be so interesting? Quirky and very well written.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a ride. What a noir. Together funny and gory and cruel and graphic and intimate. I'm in awe
[IT sotto]
For once I'll write my thoughts straightaway cause this book solidly blew my mind. Thrillers and noir are not my jam, and I picked this one cause I found it on @scribd
.
We're in the dark underbelly of Seoul, we get to meet its assassins and plotters, and all sorts of cruel yet "principled" characters like Reseng, who was brought up in the Doghouse, aka Old Racoon's library, where meetings happen, until he found a studio apartment where he lives with his two lady cats Desk and Lampshade, and all could have gone along bloody smoothly until 3 women came up and changed everything.
.
I can't name what exactly blew me away expect all these elements put together. How all the characters were shady and human and rounded, how the novel is gory, but with a melancholic twist, extremely graphic (leaning to absurd, and here's the Tarantino comparison) and yet I couldn't but feel for the characters, and many of them at that. Might be the writing, or the insights on feelings such as resignation, desperation, the aim for redemption. I just genuinely and unexpectedly love it.
.
Recommend!
.
🇮🇹 I cospiratori di Un-Su Kim è un thriller/noir che mi ha stecchito, e completamente a sorpresa visto che è il genere che leggo di meno. Ma questo è il mese della letteratura coreana, quindi ho provato.
.
Reseng è un assassino mercenario cresciuto in una biblioteca da Old Racoon (un vecchio ipercinico), che vive in un monolocale con due gatti, nel sottobosco di Seoul fatto di assassini e cospiratori, ama leggere i classici e ha un amico. E la sua routine sarebbe continuata nel sangue se non fossero apparse tre donne a cambiare tutto.
Mi è piaciuto il fatto che tutti i personaggi siano cinici malinconici e umani; la scrittura; che ci sono in ballo rassegnazione, disperazione, rabbia, redenzione; che è cruento e violento e molto grafico, con scene assurde (e qui si capisce il richiamo a Tarantino).
[IT sotto]
For once I'll write my thoughts straightaway cause this book solidly blew my mind. Thrillers and noir are not my jam, and I picked this one cause I found it on @scribd
.
We're in the dark underbelly of Seoul, we get to meet its assassins and plotters, and all sorts of cruel yet "principled" characters like Reseng, who was brought up in the Doghouse, aka Old Racoon's library, where meetings happen, until he found a studio apartment where he lives with his two lady cats Desk and Lampshade, and all could have gone along bloody smoothly until 3 women came up and changed everything.
.
I can't name what exactly blew me away expect all these elements put together. How all the characters were shady and human and rounded, how the novel is gory, but with a melancholic twist, extremely graphic (leaning to absurd, and here's the Tarantino comparison) and yet I couldn't but feel for the characters, and many of them at that. Might be the writing, or the insights on feelings such as resignation, desperation, the aim for redemption. I just genuinely and unexpectedly love it.
.
Recommend!
.
🇮🇹 I cospiratori di Un-Su Kim è un thriller/noir che mi ha stecchito, e completamente a sorpresa visto che è il genere che leggo di meno. Ma questo è il mese della letteratura coreana, quindi ho provato.
.
Reseng è un assassino mercenario cresciuto in una biblioteca da Old Racoon (un vecchio ipercinico), che vive in un monolocale con due gatti, nel sottobosco di Seoul fatto di assassini e cospiratori, ama leggere i classici e ha un amico. E la sua routine sarebbe continuata nel sangue se non fossero apparse tre donne a cambiare tutto.
Mi è piaciuto il fatto che tutti i personaggi siano cinici malinconici e umani; la scrittura; che ci sono in ballo rassegnazione, disperazione, rabbia, redenzione; che è cruento e violento e molto grafico, con scene assurde (e qui si capisce il richiamo a Tarantino).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder
*3,5
A novel where "assassination guilds compete for market dominance" and which feels like an almost surreal combination of Tarantino and Murakami's narratives; the way the characters express themselves, their logic and reactions, are emphatically Asian, which means "not Western", whilst the plot is a classic thriller, full of eerily ironic discussions of assassination, of death, of body disposal, of corruption, of honour.
The copy was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley.
A novel where "assassination guilds compete for market dominance" and which feels like an almost surreal combination of Tarantino and Murakami's narratives; the way the characters express themselves, their logic and reactions, are emphatically Asian, which means "not Western", whilst the plot is a classic thriller, full of eerily ironic discussions of assassination, of death, of body disposal, of corruption, of honour.
The copy was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley.
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this one. It's a gritty noir story about an eternal war of assassins and the people who get caught in the middle. Somehow it managed to merge brutal violence, off-beat whimsical humour and genuine emotion into a package that was more than the sum of its parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Sexism
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Car accident
This book would be great on film. It’s cool and flashy in all the right ways. The story is told from the point of view of Reseng, a contract killer who was adopted as a child by the now declining contract boss Old Raccoon. Events conspire to make Reseng question his profession and his loyalties. This was a terrific read in a lot of ways but I feel like it veered too often toward style over substance for my tastes.
The descriptions of food make me very hungry - even if I've just eaten breakfast.