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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Religious bigotry
dark
medium-paced
Short powerful novel about how deep need can drive people to obsession and unacceptable behavior. There are no heroes to be found here.
Three and a half stars, rounding up to four because it's beautifully written and mercifully short. This is not at all what I was expecting, but it was great and hard to put down. I could use more books about modern day cults.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is not what I was expecting - far less plot-driven than I’d anticipated, but so haunting that it will definitely stick with me for a while.
3.5/5
Kwon is a beautiful writer and clearly a major talent to watch. On a sentence-by-sentence level, this novel is a lovely, brief treat. However, I was hoping for more plot and more depth to the most intriguing characters, Phoebe especially. The cover copy promises a look inside the mind of a terrorist, but I never really felt as though it achieved that. Kwon plays with perspective in an interesting way, but only seeing Phoebe through what was essentially Will's POV kept me at a distance from what truly motivated her and made her vulnerable, other than her mother's death. I wanted more concrete answers (like Will) as to what John Leal's deal was -- was he lying? How much of his experience was real, and how much of it was a total fabrication? I think this novel could have been twice as long and really dug into the finer points of its plot. Keeping the reader at a distance could have been a deliberate tactic, but it didn't totally work for me. I still enjoyed reading it, and would definitely pick up another novel by Kwon.
Kwon is a beautiful writer and clearly a major talent to watch. On a sentence-by-sentence level, this novel is a lovely, brief treat. However, I was hoping for more plot and more depth to the most intriguing characters, Phoebe especially. The cover copy promises a look inside the mind of a terrorist, but I never really felt as though it achieved that. Kwon plays with perspective in an interesting way, but only seeing Phoebe through what was essentially Will's POV kept me at a distance from what truly motivated her and made her vulnerable, other than her mother's death. I wanted more concrete answers (like Will) as to what John Leal's deal was -- was he lying? How much of his experience was real, and how much of it was a total fabrication? I think this novel could have been twice as long and really dug into the finer points of its plot. Keeping the reader at a distance could have been a deliberate tactic, but it didn't totally work for me. I still enjoyed reading it, and would definitely pick up another novel by Kwon.
Exquisite prose and interesting characters, but that was not enough to propel me through the book. Three POVs are too much for me, and the slow, almost tedious pace can be bearable if I'm completely drawn into the characters. I wasn't, thus the 3 stars.
A quick enough listen, idk i just wanted more on all ends. More from Will, Phoebe and John