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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5/5
There is four stories in this collection, so I wrote a mini review for each.
In the near future I plan to read the Korean edition and compare the two.
Diary of a Murderer: Amazing, had me absolutely hooked. The definition of a unreliable narrator but you can't see where he is unreliable until you're being smacked in the face by 50 different plot twists. Loved it as a short story, but honestly could handle it as a full length novel. There was like 3 other backstories that I wanted more information on.
The Origin of Life: I remember liking this story, but as I am writing this I realize I forget almost the entire thing... hmm. Funny how that works. Possibly because I read it while I rode the train, but still I am three lines into this review and I still have no recollection of a plot. Wait...let me think.... OH yeaaaaah. I remember now. The ending was okay, but I really enjoyed the writing here!
The Missing Child: Another great story that kind of had an interesting ending. The endings are so cleanly surprising, the writer is deceptive and incredibly talented at keeping you comfortable until he changes something. Enjoyed!
The Writer: Eh. This is where the book lost 0.5 stars. Otherwise it would have been a solid 5 stars. Just kind of tried to be edgy and cool with that ending I think. Perhaps something was lost in translation.
There is four stories in this collection, so I wrote a mini review for each.
In the near future I plan to read the Korean edition and compare the two.
Diary of a Murderer: Amazing, had me absolutely hooked. The definition of a unreliable narrator but you can't see where he is unreliable until you're being smacked in the face by 50 different plot twists. Loved it as a short story, but honestly could handle it as a full length novel. There was like 3 other backstories that I wanted more information on.
The Origin of Life: I remember liking this story, but as I am writing this I realize I forget almost the entire thing... hmm. Funny how that works. Possibly because I read it while I rode the train, but still I am three lines into this review and I still have no recollection of a plot. Wait...let me think.... OH yeaaaaah. I remember now. The ending was okay, but I really enjoyed the writing here!
The Missing Child: Another great story that kind of had an interesting ending. The endings are so cleanly surprising, the writer is deceptive and incredibly talented at keeping you comfortable until he changes something. Enjoyed!
The Writer: Eh. This is where the book lost 0.5 stars. Otherwise it would have been a solid 5 stars. Just kind of tried to be edgy and cool with that ending I think. Perhaps something was lost in translation.
On a recent visit to Powell’s Books in Portland, I was perusing the crime/mystery section and Korean author, Young-Ha Kim’s short story collection, Diary of a Murderer and Other Stories, caught my eye. I like to go opposite with my reading seasons, disturbing in the summer, and light-hearted in the winter. You can’t feel too dark when you’re sunbathing with a Mai Tai in one hand and crime novel in the other!
The collection begins with the title story, Diary of a Murderer. This is the longest story in the collection and it was my favorite for its strong narrative voice and intriguing premise. It follows a former serial killer, who has gotten away with his crimes, but now has Alzheimers. He is cognizant enough of his disease to worry that he might accidentally reveal himself, yet far gone enough to be living in a fantasy world, where he believes that his daughter’s new boyfriend is a fellow serial killer. His daughter is also a secret that he keeps, as he adopted the girl when she was a child, kidnapping her after killing her mother. His unreliable memory forces him to walk on egg shells. This serial killer who has caused so many people fear, now fears himself. It’s a great story idea and Kim does a fantastic job at keeping the tension. I felt both disgust and empathy towards the main character. He is a great anti-hero.
The second story in the collection is called, The Origin of Life. This story details a love triangle, where a woman in an abusive relationship manipulates her childhood friend to help her. I felt this was the weakest story in the collection, although Kim’s writing is so skilled, that it still kept my interest.
Missing Child explores the idea of a kidnapped child being returned to his parents after many years. The son is now a preteen and he is not the boy that his parents imagined that he would become. Would he have been like this all along? Or did the nurture part of the upbringing that he had with his kidnapper, over take the nature, the biology from his parents? What happens when your missing child is returned and it is not the happy occasion that you imagined? This story was fascinating and intensely emotional. The lives of the characters are utterly destroyed from one incident. The theme of child abduction is also carried over from Diary of a Murder, making these two stories solid companion pieces.
The last story is The Writer, about a novelist with mental health issues. The novelist is an unreliable narrator who is spiraling out of control, imagining a torrid relationship with the ex-wife of his would-be publisher. This is also a great companion to the title story, as both deal with unreliable narrators and mental health.
Kim is a new-to-me writer discovery. I enjoyed the intensity of his stories and surprising story arcs. He crafts vivid, emotionally wrought characters that I will not soon forget. I highly recommend Diary of a Murderer and Other Stories.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
The collection begins with the title story, Diary of a Murderer. This is the longest story in the collection and it was my favorite for its strong narrative voice and intriguing premise. It follows a former serial killer, who has gotten away with his crimes, but now has Alzheimers. He is cognizant enough of his disease to worry that he might accidentally reveal himself, yet far gone enough to be living in a fantasy world, where he believes that his daughter’s new boyfriend is a fellow serial killer. His daughter is also a secret that he keeps, as he adopted the girl when she was a child, kidnapping her after killing her mother. His unreliable memory forces him to walk on egg shells. This serial killer who has caused so many people fear, now fears himself. It’s a great story idea and Kim does a fantastic job at keeping the tension. I felt both disgust and empathy towards the main character. He is a great anti-hero.
The second story in the collection is called, The Origin of Life. This story details a love triangle, where a woman in an abusive relationship manipulates her childhood friend to help her. I felt this was the weakest story in the collection, although Kim’s writing is so skilled, that it still kept my interest.
Missing Child explores the idea of a kidnapped child being returned to his parents after many years. The son is now a preteen and he is not the boy that his parents imagined that he would become. Would he have been like this all along? Or did the nurture part of the upbringing that he had with his kidnapper, over take the nature, the biology from his parents? What happens when your missing child is returned and it is not the happy occasion that you imagined? This story was fascinating and intensely emotional. The lives of the characters are utterly destroyed from one incident. The theme of child abduction is also carried over from Diary of a Murder, making these two stories solid companion pieces.
The last story is The Writer, about a novelist with mental health issues. The novelist is an unreliable narrator who is spiraling out of control, imagining a torrid relationship with the ex-wife of his would-be publisher. This is also a great companion to the title story, as both deal with unreliable narrators and mental health.
Kim is a new-to-me writer discovery. I enjoyed the intensity of his stories and surprising story arcs. He crafts vivid, emotionally wrought characters that I will not soon forget. I highly recommend Diary of a Murderer and Other Stories.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
I thought this one was a fun dark murder mystery book, turns out it's not. It's a very very dark emotional book that showed the deepest darkest emotions of human beings. I am really not sure how I feel about this book. I am not sure if I am feeling too much or feeling too little. This is what this book is.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Really good stories. Naturally Diary of a Murderer is the best of the bunch with a twist that perfectly tied together with the notion of a man trying to keep notes while his mind was failing him. I also appreciate how him being revealed as the only villain of the story rejects the notion that he would've done a good deed if he'd seemingly killed a guy who he thought was threatening his "daughter". Author truly saying, no, this guy is a monster and so many people suffered because of him. He made his own hell.
The other three stories are a bit more mixed for me, thought the heartbreak and futility of the third one, about the couple who lost their child only to get him back 10 years later, was a captivating and miserable read. Still, I enjoyed the book a lot and it went by in a breeze.
The other three stories are a bit more mixed for me, thought the heartbreak and futility of the third one, about the couple who lost their child only to get him back 10 years later, was a captivating and miserable read. Still, I enjoyed the book a lot and it went by in a breeze.
It's interesting, but maybe not so much my taste bcs i felt boringness in the middle
read because i read somewhere that gaeul recommended this book (and the movie). i liked it very much, the brevity and the detached tone. the writing reminds me a bit of murakami but leaner, which is terrific. the first one was my favourite, really hit. the middle two were well-written but not my style of story. the last one was well, wild.
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character