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anh_read's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, and Homophobia
Moderate: Cancer, Outing, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Fatphobia, Stalking, and Infidelity
annemaries_shelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is really a slice of life character study of one gay Korean man and his hot mess of life and various (mostly failed) relationships. There's four 'stories' or sections, each following sequentially (more or less) with flashbacks.
Young is a fascinating character - often unwilling or unmotivated to do anything with his life besides pursue bad/mediocre sex with random men, earn enough money to pay for the necessities, and ignore his problems by drinking. We get a deep dive into his psyche with the interactions with his mom, the difficulties of being her caregiver, the ups and downs of being in relationships, and the mental stress/trauma of being gay and HIV+ in a society that still has a lot of work to do for LGBTQIA+ equality.
I kept turning the pages of this short novel to find out what Young would do next - and what his next rumination on life would be - because Park's writing and authorial voice was compelling and well realized. I haven't read the novel in the original Korean, but I think Hur did a great job capturing Young's personality and the setting of Seoul (it was basically a character, too).
Finally, I really appreciated both the author's note and translator's note - they both highlighted the importance of telling queer Korean stories and the power of seeing yourself and your lived experiences reflected in fiction.
Some quotes that I dog-eared:
"Umma was now lying on the grass and staring up at the sky. She looked incredibly calm. At peace. I wondered if that ninety-nine pound, fifty-eight year old woman staring at the fading firmament was feeling the same way I was feeling. That my life could not be summed up like the neat columns of numbers on a chart, that it could swerve in an unpredictable direction at any time. That the person I though I knew best just because we had blood ties could actually be the most mysterious and unknown. That there were times in life when you just have to stop holding on." (page 126)
"Rain still falls during the late rainy season, as do tears even when it's too late." (page 215)
"Lately I've felt like I'm crumbling away little by little. Like Guy-ho in my memories, I am breaking down and scattering into ashes. The feeling is so clear to me that it's hard to shake it off like I normally would. Sometimes his very existence to me is the existence of love itself." (page 215)
CW: fatphobia and discussions of the character gaining weight (not in a positive sense), homophobia, unsafe sex, cancer, temporary forced institutionalization/hospitalization of a teen, alcohol and unhealthy drinking habits
Moderate: Fatphobia, Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Medical content
noahsingh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
Graphic: Sexual content, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Fatphobia, and Cancer
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
daria_mm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Cancer, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Abortion
Minor: Classism and Fatphobia
sydneybedell's review
- 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? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Chronic illness, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fatphobia and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use
tesschair's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Fatphobia and Suicidal thoughts
lidia7's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Medical content, Abortion, Outing, and Infidelity
Minor: Physical abuse, Blood, Vomit, Fatphobia, Sexism, and Classism
bethantg's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.75
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Cancer, Homophobia, and Cursing
Moderate: Death
Minor: Abortion, Colonisation, and Fatphobia
himangi's review
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Homophobia, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, Blood, Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Vomit and Stalking
edgaranjapoe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Addiction, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Moderate: Medical content, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Cancer, Gaslighting, and Terminal illness
Minor: Abortion, Cursing, Child abuse, Vomit, Death, Classism, Outing, Misogyny, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Suicide attempt, Grief, Infidelity, and Blood