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guinness74's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Terrifying in several ways, the book still manages to evoke sympathetic emotion for many of the characters. It suffers a bit from a collection of unreliable narrators, but gradually I was able to discern the story that Johnson desired to portray.
Graphic: Torture, Animal death, Body horror, Violence, Gore, Blood, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Kidnapping
fkshg8465's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I had to take my time with this one. It was dense, and I felt a lot of conflicting emotions, being Korean myself. I remembered my own introduction to both Korean and US propaganda of the North when I was in middle school and being filled with compassion and so many unanswerable questions. I remember my trip to the DMZ too. So I had a lot to sort through while reading this book.
It was also one of the strangest and most haunting books I’ve ever read. It will stay with me for a long time.
It was also one of the strangest and most haunting books I’ve ever read. It will stay with me for a long time.
Graphic: Gore, Child abuse, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Animal death, Confinement, Violence, Physical abuse, Classism, Rape, Blood, Body horror, Sexism, Slavery, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Xenophobia, Bullying, Infidelity, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Self harm, Torture, and War
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