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fairyribs's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I went into this book expecting it to be a history of the Japanese colonial rule but instead I got an intimate portrait of a family and it’s fight for survival during and after colonialism. I never knew that people like the Zainichi existed and to see how many of them came to be was quite illuminating, along with the discrimination many Korean-Japanese people face today.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Mental illness, Police brutality, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Ableism, Body horror, Cancer, Cultural appropriation, Confinement, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, War, Abandonment, Child death, and Colonisation
bandysbooks's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Sexism, Classism, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Racism, War, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
alisonannk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Bullying, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, War, Death, Dysphoria, and Sexism
Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Child death, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Infertility
Minor: Alcohol, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, and Murder
yuki__'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Gore, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, War, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
marisacarpico's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
There's obviously a specificity to the immigrant experience here, but it also feels like it represents so many stories. All of these characters felt so real and everything they experience feels so momentous even though they're just regular people living normal lives. Quite a choice on Lee's part to have these huge historical moments happening around these characters but to never really focus on them. WWII is mostly just texture here, it's just one of the many elements that add to the characters' overall experience. It's a novel of accumulated experience that also reflects the immigrant experience throughout the 20th century.
I will admit the way the narrative accelerates in the last 100 pages or so maybe dampens the novel's initial power, but most of the book is so compelling. I probably have a lot more to say, but I don't know, I think the book speaks for itself.
Graphic: Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Pedophilia, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Death, Dementia, Suicide, Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Cancer, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Torture
peachani's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Violence
Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Trafficking
tenten's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.75
this book might've been ... too much for me. and i have read some really sad books (see: Brother, I'm Dying.) but something about Sunja's life just felt like ... throughout the book i kept being like, "damn can she catch a break!?" not just her but her family. it was like her line was cursed or something! i'd say out of all of them, Mozasu's life was the least traumatic but even then,
the thing i appreciated most about this book is how much i learned about Japanese colonialism and their treatment of Koreans. i knew Japan did bad things to Koreans, and other nations they colonized during WWII, but i had no idea that they had colonized Korea long before that. as someone raised in the US, i mostly hear about Japan as a victim of the US's brutal bombings, and indeed they were victims, but i feel like a lot of non-Asian americans do not know about the atrocities that Japan committed. it was wild to me that as late as 1989, a Korean who was born and raised in Japan couldn't even rent property in Japan without a guarantor like what the hell!!
i've seen people complain about how detached and straightforward the writing was, almost clinical, but ... i didn't hate it. i think it worked for the narrative, and even though it wasn't particularly emotional, i did cry when That happened to Isak.
all in all, i enjoyed the book. i didn't think it was boring at all and some of the actions that characters made frustrated me, even though i guess i understood them. i may be simple but for me, a judge of a good book is how much it made me feel different things, and i felt a lot with this one. a fine book!
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Pregnancy, War, Suicide, Police brutality, Colonisation, and Bullying
Minor: Abortion, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Child death, Confinement, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
emmagreenwood's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Sexism, Suicide, Infertility, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Death of parent, Grief, Violence, Abortion, Racism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Torture, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia
Minor: Medical trauma, Homophobia, Infidelity, Confinement, Alcoholism, Colonisation, and Alcohol