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theomancy's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
preciousmist's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Meh. Fascinating under a feminist lense, not really impactful in any other aspect.
Slight spoilers below, and brief discussion of sexual abuse.
I think the way this book superimposes body and sexual horror with femininity and social constraints that come with a (cis) feminine body is interesting. I think it's a interesting commentary on Women within Korean society, when I cross reference the little I know of it with the story of this book.
I also think there's some problems with it. For one, the true psychological horror that comes with this book is, funnily enough, in the chapters with male POV's. The way they see women (women as objects, that is, though both male characters we get see this objectivication from different points, one as social value for others, and one as value for his own self-realization and self-worth, in a way) and the way they go unchecked is terrifying because I can see it happening. The rape scenes are brief, but bone-chillingly... normal? If that's a word one can use along with rape. They aren't explored further on the effects they have on the women characters that go through it - though one can say we see the narrative itself being affected for it.
I think what bothers me the most about this book is the emphasis on "strength" of the last, and the only woman who has a POV, character. The sheer will she possesses is what gets her through the days, that and the love for her son - that is what prevents her from succumbing to the strangeness that afflicts her sister. This strength is met with different, and mixed, conclusions at the end:
A) She recognises it was sheer will, and cowardice, that prevented her from going down the same path as her sister. Her sister recognizes this strangeness, in a way, as a strength - the strength to be different.
B) But she continues with the same pattern as before, while as well seeing her sister's "mental illness" as something undesirable. The writing almost insists this endurance is the path to go - survival, not rebellion, is the way. For as feminist this book is, and it is!, somehow I can see a reader coming from this book with the idea that women shouldn't stray too much from the socially accepted roles given to them, because;
C) All this strangeness, all this rebellion, all the suffering endured, is concluded with the afflicted character ultimately dying to the world. Now, I understand why: the Protag has rejected meat, carnality, sexuality, violence. Still, as we see in chapter two, this is imposed on her: through rape, exploration of her body, and the male gaze. Though she has emptied herself of all desire, all the sexual and deviant things inside her, she can't get rid of her *body*, which is why chapter 3 is where we see the Protag's body waste away to nothing, and why there's an insistence in the flora comparison. Trees are not sexual, or better yet, their sexuality is not violent. Is this book implying the only way for an *individual* to be liberated of all the complication that come with a sexual society, a sexual drive, a material life, per se, is to literally become an alien to her own humanity and waste away? One could say yes. In fact, the only way for this to not happen to the one other woman in this book, is for her to connect herself to the social gender roles given to her, that and motherhood.
I think this is an interesting book with a pretty clear message, but I wonder about the ways the message is delivered. I understand the complexity of the topic, which is perhaps why the end of this book can read so differently depending on the reader. Alas, this is a book I'd like to think about more, but certainly not reread.
Also, and perhaps this is a string of unfortunate experiences, but I have yet to read a (translated) korean book whose prose *worked* for me. Is it a translation problem I wonder? Something about the Korean language itself that lends to a translation that seems... Not vague, but certainly seems to leave some sentences incomplete, or weird, gramatically speaking? I can't read Korean, and I've certainly tried to learn it to no avail as I simply cannot compute the alphabet for some reason, but this is the second book I've read in general where I get that feeling.
Oh well. It lends to the strangeness of it all, I guess.
Slight spoilers below, and brief discussion of sexual abuse.
I think the way this book superimposes body and sexual horror with femininity and social constraints that come with a (cis) feminine body is interesting. I think it's a interesting commentary on Women within Korean society, when I cross reference the little I know of it with the story of this book.
I also think there's some problems with it. For one, the true psychological horror that comes with this book is, funnily enough, in the chapters with male POV's. The way they see women (women as objects, that is, though both male characters we get see this objectivication from different points, one as social value for others, and one as value for his own self-realization and self-worth, in a way) and the way they go unchecked is terrifying because I can see it happening. The rape scenes are brief, but bone-chillingly... normal? If that's a word one can use along with rape. They aren't explored further on the effects they have on the women characters that go through it - though one can say we see the narrative itself being affected for it.
I think what bothers me the most about this book is the emphasis on "strength" of the last, and the only woman who has a POV, character. The sheer will she possesses is what gets her through the days, that and the love for her son - that is what prevents her from succumbing to the strangeness that afflicts her sister. This strength is met with different, and mixed, conclusions at the end:
A) She recognises it was sheer will, and cowardice, that prevented her from going down the same path as her sister. Her sister recognizes this strangeness, in a way, as a strength - the strength to be different.
B) But she continues with the same pattern as before, while as well seeing her sister's "mental illness" as something undesirable. The writing almost insists this endurance is the path to go - survival, not rebellion, is the way. For as feminist this book is, and it is!, somehow I can see a reader coming from this book with the idea that women shouldn't stray too much from the socially accepted roles given to them, because;
C) All this strangeness, all this rebellion, all the suffering endured, is concluded with the afflicted character ultimately dying to the world. Now, I understand why: the Protag has rejected meat, carnality, sexuality, violence. Still, as we see in chapter two, this is imposed on her: through rape, exploration of her body, and the male gaze. Though she has emptied herself of all desire, all the sexual and deviant things inside her, she can't get rid of her *body*, which is why chapter 3 is where we see the Protag's body waste away to nothing, and why there's an insistence in the flora comparison. Trees are not sexual, or better yet, their sexuality is not violent. Is this book implying the only way for an *individual* to be liberated of all the complication that come with a sexual society, a sexual drive, a material life, per se, is to literally become an alien to her own humanity and waste away? One could say yes. In fact, the only way for this to not happen to the one other woman in this book, is for her to connect herself to the social gender roles given to her, that and motherhood.
I think this is an interesting book with a pretty clear message, but I wonder about the ways the message is delivered. I understand the complexity of the topic, which is perhaps why the end of this book can read so differently depending on the reader. Alas, this is a book I'd like to think about more, but certainly not reread.
Also, and perhaps this is a string of unfortunate experiences, but I have yet to read a (translated) korean book whose prose *worked* for me. Is it a translation problem I wonder? Something about the Korean language itself that lends to a translation that seems... Not vague, but certainly seems to leave some sentences incomplete, or weird, gramatically speaking? I can't read Korean, and I've certainly tried to learn it to no avail as I simply cannot compute the alphabet for some reason, but this is the second book I've read in general where I get that feeling.
Oh well. It lends to the strangeness of it all, I guess.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Gore
pranjuli's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I am not entirely sure why this book is tagged horror in most reviews and discourses, or maybe my understanding og such genre is limited at the moment for I personally did not associate it with horror while reading it.
This is the character discovery of Yeong-Hye from the eyes of other people as she unravels in front of them. How each one of them see her as an inconvenience, as an object of desire, as an artpiece, as a responsibility, as a victim. As parts ot Yeong-Hye are opened up infront of me, I felt more and more uncomfortable and stunned by what she has endured and as you realise that at some point something inside her broke and she stopped enduring. She suffered and tried to not suffer, but having no control of her life, she couldn't escape suffering for a long time. You realise that although she spoke little, when she did, she clearly communicated what she needed, but those words weren't heard.
The understanding of the characters of the narrators is also constantly being discovered as you read chapters in their voices and also see the others from their eyes.
I think this book has tried to say so much about the society, about the insides of people's minds, about traumas and sufferings of long ago that stay with us, about the sheer impossibility of understanding what exactly is going on inside someone else.
Flashes of this story are going to keep coming to me for a long time.
This is the character discovery of Yeong-Hye from the eyes of other people as she unravels in front of them. How each one of them see her as an inconvenience, as an object of desire, as an artpiece, as a responsibility, as a victim. As parts ot Yeong-Hye are opened up infront of me, I felt more and more uncomfortable and stunned by what she has endured and as you realise that at some point something inside her broke and she stopped enduring. She suffered and tried to not suffer, but having no control of her life, she couldn't escape suffering for a long time. You realise that although she spoke little, when she did, she clearly communicated what she needed, but those words weren't heard.
The understanding of the characters of the narrators is also constantly being discovered as you read chapters in their voices and also see the others from their eyes.
I think this book has tried to say so much about the society, about the insides of people's minds, about traumas and sufferings of long ago that stay with us, about the sheer impossibility of understanding what exactly is going on inside someone else.
Flashes of this story are going to keep coming to me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt
seloesch's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence
Minor: Child abuse
ronnieb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Rape, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Grief
dandelionmoth's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Rape
beatrizbooknook's review
dark
reflective
tense
fast-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
3.0
I just finished this book and I 100% find it weird.
The book was not bad... just weird.
The husbands/man were... disgusting.
I think the book is more than what it says is almost a critic to society in itself. But it's so weird that I could not see anything else.
And... the amount of trigger warnings this has... is absurd!!
The book was not bad... just weird.
The husbands/man were... disgusting.
I think the book is more than what it says is almost a critic to society in itself. But it's so weird that I could not see anything else.
And... the amount of trigger warnings this has... is absurd!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Sexual assault, Rape, Mental illness, Eating disorder, and Blood
I just finished this book and I 100% find it weird. The book was not bad... just weird. The husbands/man were... disgusting. I think the book is more than what it says is almost a critic to society in itself. But it's so weird that I could not see anything else. And... the amount of trigger warnings this has... is absurd!!bensonblues's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Self harm and Vomit
Minor: Rape
sk1m086's review
Gross and too graphic. stopped when the dog was clearly about to be tortured and killed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Blood, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
franjipan13's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Eating disorder, and Rape