Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I guess I'm just not a fan of speculative or contemporary fiction. Not my vibe so I don't blame the book at all.
Loved the stories for their melancholia, relatability, and the humor with which they cover heavy topics like HIV, abortion, and cancer.
Not so much a fan of the execution—There are four parts and I couldn’t tell at first if they were continuous or separate short stories. Some compelling characters, like Jaehee and the mother, disappear from story to story, making the reading experience disorienting. I also couldn’t tell the degree to which the novel was autobiographical and found the writing/translation clunky and inconsistent.
Curious about the film adaptation!
Not so much a fan of the execution—There are four parts and I couldn’t tell at first if they were continuous or separate short stories. Some compelling characters, like Jaehee and the mother, disappear from story to story, making the reading experience disorienting. I also couldn’t tell the degree to which the novel was autobiographical and found the writing/translation clunky and inconsistent.
Curious about the film adaptation!
I find it hard to pinpoint why I didn't like this book. I think I just was too frustrated with the main character for not being able to hold down jobs, hold down partners and develop as an individual. The backdrop of his poor relationship with his sick mother and the difficulty of his homosexuality in the relatively conservative Korea does help explain this behaviour. However, the book just felt too self-putting and normalised some borderline abusive relationships as "love". Young has such little respect for himself and even by the end of the book I didn't feel that had changed. As Young himself writes "If obsession isn't love, I have never loved." This definition seems so far away from the nuances of love that I just didn't find the book discussed a form of love that I could understand.
Nevertheless I am glad that more Asian literature is being written about such themes and the afterword highlights how many people resonated with the themes of this book.
As usual I will finish this review with some quotes I liked:
- "An excess of self-awareness was a disease in itself."
- "There were so many DJs in Seoul that I wondered if there ought to be some regulating association that handed out licenses in order to ensure quality spins."
- "That’s when I realized that my time with Jaehee, which I thought would last forever, was over. She had always stocked the fridge with blueberries. Remembered the names and faces of every man I’d slept with, been the external backup drive of my love life. Smoking everywhere, meeting the most unsuitable men. Jaehee, who had taught me that every season is its own beautiful moment—that Jaehee didn’t live here anymore."
Nevertheless I am glad that more Asian literature is being written about such themes and the afterword highlights how many people resonated with the themes of this book.
As usual I will finish this review with some quotes I liked:
- "An excess of self-awareness was a disease in itself."
- "There were so many DJs in Seoul that I wondered if there ought to be some regulating association that handed out licenses in order to ensure quality spins."
- "That’s when I realized that my time with Jaehee, which I thought would last forever, was over. She had always stocked the fridge with blueberries. Remembered the names and faces of every man I’d slept with, been the external backup drive of my love life. Smoking everywhere, meeting the most unsuitable men. Jaehee, who had taught me that every season is its own beautiful moment—that Jaehee didn’t live here anymore."
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
quick snapshot of queer millenial life in korea, with all the tragedy and heartbreak that comes with being young. bittersweet ending, but i liked it.
Beautiful and sad. The novel's a patch up of a collection of stories, and it shows in places, but that doesn't lessen the impact of this narrative. It's about how you can feel so much affection and anger and confusion simultaneously about your friends, your family, your lovers, and how you'll never really get past that or understand exactly why your feelings get all tangled like that or how to get over it.
Probably 4.5 stars, but I'm rounding up just because.
Probably 4.5 stars, but I'm rounding up just because.
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No