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cobwebshelves's review
emotional
informative
reflective
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
2.5
"If I become a model person, more so than any Japanese, I still won't be treated like a proper human as long as I have Korean citizenship. The way a sumo wrestler can't become a stable master while he still has foreign citizenship. Assimilation or exclusion. There are only two choices in this country."
This is a conflicting one, properly leaning more towards a 2.5, and I wonder if it's just that Nieda's translations don't click for me. They work from a technical point but the language kind of feels stifled. While the summary speaks of the relationship between Sugihara and Sakurai as the focal point, it felt more like a B plot to the story and was certainly its biggest weakness. The conversations fell flat and the development of their relationship felt like a confetti gun - fired off in an instant and fizzled out just as quickly. It doesn't help that the dialog between these two in particular felt lifeless, including this gem:
"What kind of music do you listen to?" she asked.
"All different kinds. But I guess I don't listen to a lot of Japanese music."
"Why not?"
"I don't know. I never really thought about it. What kind of music do you listen to?"
"I listen to all different kinds. But I guess I don't listen to a lot of Japanese music."
"Why not?"
"I don't know. I never really thought about it."
"I guess that makes us the same."
"I guess it does."
This would be effective portrayal of awkward teenagers early in a relationship were it not for the fact that plenty of other dialog instances really shone, especially concerning discussions of ethnicity and xenophobia. That's really where "Go" shines - it's raw in its discussion of the social predisposition of Zainichi and how they're perceived by the Japanese society. Kaneshiro captures the sense of alienation, of belonging everywhere and nowhere, beautifully. It's only a shame that such scenes were little isles of gold in between what was otherwise a slog to get through.
Structurally, the novel felt a little disorganised, as time skips and flashbacks often occurred suddenly, with little warning, making the timeline muddled sometimes, though I will commend that all loose ends tied together. I don't mind the protagonist being an annoying violent teenage boy but some instances of violent bordered on the line of impossibility.
Though the strength of "Go" lies in its depiction of social struggle and little dips into philosophy, it falls short when it comes to convincing characterisation.
This is a conflicting one, properly leaning more towards a 2.5, and I wonder if it's just that Nieda's translations don't click for me. They work from a technical point but the language kind of feels stifled. While the summary speaks of the relationship between Sugihara and Sakurai as the focal point, it felt more like a B plot to the story and was certainly its biggest weakness. The conversations fell flat and the development of their relationship felt like a confetti gun - fired off in an instant and fizzled out just as quickly. It doesn't help that the dialog between these two in particular felt lifeless, including this gem:
"What kind of music do you listen to?" she asked.
"All different kinds. But I guess I don't listen to a lot of Japanese music."
"Why not?"
"I don't know. I never really thought about it. What kind of music do you listen to?"
"I listen to all different kinds. But I guess I don't listen to a lot of Japanese music."
"Why not?"
"I don't know. I never really thought about it."
"I guess that makes us the same."
"I guess it does."
This would be effective portrayal of awkward teenagers early in a relationship were it not for the fact that plenty of other dialog instances really shone, especially concerning discussions of ethnicity and xenophobia. That's really where "Go" shines - it's raw in its discussion of the social predisposition of Zainichi and how they're perceived by the Japanese society. Kaneshiro captures the sense of alienation, of belonging everywhere and nowhere, beautifully. It's only a shame that such scenes were little isles of gold in between what was otherwise a slog to get through.
Structurally, the novel felt a little disorganised, as time skips and flashbacks often occurred suddenly, with little warning, making the timeline muddled sometimes, though I will commend that all loose ends tied together. I don't mind the protagonist being an annoying violent teenage boy but some instances of violent bordered on the line of impossibility.
Though the strength of "Go" lies in its depiction of social struggle and little dips into philosophy, it falls short when it comes to convincing characterisation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Child death, Murder, Violence, Racism, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide
pastelwriter's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
Wow...
This novella is far beyond my ability to review it properly. I'm too much of an uncultured swine to talk about it in a comprehensive way. Let's just say I did not go into this novella which is labeled a "coming of age story" on the cover and by the narrator labeled "a love story" expecting it to be about so much more than that.
In this novella we follow a teenager who was born and raised in Japan but has North Korean citizenship. Thus, the narrative follows him as he is frustrated with the limitations and challenges this has brought him despite this not being something about himself that he truly change. I would say the story is in many ways about belonging and how the only place you have known your entire life can feel hostile yet you have no real attachments to the place you're told you "belong" in. It reminded me a lot about immigration in the U.S. and how, for example, children of immigrants can be told to "go back to their country" regardless of the fact that the U.S. is (sometimes) the only country they have ever known. So, I could definitely understand the frustrations of our protagonist.
In addition to that, or in some cases as an extension of that, there was a lot more violence in this book than I was anticipating. Our protagonist's father beats him. His mother one time beats him as well after he and his father get in a fight. And then there's all the fights he gets in at school because of his ethnicity. It was a lot. It made the story painful at times because it seemed like the protagonist couldn't catch a break.
My two major qualms with this book are the writing style and the romance. Now, I know this is a translation, so in this area I will shift responsibility more on the translator. The dialogue in this book for the most part was really fun and entertaining, but the main prose was pretty dry. It made it difficult to want to continue reading. Now, in terms of the romance...it was quite lackluster. There was not much there. And honestly, I did not need to read about a teenage girl talking about how the protagonist made her wet. The almost sex scene in this book also made me deeply uncomfortable. It was just not a good time.
Regardless, I would still call this a worthwhile read. I just wish I had been more prepared for the type of story it actually was.
P.S. I was surprised by how much western media was brought up in this novella! And how much male friendship was an important element of the story.
This novella is far beyond my ability to review it properly. I'm too much of an uncultured swine to talk about it in a comprehensive way. Let's just say I did not go into this novella which is labeled a "coming of age story" on the cover and by the narrator labeled "a love story" expecting it to be about so much more than that.
In this novella we follow a teenager who was born and raised in Japan but has North Korean citizenship. Thus, the narrative follows him as he is frustrated with the limitations and challenges this has brought him despite this not being something about himself that he truly change. I would say the story is in many ways about belonging and how the only place you have known your entire life can feel hostile yet you have no real attachments to the place you're told you "belong" in. It reminded me a lot about immigration in the U.S. and how, for example, children of immigrants can be told to "go back to their country" regardless of the fact that the U.S. is (sometimes) the only country they have ever known. So, I could definitely understand the frustrations of our protagonist.
In addition to that, or in some cases as an extension of that, there was a lot more violence in this book than I was anticipating. Our protagonist's father beats him. His mother one time beats him as well after he and his father get in a fight. And then there's all the fights he gets in at school because of his ethnicity. It was a lot. It made the story painful at times because it seemed like the protagonist couldn't catch a break.
My two major qualms with this book are the writing style and the romance. Now, I know this is a translation, so in this area I will shift responsibility more on the translator. The dialogue in this book for the most part was really fun and entertaining, but the main prose was pretty dry. It made it difficult to want to continue reading. Now, in terms of the romance...it was quite lackluster. There was not much there. And honestly, I did not need to read about a teenage girl talking about how the protagonist made her wet. The almost sex scene in this book also made me deeply uncomfortable. It was just not a good time.
Regardless, I would still call this a worthwhile read. I just wish I had been more prepared for the type of story it actually was.
P.S. I was surprised by how much western media was brought up in this novella! And how much male friendship was an important element of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Vomit, Bullying, Grief, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia
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