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melliferamel's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Suicide, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Grief, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol
sjp8987's review
2.75
Graphic: Rape, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Murder
yv_tte's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
His parents were supposed to be his lifeline, but in a turn of events, he has to be the one to treat them with care and look after them. At first, we learn he resents his dad for hitting his mom. He resents his mom for being a victim. He resents himself for letting his relationship with his parents deteriorate in a way where he feels out of place helping them recover from such a traumatizing event. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time for him and his family. The world has shifted underneath his feet. Their dynamic can never be the same. He has never forgiven them for his childhood and doesn’t understand why he has to give back to parents he feels he should selflessly love but has never forgiven.
When you find out Kyung’s mom hit him and took out her powerlessness in the face of her abuse out on him, it explains his strained relationship with her. You think this book is about the horrible tragedy that happened to his parents, and it is, but it’s also about the horrible generational effects of abuse.
It’s a punch to the gut when Kyung realizes his father beat his mother the day of the attack as punishment for trying to leave him. It’s a punch to the gut when he realizes his parents were never the robbers’ intended targets. If his mother hadn't had to ask the wrong people for help, they wouldn't have ever been harmed. Kyung learns he has to mourn more than his mother's death. He has to mourn the potential relationship they could've had and he'll never experience because she's gone.
At the end of the story, Kyung has to decide whether to become the kind of person who abuses others, like his father, or free himself from the cycle and try to heal. The end of the book wasn’t a satisfying conclusion that wrapped up all loose ends, but it was an end that preceded a new beginning. It ended with hope.
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape
bootsmom3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Islamophobia, Sexism, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Confinement, Torture, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Rape, and Sexual assault
sungyena's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence
tlaynejones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Grief, Racism, Death of parent, Confinement, Child abuse, Suicide, and Misogyny
Minor: Drug abuse
nym1013's review
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Rape, Death of parent, and Death
friya's review against another edition
5.0
Such a heartbreaking story. Every character is nuanced and deeply flawed, but I found myself rooting for nearly all of them. Kyung, especially - I felt so disappointed each time he made a bad choice (and he made a lot of bad choices) because I truly wanted him to succeed. I felt so deeply connected to all of the characters.
Jung Yun's writing is perfect, neither too over- nor understated. The prose is nothing groundbreaking but it doesn't leave anything to be desired, either.
One of the reviews on the back of the book reads, "Yun's debut may be a family drama, but it has all the tension of a thriller." I couldn't say it better. This is NOT a thriller, as I have seen other reviews suggesting - it is true literary, but the most gripping literary I've ever read.
This book is about the cruelty of tradition, the contagiousness of violence, and the strength it takes to overcome it all. At the heart of the story is the idea that it is never too late to make a change; the power to show love is always within us, even if all we have ever known is hate. Cannot recommend enough - I was hooked from beginning to end.
Graphic: Physical abuse and Rape
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Blood
odrib's review
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse and Racism
guiltyoftsundoku's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Racism and Rape