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A review by wendys_lit
The Boy Who Escaped Paradise by J. M. Lee
3.0
I think this book was meant for a very particular audience. Those who love numbers, puzzles, and authors who write in a stream of consciousness type style, this is the read for you.
I had read this book thinking this was going to focus more on the living conditions in North Korea, or maybe the thought process of someone living in the poverty-stricken, dictator led country, but what I got was more a collection of thoughts and scenes from a boy's both seemingly unlucky and lucky life. You get a glimpse of the rough conditions of prisoner camps, but not enough to mention it as the main plot.
I think what fell flat were all the other characters beside the protagonist. They were all over the place in terms of how well they were described or what importance they led to the story, and I couldn't really tell what anyone's true motives were? Which is fine, if it's just a couple of people, but that was essentially the whole cast who's intentions and goals were vague. The number analogies were just too much for me to enjoy or understand, but that's my own damn fault, because boy oh boy do I hate math, but I'm not docking any points there. The so-called mystery held at the beginning of the story wasn't really what I was into either; I was more focused on the main character's history rather than solving the who-dunnit case.
I really liked the main character Gilmo, and thought the twist at the end (meant to explain his behaviors) was surprisingly well done, without demeaning through the trope at all. The pacing was actually really good too, and the events that occurred were wild enough to make you have to suspend your disbelief, but not to the point where you couldn't enjoy it. The prose isn't dense or flowery, and that's something sort of fresh from translated fiction I read. Again, not a bad read by any means, just not meant for me!
I had read this book thinking this was going to focus more on the living conditions in North Korea, or maybe the thought process of someone living in the poverty-stricken, dictator led country, but what I got was more a collection of thoughts and scenes from a boy's both seemingly unlucky and lucky life. You get a glimpse of the rough conditions of prisoner camps, but not enough to mention it as the main plot.
I think what fell flat were all the other characters beside the protagonist. They were all over the place in terms of how well they were described or what importance they led to the story, and I couldn't really tell what anyone's true motives were? Which is fine, if it's just a couple of people, but that was essentially the whole cast who's intentions and goals were vague. The number analogies were just too much for me to enjoy or understand, but that's my own damn fault, because boy oh boy do I hate math, but I'm not docking any points there. The so-called mystery held at the beginning of the story wasn't really what I was into either; I was more focused on the main character's history rather than solving the who-dunnit case.
I really liked the main character Gilmo, and thought the twist at the end (meant to explain his behaviors) was surprisingly well done, without demeaning through the trope at all. The pacing was actually really good too, and the events that occurred were wild enough to make you have to suspend your disbelief, but not to the point where you couldn't enjoy it. The prose isn't dense or flowery, and that's something sort of fresh from translated fiction I read. Again, not a bad read by any means, just not meant for me!