Scan barcode
A review by lushyouth
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami
2.0
They're supposed to be 8th graders, spewing out philosophical ted-talk esque dialogues everytime they speak?
This book is what I call a Quote Factory (non-affectionately). I mean that in the way that, I feel as though the author had thoughts and ideas, and Quotes about bullying and built a story around it, instead of these lines of dialogue coming organically through the story. It felt like the story was built for these lines, not the lines being built for the story. The type of book that could be quoted on pinterest and make somebody read it, but after reading, makes you realize the quotes are all of it's substance.
Who was this book for? What was it's goal? I'm a believer in not every book having to mean something deep. But, clearly, a book this jam packed with graphic violence and sensitive subjects, should surely have a message. I can't pin point it. It did not dive into the themes in the way it could've. The book's way of 'diving in' was making 14 year olds voice completely unrealistically profound paragraphs, that, by the end of the book were obsolete.
I mean this specifically pertaining to Kojima's random actions at the end. As it was happening, I was curious to see how the book would explain this complete 180°...But did it? No. The book just ended.
Did I feel like this book was a waste of time necessarily? No. Did I hate it while reading it? No. But as I finished it, it feels like I gained nothing when I thought I was going to. I'm genuinely glad others found meaning within this book but I didn't and that deeply disappoints me.
This book is what I call a Quote Factory (non-affectionately). I mean that in the way that, I feel as though the author had thoughts and ideas, and Quotes about bullying and built a story around it, instead of these lines of dialogue coming organically through the story. It felt like the story was built for these lines, not the lines being built for the story. The type of book that could be quoted on pinterest and make somebody read it, but after reading, makes you realize the quotes are all of it's substance.
Who was this book for? What was it's goal? I'm a believer in not every book having to mean something deep. But, clearly, a book this jam packed with graphic violence and sensitive subjects, should surely have a message. I can't pin point it. It did not dive into the themes in the way it could've. The book's way of 'diving in' was making 14 year olds voice completely unrealistically profound paragraphs, that, by the end of the book were obsolete.
I mean this specifically pertaining to Kojima's random actions at the end. As it was happening, I was curious to see how the book would explain this complete 180°...But did it? No. The book just ended.
Did I feel like this book was a waste of time necessarily? No. Did I hate it while reading it? No. But as I finished it, it feels like I gained nothing when I thought I was going to. I'm genuinely glad others found meaning within this book but I didn't and that deeply disappoints me.