wildery 's review for:

Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park

3.5

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I truly understand the influence of this book to the Korean queer community. Sang Young Park—in the eyes of the main character that may have been Sang himself—captures the loneliness and the struggles of the queers in such a raw way that I feel like I am reading a diary of a close gay friend. I cherish all the relationships Young had—ones who succeed and mostly ones who don't. However, I feel like the time of the stories doesn't weave properly—I was confused on how from this time, it suddenly went to that time. I also don't like how nearly every relationship depends on sex as if it's the only thing that matters (which is not really, but they keep talking about it over and over that I feel bored)—though this might just be a personal issue of mine. I was saddened of the lack of character interweaving—I though at least Jaehee would make her appearance through the other stories, but no. And because it's a recounted story—as I say, like a diary—we didn't have a glimpse on Young's life in the present day. Though, reading Sang Young Park and Anton Hur's thoughts and reflections managed to mend by disappointment. Because at it's core, this book speaks to the queers—the outcasts. Because they exist. We exist.