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A review by chery
The Borrowed by Chan Ho-Kei
dark
mysterious
2.75
The book explores the darker side of urban life in Hong Kong, highlighting its role as a hub of lifestyle challenges marked by high crime rates and a flawed justice system that can lead to many unfortunate situations. The story follows a seasoned detective renowned for his crime-solving skills. However, despite his undeniable expertise, I found it difficult to understand how some of his conclusions were drawn, as the events lacked sufficient context for us to connect the dots. It felt as though we were expected to accept everything the detective said without enough links to the preceding events. This was disappointing, especially given my newfound interest in the crime genre.
I had similar reservations when I started this book after finishing Second Sister. While I don’t think the writing is poor, it often feels straightforward, perhaps due to translation issues that reduce its impact. This affected my enjoyment and made it hard to fully engage with the storyline. If the story had been presented as a cohesive whole, I might have appreciated its complexity more, but as it stands, I found it difficult to feel satisfied upon completing it.
I had similar reservations when I started this book after finishing Second Sister. While I don’t think the writing is poor, it often feels straightforward, perhaps due to translation issues that reduce its impact. This affected my enjoyment and made it hard to fully engage with the storyline. If the story had been presented as a cohesive whole, I might have appreciated its complexity more, but as it stands, I found it difficult to feel satisfied upon completing it.