A review by ethias
The Cabinet by Un-su Kim

1.0

I had a relatively easy time reading this and it was very different from anything I’ve read before. I stepped a bit outside my comfort zone for this one so it’s possible I just don’t know much about this kind of book. Parts of it I found incredibly interesting and thought provoking, I even cried and had to step away from it a few times. Other parts, however, felt pointless or meandering and I didn’t really understand what I was meant to take from them. The ending felt dissatisfying in a way I feel I don’t entirely understand, it felt almost like I was being punished for reading the book if I’m honest. I am not 100% sure what I was supposed to get out of this book and I honesty wish it had leaned more into surrealism and had included more about the symptomers. I feel that too much focused on the narrator and the general monotony/unhappiness of office/adult life. The beginning and the premise had a sense of whimsy that I don’t feel was in the book.

A unique read if nothing else.