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A review by sanmeow
I'll Go On by Hwang Jungeun
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
the story is told by three people: sora, nana, and naghi. sora and nana are sisters, and their mother aeja is also discussed often. i thought the character work was just stunning, because i felt connected to all three of the storytellers, mostly nana and naghi though.
something that i thought was handled well is the concept of neglect as a form of abuse. hwang jungeun wrote about it so well through aeja as a character, i think i haven't seen anybody else handle it quite as well in a book. aeja is a complex character and you can definitely understand her and connect with her, yet somehow the author makes her feel quite distant to the reader at the same time. i think that's a great choice considering her role in sora and nana's life. abuse was also explored well through naghi's father.
since i speak korean, i thought the usage of korean terms and phrases was wonderful. korean traditions were well incorporated as well. the mentions of korean food made me quite happy too ^_^
though the connection between sora, nana, and naghi was well written, i also really loved reading about naghi's relationship with the boy he had a crush on. its intensity and unhealthy nature were intriguing to read about and this really helped me connect with naghi. he's definitely my favorite character, i also liked reading about how he treated nana and what he taught her.
nana is a bit of an odd character, especially when she was a kid, but she's so well written and i connected with her as well. through her we explore the theme of how women are treated in society. not just women, but also pregnant women and single mothers. this is also explored through what nana thinks of aeja.
i thought the translation was excellently done and the author's writing style from the original korean book really shines through. i'm very happy about it since the writing style is one of my favorite parts of the novel. this is definitely one of the best books i've ever read and i love rereading it ♡
something that i thought was handled well is the concept of neglect as a form of abuse. hwang jungeun wrote about it so well through aeja as a character, i think i haven't seen anybody else handle it quite as well in a book. aeja is a complex character and you can definitely understand her and connect with her, yet somehow the author makes her feel quite distant to the reader at the same time. i think that's a great choice considering her role in sora and nana's life. abuse was also explored well through naghi's father.
since i speak korean, i thought the usage of korean terms and phrases was wonderful. korean traditions were well incorporated as well. the mentions of korean food made me quite happy too ^_^
though the connection between sora, nana, and naghi was well written, i also really loved reading about naghi's relationship with the boy he had a crush on. its intensity and unhealthy nature were intriguing to read about and this really helped me connect with naghi. he's definitely my favorite character, i also liked reading about how he treated nana and what he taught her.
nana is a bit of an odd character, especially when she was a kid, but she's so well written and i connected with her as well. through her we explore the theme of how women are treated in society. not just women, but also pregnant women and single mothers. this is also explored through what nana thinks of aeja.
i thought the translation was excellently done and the author's writing style from the original korean book really shines through. i'm very happy about it since the writing style is one of my favorite parts of the novel. this is definitely one of the best books i've ever read and i love rereading it ♡