Scan barcode
A review by vanmeers
The Invisible Hotel by Yeji Y. Ham
4.0
i really liked this and the strangeness of it all, but calling it “literary horror in the gothic tradition” does it a huge disservice.
this has horror elements such as dreams and people who haunt the main character, who are so eerily described but that’s about it. this is much more literary fiction on generational trauma, identity and war.
i don’t know much about the south korean and north korean war, nor about korean culture and identity, but i felt this book described it so vividly you get a very close idea of the trauma that’s endured by its people. the story feels haunting in its depiction of the older generation, how they’re marked by the war, and that it shapes their every action and inaction. there’s also a clear gap between that generation and the younger one. one which the main character is a part of. she is also haunted by her ancestors trauma, but in a completely different way.
there’s honestly a lot to unpack with this book and so much to think about. i honestly wished i had buddy read it with someone so i could talk about it!
but tl;dr don’t go into this thinking it’s horror or gothic horror. you’ll be disappointed and the story doesn’t deserve that. if you’re intrigued by trauma, family relations, dealing with grief and finding your own place in a horrible world. then you’ll find this book is the perfect companion.
// thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read the arc through netgalley!
this has horror elements such as dreams and people who haunt the main character, who are so eerily described but that’s about it. this is much more literary fiction on generational trauma, identity and war.
i don’t know much about the south korean and north korean war, nor about korean culture and identity, but i felt this book described it so vividly you get a very close idea of the trauma that’s endured by its people. the story feels haunting in its depiction of the older generation, how they’re marked by the war, and that it shapes their every action and inaction. there’s also a clear gap between that generation and the younger one. one which the main character is a part of. she is also haunted by her ancestors trauma, but in a completely different way.
there’s honestly a lot to unpack with this book and so much to think about. i honestly wished i had buddy read it with someone so i could talk about it!
but tl;dr don’t go into this thinking it’s horror or gothic horror. you’ll be disappointed and the story doesn’t deserve that. if you’re intrigued by trauma, family relations, dealing with grief and finding your own place in a horrible world. then you’ll find this book is the perfect companion.
// thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read the arc through netgalley!