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A review by yangelareads
The Band by Christine Ma-Kellams
2.0
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Copy provided by Atria Books.
Sang Duri is the eldest member and “visual” of a Korean boy band at the apex of global superstardom. But when his latest solo single accidentally leads to controversy, he is abruptly cancelled.
To spare the band from fallout with obsessive fans and overbearing management, Duri disappears from the public eye by hiding out in the McMansion of a Chinese American woman he meets in a Los Angeles H-Mart. But his rescuer is both unhappily married with children and a psychologist with a savior complex, a combination that makes their potential union both seductive and incredibly problematic.
Meanwhile, Duri’s cancellation catapults not only a series of repressed memories from his music producer’s earlier years about the original girl group whose tragic disbanding preceded his current success, but also a spiral of violent interactions that culminates in an award show event with reverberations that forever change the fates of both the band members and the music industry.
In its indicting portrayal of mental health and public obsession, fandom, and cancel culture, The Band considers the many ways in which love and celebrity can devolve into something far more sinister when their demands are unmet.
I am so sad because I was so excited to read this one but it left me disappointed. I think the concept of this book is interesting and right up my alley as a huge fan of Kpop, but the writing was very lacking. And I personally though there was no character depth. The main problem for me was so many different storylines were tied into this one book. With this being such a short book, we did not get much about each storyline. This book like many others said it read more like a nonfiction book than fiction which was definitely true. Also, I am not sure why there was so many footnotes in the book. The ending definitely did get better and there is definitely potential for the book. I think some people may love this one, but it was not for me. But if you love kpop, you may like this one.
Sang Duri is the eldest member and “visual” of a Korean boy band at the apex of global superstardom. But when his latest solo single accidentally leads to controversy, he is abruptly cancelled.
To spare the band from fallout with obsessive fans and overbearing management, Duri disappears from the public eye by hiding out in the McMansion of a Chinese American woman he meets in a Los Angeles H-Mart. But his rescuer is both unhappily married with children and a psychologist with a savior complex, a combination that makes their potential union both seductive and incredibly problematic.
Meanwhile, Duri’s cancellation catapults not only a series of repressed memories from his music producer’s earlier years about the original girl group whose tragic disbanding preceded his current success, but also a spiral of violent interactions that culminates in an award show event with reverberations that forever change the fates of both the band members and the music industry.
In its indicting portrayal of mental health and public obsession, fandom, and cancel culture, The Band considers the many ways in which love and celebrity can devolve into something far more sinister when their demands are unmet.
I am so sad because I was so excited to read this one but it left me disappointed. I think the concept of this book is interesting and right up my alley as a huge fan of Kpop, but the writing was very lacking. And I personally though there was no character depth. The main problem for me was so many different storylines were tied into this one book. With this being such a short book, we did not get much about each storyline. This book like many others said it read more like a nonfiction book than fiction which was definitely true. Also, I am not sure why there was so many footnotes in the book. The ending definitely did get better and there is definitely potential for the book. I think some people may love this one, but it was not for me. But if you love kpop, you may like this one.