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applesodaperson's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I really wished that I liked this book more than I did, but overall it felt very disjointed. It look me a while to get the hang of this book, because it switched between vignettes of people with strange problems/abilities, and the main character's story, which is basically about him being an office worker and then working as the hotline guy for the strange people. The best way I can describe this is as if there was a book about someone running a hotline for the mutants in the x-men universe. Although I would say the powers in this are more niche and weird than the mutants in the x-men world.
My last thought about this book is I feel like it ended right as the actual plot started to happen and got interesting. I think that this book was trying to do too much at once. I think it should have chosen to be either a collection of short stories with the theme of the strange anomalies, or a novel about the main character.
Overall a meh book.
Read from the Spokane Library.
My last thought about this book is I feel like it ended right as the actual plot started to happen and got interesting. I think that this book was trying to do too much at once. I think it should have chosen to be either a collection of short stories with the theme of the strange anomalies, or a novel about the main character.
Overall a meh book.
Read from the Spokane Library.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Suicide
othersociologist's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Minor: Suicide
renshapedfriend's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: War
scifi_rat's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Plot: 3.75★
Prose: 4★
Pace: 4★
Concept/Execution: 4★/4.5★
Characters: 4★
Worldbuilding: 4★
Ending: 3.75★
Prose: 4★
Pace: 4★
Concept/Execution: 4★/4.5★
Characters: 4★
Worldbuilding: 4★
Ending: 3.75★
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
kinddog2073's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
A bizarre book to be sure. There is some interesting and at times poignant commentary about capitalism and alienation as others have noted. There are also some very funny and human moments. Despite that, I think this would have been better as a collection of short stories with the narrator's personality and life filled subtly through the telling of those. Instead, we get weird moments of plot that feel like distractions from the stories of the symptomers, which are so often funny or touching.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Torture
Moderate: Bullying, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, and Alcohol
jaimeeslitlife's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"There is no moral of the story - that's the moral of the story."
“These things are recorded simply because they just are. Not because they are magnificent or beautiful, but because they exist beside us.”
In THE CABINET, stories of symptomers (people who have biologically metamorphosed in surreal ways) are juxtaposed against the story of Kong Deok-geun, an office worker whose life is full of I-would-rather-eat-dog-treats-than-suffer-this-boredom boredom. Deok-geun is a passive, unenthusiastic narrator who seems to be swept along by his story instead of writing it himself. What starts as a boredom-fueled break-in to an exceedingly ordinary cabinet that holds the symptomers' files turns into a bizarre and potentially lethal ride from which Deok-geun makes no real attempt to escape. There was something so intensely human about the way Deok-geun ignored the absurdities happening in the world around him, pushing them away and minimizing them until they forced him to pay attention. Instead of putting off a dentist appointment, however, Deok-geun puts off thinking about the potential consequences of his interactions with the symptomers.
THE CABINET defies convention just as much as the symptomers do. It is darkly humorous and upbeat, but also disturbing on a visceral level. Dry humor and a touch of whimsy mingle with body horror and intense satire of capitalist office culture. Absurd science fiction vignettes meet the absurdity of reality. THE CABINET is a fascinatingly weird little book that deserves its own special place in the world of fiction.
“These things are recorded simply because they just are. Not because they are magnificent or beautiful, but because they exist beside us.”
In THE CABINET, stories of symptomers (people who have biologically metamorphosed in surreal ways) are juxtaposed against the story of Kong Deok-geun, an office worker whose life is full of I-would-rather-eat-dog-treats-than-suffer-this-boredom boredom. Deok-geun is a passive, unenthusiastic narrator who seems to be swept along by his story instead of writing it himself. What starts as a boredom-fueled break-in to an exceedingly ordinary cabinet that holds the symptomers' files turns into a bizarre and potentially lethal ride from which Deok-geun makes no real attempt to escape. There was something so intensely human about the way Deok-geun ignored the absurdities happening in the world around him, pushing them away and minimizing them until they forced him to pay attention. Instead of putting off a dentist appointment, however, Deok-geun puts off thinking about the potential consequences of his interactions with the symptomers.
THE CABINET defies convention just as much as the symptomers do. It is darkly humorous and upbeat, but also disturbing on a visceral level. Dry humor and a touch of whimsy mingle with body horror and intense satire of capitalist office culture. Absurd science fiction vignettes meet the absurdity of reality. THE CABINET is a fascinatingly weird little book that deserves its own special place in the world of fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Torture, Violence, and Alcohol
Moderate: Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Vomit and Medical content
fox_at_the_circus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
My favourite part of this book were all the different abilites the "symptomers" have, I would have loved to see even more of them. Most of them I haven't seen in any other media, and the book really focuses on how those abilites make living life in our current society (more) difficult. In general, the book talks a lot about understanding each other's hardships and being more kind.
The beginning of the book is more of a introdcution to different "symptomers", the plot itself picks up in the second half and then in the end suddenly everything happens very fast. The ending was a twist for me, and I think it works well. It's very open though, and there are many open questions, which does work with the overall book atmosphere and tone, but I also like seeing things finished.
The main character is pretty interesting, not super likeable, but he works in the book.
The beginning of the book is more of a introdcution to different "symptomers", the plot itself picks up in the second half and then in the end suddenly everything happens very fast. The ending was a twist for me, and I think it works well. It's very open though, and there are many open questions, which does work with the overall book atmosphere and tone, but I also like seeing things finished.
The main character is pretty interesting, not super likeable, but he works in the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Fatphobia, Torture, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death, Sexism, and Suicide
clalaure's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Violence
unboxedjack's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Rape
elekid's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide