Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Skinship by Yoon Choi

5 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

emotional informative sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

First short story book that really kept my attention and felt invested in, though it was probably because I am a Korean immigrant in the US and they were about being Korean immigrant in the US.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and War

internationalreads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

sidneyreads_'s review against another edition

hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Dementia

Moderate: Cancer and Abandonment

Minor: Racism, Religious bigotry, Outing, and Alcohol

reading_rainbow_with_chris's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

 

“Skinship” by Yoon Choi

In this debut collection of stories, author Yoon Choi has produced compelling works of Korean identity. Focused on the experiences of first and second generation Korean-Americans, many of whom are women, the collection offers a thoughtful look into a population which is rarely featured. Choi’s command of observation in these narratives is a particular strength for me; when her characters pause to observe, there is a natural curiosity which permeates the experience and feels very real to life. For me personally, the overall effect of the collection was slightly dampened because the range of emotional timbre was not very wide, but within that relatively narrow range the stories are masterfully executed. There was no story I can point to as a weak link, but I believe the strongest stories are the titular “Skinship,” the frustrating “A Map of the Simplified World,” and the haunting “The Art of Losing.” All together, this is a wonderful collection which makes impactful  the everyday experiences of Korean-Americans and I highly recommend it for those interested in intercultural fiction and short story enthusiasts in general. 

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Dementia, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Alcohol

leah_alexandra's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What an astounding collection of stories. Not a "skip" among them. They each convey so much history, emotion, and character, in relatively few pages.

Not really a spoiler, I think: one of the best parts about this collection is how Korean immigrants/Korean-Americans are fully centered in each narrative. We're never reading these people through the lens of white people. White people barely feature in the stories at all. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Infertility, Terminal illness, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment