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headliner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
It feels lacking and there is something missing about this book. Imho, the story resolves around the grief left behind, meaning of life as there are some parts that mentioned about it with quotable words, and trauma. Rather to solve the mysteries about the murdering.
Graphic: Grief and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, and Rape
sgksoccer5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Ableism and Eating disorder
caitlynes91's review against another edition
4.25
Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Police brutality, and Classism
breckenthereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Grief, and Murder
samagra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Minor: Ableism, Rape, and Suicide
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Gaslighting
Minor: Pedophilia and Rape
jayisreading's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, and Kidnapping
Minor: Ableism and Eating disorder
linguaphile412's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, and Eating disorder
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Rape, and Stalking
anitaxlit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I requested this book thinking it would be a tale of murder and revenge, and those themes appealed to me as we approach the darker months of the year. That's not what this book is. Lemon offered something surprising and, in many ways, better.
Narrated by three women touched in some measure by the murder of Hae-on when she was a teenager, Lemon is the story of the ones left behind. It's about spiraling uncontrollably and grief that looks very, very ugly. Despite the dark topic, Kwon Yeo-Sun's prose is beautiful in a disconcerting way that made me squirm in my seat.
It struck me how little we know of Hae-on considering she is an all consuming presence in the book. Who was she? Was she really as aloof and unconcerned as the women in her life believed her to be? And why did she leave the house the day of her murder? When it came to Da-on, the main narrator, I was divided. At times I felt compassion and sadness for her traumatic experiences, and others I was astonished to feel suspicious of her. Da-on's grief doesn't feel genuine all the time. Her obsession with Hae-on's murder seems to be inseparable from her self-centered personality. The thought I most often had while reading was: Did she ever truly care for her sister?
As you can see, this book left me with many unanswered questions. If you want clear-cut answers, Lemon might not be for you. I personally don't mind this that much, and though I finished it thinking it could have done with a little more closure, it's a good reminder that sometimes there can be none, no matter how hard we look for it.
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism and Car accident