Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Lemon by Kwon Yeo-sun

21 reviews

jayisreading's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

3.5

I picked this up with very little knowledge of what the book was about, other than that there was some element of crime in it. I don’t think it has quite the thriller/crime vibe and, instead, feels more like a deep reflection on how death impacts different people and, for some, the way grief manifests over time. I definitely felt the book was far too short, but I also wouldn’t be able to tell you how to expand the story some more. In some ways, maybe keeping it succinct was for the best. I thought the pacing could have been a little slower, but maybe it felt fast due to how short the book was.

I’m not sure what else to say about this one, but there’s a lot to think about. That being said, I can see how this book isn’t for everyone, especially if they’re looking for a plot focused on the murder as opposed to character studies of sorts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, and Kidnapping

Minor: Ableism and Eating disorder

kcelena's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Grief, Medical trauma, and Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

linguaphile412's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, and Eating disorder

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Eating disorder, and Police brutality

elskabee's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? No

4.0

 I don't think it was until the very end of this short book that I got what I was truly reading about. Don't let the synopsis misguide, this is primarily literary fiction and is about grief and tragedy rather than crime and mystery. For a book so focused on death and loss, it's ultimately bittersweetly hopeful with its emphasis on human connection and continuing to move forward in life.

The complexities of the crime aspect are fascinating at first but quickly become a backdrop to brief but powerful insights into the lives of the character's touched by the tragic death. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Terminal illness

Moderate: Eating disorder and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Kidnapping

abrownb15's review against another edition

dark hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Interesting, confusing murder mystery set over 17 years, names of characters POVs would’ve helped. Great way to restart reading though, and good plot to drive the narrative. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Cancer and Eating disorder

internationalreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

egmamaril's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Cancer, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Kidnapping

Ableist language and slurs

sarah984's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

• 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

"Lemon" is a novel that revolves around a murder, but finding the identity of the perpetrator (who is pretty obvious right from the start) isn't really the goal. The book describes the way the murder affects the surviving characters and the ways they construct their own actions and see themselves. I’d have rated it 5 stars but there were some aspects of describing the girl who was murdered that are pivotal to the plot but I found them really grating. Overall though, if you like true crime or crime novels (though this isn't really a thriller) I think you will enjoy this.

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Content Warnings

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

futurama's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

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

A whodunnit told from the perspective of three women some sort of proximity to the deceased. 
Wow! I didn't expect to enjoy this so much. Pitched like a thriller, most reviews said to expect more of a literary novella rather than a crime novel. However, Kwon balanced genres like an expert. It's still a murder mystery

there are subtle hints throughout the book to know who the murderer is and what someone does for revenge

but it's also an experimental form. 
Before reading, I didn't know the novel was narrated by three different people. I enjoyed getting to know the three perspectives and trying to figure out who each person was. I wish it was longer, there were some societal and cultural elements that could have been fleshed out with more words, but I enjoyed the small amount of time I had with Da-on and others. 
I guessed who the culprits were but I'm not one hundred percent on it. I'd love to discuss with someone else. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder

Minor: Eating disorder