Reviews with content warning for Grief - Lemon

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Lemon by Kwon Yeo-sun

34 reviews

asolis's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

4.0

A series of vignettes from the perspectives of several characters - the sister, the classmates, the accused - chip away at the mysterious murder of a beautiful but odd teen girl, and how these characters coped. Tightly written, effective, and complex. Though the mystery unfolds, the book is ultimately about those who go on, and how.

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wjb11's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

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anenome's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

This story felt like a cry of despair. It captured the absolute messiness of grief.

The different characters voices felt truly like they were coming from different people, which is something I often find lacking in books with multiple POVs.

The answers are revealed subtly and there is a lot left unknown about the events surrounding a character's death, which feels gritty and realistic.

I want so much to read more by Kwon Yeo-sun.

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headliner's review against another edition

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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? No

2.0

For me it is a confusing book; or I just lost focus and my attention span is nowhere to be found?

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.

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inkshadows's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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carojust's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

This is a very quick and haunting read, thought-provoking about classism and its effect on families, their trauma and grief.

Hae-on is a high schooler and is found murdered. Her case has gone cold. Her defining characteristic is her overwhelming beauty, paired with her vapid personality. We switch from the POVs of her younger sister Da-on, and two of her classmates, who each give us pieces to essentially solve the puzzle.

There are big leaps in timeline, and undefined switches in POV, which might be confusing, but I really appreciated the effect it gave -- stumbling around in memories, trying to make sense of it all. Without spoilers, I can say Kwon Yeo-Sun beautifully balanced that fine line with the reader, giving us just enough to understand each character's personality, backstory and role in the murder. You're forced to overcome your own prejudice to see clearly what's right in front of you.

Give this a read if you're in the mood for a short book, Korean authors and stories, and darker plots.

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