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heartcolored's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I fell in love with the beautiful prose as soon as I read the first chapter. The author describes everything so vividly it felt like I was watching a movie. It's a slow burn but it never felt dragging because the writing is so beautiful. It's the kind of book that will linger in your mind for so long even months after reading it.
I was utterly surprised by the ending and this is the first time I've encountered such a bizarre and unsettling way of dying. I feel like I won't be able to forget the ending even if I want to. Also, the ending further fueled my hatred for men. Seeing the photographer and Choi Hyunli live a normal life as if they didn't ruin San's life (who's now buried in the soil like the plants and flowers that she used to tend at the flower shop) angers me so much especially because it really happens in real life.
There are women out there whose trauma (caused by men) are only buried and repressed. They never see the light of day and that's the painful truth for the victims of assault, misogyny, and abuse. Lastly, I like the metaphor of the violets and the author's afterword made me appreciate the story even more.
I was utterly surprised by the ending and this is the first time I've encountered such a bizarre and unsettling way of dying. I feel like I won't be able to forget the ending even if I want to. Also, the ending further fueled my hatred for men. Seeing the photographer and Choi Hyunli live a normal life as if they didn't ruin San's life (who's now buried in the soil like the plants and flowers that she used to tend at the flower shop) angers me so much especially because it really happens in real life.
There are women out there whose trauma (caused by men) are only buried and repressed. They never see the light of day and that's the painful truth for the victims of assault, misogyny, and abuse. Lastly, I like the metaphor of the violets and the author's afterword made me appreciate the story even more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
nini23's review against another edition
4.0
Violets by Shin Kyung-sook has lingered in my mind days after reading. It's left an imprint like afterimages after a camera's flash. I wish San and Su-ae could have used the flower shop as a sanctuary forever. Violet, violence, violator. Unremarkable flowers, unremarkable women. The afterword by the author is very touching, this novel was written in the early 2000s and yet, seeing how the latest South Korean president has been elected in 2022 on promises of fighting against feminism, not much has changed. The aggression and sexual violence toward women has to stop.
I had previously read Shin's Please Look After Mom in translation. While that was from the missing/lost mother's point of view, Violets interestingly takes the abandoned daughter's perspective. I'll confess to not fully grasping the significance of the childhood incident in the minari fields but it ends where it starts with a fitting symmetry. The loneliness in the middle of busy bustling Seoul experienced by San is piercing in its intensity.
Hats off to Anton Hur for the translation, I've read his thoughtful insights on translating Korean on his blog. Each word was carefully considered and I found myself sometimes pondering what the original Korean word was, like for 'darling.'
I had previously read Shin's Please Look After Mom in translation. While that was from the missing/lost mother's point of view, Violets interestingly takes the abandoned daughter's perspective. I'll confess to not fully grasping the significance of the childhood incident in the minari fields but it ends where it starts with a fitting symmetry. The loneliness in the middle of busy bustling Seoul experienced by San is piercing in its intensity.
Hats off to Anton Hur for the translation, I've read his thoughtful insights on translating Korean on his blog. Each word was carefully considered and I found myself sometimes pondering what the original Korean word was, like for 'darling.'
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Abandonment