Reviews

Der Liebhaber by Kan Takahama

hercomfortbooks's review against another edition

4.0

Rate: 3,5/5

Story about she got a rich, humble and gentle man while she had to deal with how messy her family was. Tragic romance, heartbreaking while she was 17yo.

Even though this book well written, bahasanya mudah mengalir gitu aja but I found this so distrubing. Idk because I feel she was telling about her kink or desire about her "old" man that in the end the lover was a daddy for her idek how to explain itu but you know what I mean

eranada's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

honeybloodx's review against another edition

4.75

This is such a descriptive and poetic book. It was a beautiful but tough read. Since it is a true story of Dura’s childhood, we have to take into account of the structure of the book (non linear writing— memory) and the time period as she and her family were white colonizers in Vietnam and the racial dynamics when it came to that. It’s also interesting to read about her relationships with her family but also her relationship with the man who is (twice her age)… which is quite sad and disgusting since she was only a teenager. However, I enjoyed reading this book. 

m_nique's review against another edition

dark reflective 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? Yes

flo_sg's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Adult/minor relationship

cruisinglove's review against another edition

slow-paced

2.5

hellbent's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

stryfe's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I've never written, though I thought I wrote, never loved, though I thought I loved, never done anything but wait outside the closed door.

this is a tough read. it's autobiographical and the perspective of the protagonist has so many different layers to it—her position as a white colonizer of Vietnam and how that is acknowledged by her, her position as an abused child seeking  solace for her mentally ill mother, the "relationship" with her "lover" who is a man of twice her age, making him also her rapist—that help to paint a vivid picture of moments in her life through her memory of them.

the narrative style accepts the fallibility of human memory and uses it as a tool, allowing the narrator to jump back and forth through the timeline of her own life when she recollects something she hadn't before. duras's view of the world at age 15 bleeds into her world at the time of writing and vice versa, almost creating a tapestry out of all the crossovers.

someone with more education on the subject has most definitely written a better analysis of the very serious themes of race in this novel, so i'm going to read those rather than try to describe them, but definitely mind the content warnings. this is a story about white french colonizers. the protagonist is one of them, she is 15 years old. she has an extended "relationship" with a 27 year-old man, he is a predator, and the story includes her family's and the general colonies's anti-Chinese prejudice impacting their interactions and the protagonist's way of thinking. this book is often called an erotic novel which strikes me as extremely strange; the novel discusses sex, yes, but sex between a child and an adult should never have been referred to as erotic, i know why it was before, but it definitely should not be in 2023.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Colonisation, and Mental illness

mateaaah's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

alexa_chava's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

3.75

This is absolutely insane writing, in a good way lol