Reviews with content warning for Murder - 해가 지는 곳으로

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

해가 지는 곳으로 by Jin-Young Choi, 최진영

9 reviews

_robl_'s review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

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

2.0

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

4.0

I have mixed feelings about this one. To start things on a positive note, it’s wonderful to see mixed race, queer, and disability representation in Korean literature, and they’re just there, existing. Even in a bleak and post-apocalyptic world like the one in To the Warm Horizon, it was heartwarming to see such quiet yet powerful representation with Jina and Dori, with Joy.

Told in alternating perspectives from four characters (Ryu, Dori, Jina, and Gunji), this is where it started getting a little disorienting for me. I couldn’t quite follow what was happening, making the plot difficult to follow and the motives of these characters a little unclear. Yet, at the same time, I can’t help but wonder if this was deliberate. After all, these characters were unexpectedly uprooted from their homes to flee a deadly virus, making them just as disoriented and overwhelmed with grief, trying to figure out how to make their way across Russia in the dead of winter. At times, I accepted the author’s choice to create a story nearly devoid of a plot. Other times, I found it frustrating. Perhaps another reason why this book is a bit difficult to follow is because it’s not quite character-centered either.

I would say this book is more of an affective experience, in which you want these characters to make it, to continue to be resilient despite the bleak world they’re in and depressing situations they find themselves in. Somehow, Choi fostered a sense of hope in me as I made my way through this book, as unclear as it was at times. I think expecting more affect than anything else makes this book a lot more approachable to read.

I also liked Soje’s translation of this book. They found a good flow in pushing the story along and establishing the emotional states everyone was in. (A complete aside, but I absolutely love that there are more Korean translators emerging who are really able to address cultural nuances.)

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_ciaran's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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hyliansee's review against another edition

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challenging dark hopeful medium-paced

3.5

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originalsillyboy's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This was one of the best books I've read in a while. I truly feel that it's worthy of a five-star rating.

The translation was beautiful and the prose affected me on a deep emotional level. Considering current events, reading this in early March '22 was quite a powerful experience.

The multiple POVs added depth to the story. I felt that the characters were pretty diverse with regard to age, ability, and sexual identity. Despite the novel's short length, I was highly invested in (most of) the main characters' storylines. Dori and Jina's love story is the focal point of the novel, and that they found each other amidst such darkness and pain was beautiful (though their relationship felt rather rushed). Gunji and Joy were also very intriguing to me --

I just wish we'd heard more from their perspectives, particularly Joy.

Overall, this was a compelling and beautifully written novel that provoked a lot of powerful thoughts and emotions for me. I would absolutely read it again.

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