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linalina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Moderate: Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
jesshindes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There were a few groups of stories in this book, for me: the first two in particular are body horror tied to femininity. A woman who gets pregnant by taking too many birth control pills and has to find a father for her unborn child. A woman haunted by a head made from her own excrement. There's also a haunted house story about a woman whose husband gets them into debt that I might put in the same bracket. The stories are weird - like bad dreams - but they get at some of the pressures and anxieties to which women are subject, in the UK as well as in Korea. I have been reading more and more horror and speculative fiction recently and I really enjoy and admire the way that it can be used to set everyday fears in a new light by refiguring them into something strange and less familiar - I think that's exactly what Chung does here.
There are also a number of stories that have a less nightmarish and more fairytale sort of quality - not any less dark, but still tonally different, with a strong moral throughline and often involving magical animals (the titular story is one of these). For me it felt like lots of these were about human cruelty (usually but not exclusively masculine cruelty) - the horrible things people will do to others in order to protect or advance themselves and their interests. Some of these have a kind of Pillowman vibe, if that helps to place them. Again, they made a strong impression on me even though they were often pretty bleak. Chung's vision of the world is a fairly dark one although she does usually leave a chink of (more or less ambiguous) hope.
Overall I thought each of these stories was strong and the collection itself expressed a distinctive voice and a distinctive take on human experience. I have enjoyed reading books from Japan and Korea for giving me insight into societies that feel in some respects quite different from mine and I actually thought this did the same thing even though it wasn't telling a realist narrative. It also confirmed my continuing appetite for the speculative. More weird books to come, no doubt!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Torture, and Pregnancy
serotonone's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Blood, and Abandonment
Moderate: Incest
samagra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicide, and Blood
issybee44's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Gore, Miscarriage, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny
rowanelisa's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
nileplin's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
some of these stories were DISTURBING, but i liked the neutral chaos lol. i recommend if you wanna read something that will make u uncomfy in a comfy way
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Incest, Miscarriage, Vomit, Murder, and Pregnancy
whosjessanyway's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, and Excrement
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, and Slavery
mommarex1221's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
micasa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sebagai pembaca juga, aku akan menuliskan review disini :
1. ‘Kelinci Terkutuk’ adalah pembalasan dendam akan suatu hal di masa lalu yg sulit utk dilawan. jadi, dipilihnya cerpen ini sbg judul buku memang cocok utk menarik perhatian pembaca. aku suka dg konsep cerita bahwa pembalasan dendam jg akan menyakiti diri sendiri.
2. buatku, ‘Si Kepala’ menjadi cerpen dg tema kritik sosial kpd orang² dg kuasa lebih atas seseorang. selama membaca, aku agak ngeri membayangkan sosok kepala & meski aku sempat memprediksi ending cerita, kisah ini ‘ngeri’ dg pertanyaan sosok tsb.
3. ‘Menstruasi’ tidak semengerikan yg aku kira krn fenomena ini pernah tjd kepadaku sbg perempuan, tapi tentu saja tanpa drama & akhir cerita yg mengejutkan semua orang. aku rasa, isu menstruasi wanita tdk menjadi hal yg tabu agar tdk terjadi miskonsepsi spt yg disampaikan cerpen ini.
4. ‘Jari-Jari yang Dingin’ membawaku ke tempat yg cukup horror sekalipun aku baca cerpen ini di siang hari. all about the feels, i must said. this is straight up giving you chills.
5. ‘Perangkap’ membuatku marah-marah seharian dan mengutuk perilaku tokoh fiksi yg minim akhlak, wah pokoknya silahkan baca sendiri & petik moral value-nya.
6. ‘Selamat Tinggal Cintaku’ adalah kisah fiksi ttg robot & manusia yg aku yakin beberapa dari kalian tahu ini akan berakhir dimana tapi krn ini horror, iya ini cerita cinta yg seram.
7. ‘Bekas Luka’ adl satu-satunya cerita yg membuatku merasakan mixed feeling. sejujurnya, saat membaca aku agak bosan krn cerpen ini lbh panjang dr yg lain & kisah ini juga mengingatkanku dg novela 'The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas' dr Ursula K. Le Guin, sangat mengerikan juga menyedihkan.
8. ‘Rumahku Istanaku’ bikin emosi dan aku bersimpati dg tokoh wanita disini, selamat berjuang utk kehidupan yg lbh baik. semoga kamu kuat sampai akhir.
9. ‘Penguasa Angin dan Pasir’ terkesan seperti dongeng tapi dg tokoh² & plot yg lebih realistis. tokoh wanita disini, juga hebat.
10. ‘Reuni’ adalah cerpen yg menjadi favoritku dan tiap² perenungannya terasa dekat dg rumah, karena senyatanya yg mengerikan adalah hidup & kita masih harus bertahan sampai akhir.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Cannibalism, and Sexual harassment
Minor: War