Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Kärlek i Seoul by Sang Young Park

19 reviews

readingqueerly's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Where do I even start. This book is phenomenal. And that's coming from me, a person who isn't usually interested in contemporary literature. I feel like I could relate to the main character so well. Some issues he went through were very recognizable and we're things I'm going through as we speak even. The way relationships are depicted, be it platonic or romantic or familial, is so incredibly realistic it becomes painful and painfully relatable. I've always loved character driven stories. And this truly is top tier for me. The MC is so deeply flawed, I disliked him at several points. Yet it just made me want to keep reading. 
Despite my grudge against this Dutch translation, I will be scoring this with the full five stars. Those last few lines made me CRY.
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mmefish's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I took out a low, foldable table from under the bed and wiped the dust with a wet wipe. No matter how much I wiped, there was still dust—how very much like everything else in my life.

Rain still falls during the late rainy season, as do tears even when it's too late.

I have a soft spot for books like this.
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morebedsidebooks's review against another edition

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slow-paced
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scifi_rat's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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whatannikareads's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

i really really enjoyed this! i think this, narration-style wise, meets somewhere in the middle of Sally rooney and Murakami. it aligns with the fresh korean perspective i’ve noticed in the works i’ve read by korean authors.

i think i enjoyed it so much because i live in korea and i can see smell and hear the neighborhoods described in this book, the food used to connect with people, what seoul looks like at dawn. so i’m probably biased, but i also think it speaks to how realistically the author painted the neon lights of the city

the book is essentially vignettes of the authors love life in seoul, whether that be platonic romantic or familial. it’s a bit dry and dark but i think it perfectly encapsulates the blunt nature of a young adult’s mind.

because korea is still soso homophobic, it was so cool to read how openly the author shares actual korean gay experiences through a fictional character. definitely a perspective that’s needed more in korean literature! i’m so appreciative that it’s been translated and that i can also fully enjoy it. 
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aet_rebecca's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-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

3.75

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claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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

2.5

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rhysecakes's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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rieviolet's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was very much impressed by the first and second sections ("Jaehee" and "A Bite of Rockfish, Taste the Universe"). I found that the author did really well in exploring the main character's thoughts and feelings and translating them onto the page. So many episodes (especially those that had to do with prejudice and discrimination, and with his relationship with his mother) affected me deeply and broke my heart. 

I didn't like as much the third and fourth sections ("Love in the Big City" and "Late Rainy Season Vacation"). I think those parts just resonated less with me and I wasn't as much captured by the narrative (which sometimes jumped a little confusingly between time lines) and by its style. 
The ending felt a little bit abrupt, I wasn't expecting nor I actually wanted a perfect resolution (I think it would have clashed too much with the overall tone of the novel and the narrative line), I just would've liked it to finish at a different point, in a slightly different way.
Also, I really liked the main character's sense of humour, his funny and a bit dry voice made for a very engaging narrative but I think that this wittiness was more evident in the first section and then became a bit more sparse in the following ones. 

All in all, this was a really good book and I'm very glad I've got to read about the experience of queerness in South Korea. 

I have to briefly mention the "Acknowledgements" section because reading the author's own words made me really emotional. I especially loved and was moved by the very last paragraphs.

When I write - or when I'm going about my day - I sometimes feel as vague and uncertain as if I'm all alone wandering through a cloud of dust, but sometimes I feel a warmth, like my hands have touched something. I want to call that something love. I know all too well how this emotion called love, how the word itself, can easily crumble into nothing, but all I can do is tightly grip this tiny bit of warmth and embrace it with all my might. Just so I can live on as myself. Just so I can live this life as myself and myself alone.
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