whoz_ophelia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Un-su Kim's The Cabinet is a dark and thought provoking novel that on its surface, appears to be about citizens of Seoul, "symptomers," who develop strange mutations such as time skipping and torporing.
At its core, The Cabinet forces the reader to consider the isolation, alienation, anxiety, and apathy as a complication of the capitalist urban life.
At its core, The Cabinet forces the reader to consider the isolation, alienation, anxiety, and apathy as a complication of the capitalist urban life.
lledgn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.75
aguywhopatsdogs's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
neblovescoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
2.25
The stories of the symptomers were interesting but the lack of plot up until 2/3 of the way through the book made it very hard to stay interested.
emiiiii's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
roytoo's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An interesting read but it ended pretty abruptly which made the story feel unfinished to me.
The premise is:
'symptomers’, humans whose strange abilities and bizarre experiences might just mark the emergence of a new species.
The stories of symptomers were interesting and engaging, but they end about 2/3rds through.
To me it is well worth reading for the different (South Korean) cultural viewpoints on modern life and the idea that it could be causing evolution into a new species.
Content warning for eating disorders, body horror, body shaming, and torture.
I read this from the Digital Library of Korean Literature which permits anyone to make an account:
library.ltikorea.or.kr/aboutLibrary
The premise is:
'symptomers’, humans whose strange abilities and bizarre experiences might just mark the emergence of a new species.
The stories of symptomers were interesting and engaging, but they end about 2/3rds through.
To me it is well worth reading for the different (South Korean) cultural viewpoints on modern life and the idea that it could be causing evolution into a new species.
Content warning for eating disorders, body horror, body shaming, and torture.
I read this from the Digital Library of Korean Literature which permits anyone to make an account:
library.ltikorea.or.kr/aboutLibrary
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Body horror, Eating disorder, and Body shaming
loreleimoxon's review against another edition
4.0
Very compelling book with a lot of interesting ideas about life and death and humanity as a whole while also being a little silly and goofy (impossible not to be if you are accurately describing the human condition). Reminded me a little bit of Slaughterhouse five but no one does it like Vonnegut
amebarre's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5