Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Insel der verlorenen Erinnerung by Yōko Ogawa

51 reviews

mads_jpg's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A chilling story, but one that still has this warmth that made me so invested in these unnamed characters.

The disappearances reminded me of my fears from the climate crisis. We're constantly losing endangered species and seeing alarmist articles about how we might lose foods like coffee or chocolate. It feels like the earth is constantly running out of things. Like the Florence Welch lyric "and what if one day there is no such thing as snow". 

But that's just one interpretation of many you could have with this book. Its themes of loss, control, agency, and more are very impactful, and I think I'll remember this book for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Suicide

mangofraiche's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

bmatth3's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping

senandunglaut's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.25

idk, this book doesn't sit right to me.

it feels like reading a story about forbidden love between the mc and her (already been married) editor.

maybe i'm wrong for expecting it to be a form of rebellion towards the said memory police, but it's not.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Kidnapping

contain cheating. if you're uncomfortable, don't continue

fkshg8465's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

Admittedly, it’s a little too neatly written, but I loved every word of this book. The parallel stories, the ending, the reflection of our actual lives today, and the ever present Japanese them of ephemera. I’ll be thinking about this one a long time, which is a little ironic given its subject matter 😂 Would love to see this made into a movie. Since it seems a lot of these dystopian settings are on isolated islands, Hollywood cops probably reuse a set from a previous dystopian movie set on an island 🤣

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infidelity, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

rosie_valadez's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

ginaelise's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

This is a book that will sit with you. So many ways to reflect on what you just read. I loved the regularness of such dystopia. Deals with trauma and loss and how we keep/do not keep those memories. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror, Rape, and Kidnapping

pyroclast17's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

Minor: Body horror

readwithsophsx's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

avie_1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Death of parent