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helium's review against another edition
- 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
To be honest, I randomly picked this up because I wanted to read a book from this author and this happened to catch my eye, so I went into this book without knowing what it was about.
I kind of regretted it when I first started reading it, not because this book is bad, but because I rarely read books that touch on very political situations. I'm not exactly sure why I do that, but I decided to still read this book and ... it broke my heart.
Let me just start by commenting on the author's writing (as well as the awesome translation). I especially loved her unique usage of pronouns in each of her chapters to convey a specific atmosphere and way of telling a story in each chapter dedicated to a certain character. Some chapters feel like letters to the readers. Some chapters made me forget that I am simply a spectator. She mainly uses the pronoun "You" which is something quite unique in my opinion as I have not seen many authors use this pronoun in the way that she does. Most would opt for "I". But she doesn't and I think it contributed a lot to make me appreciate her writing even more.
She also includes a lot of symbolism and imagery in her descriptions which are absolutely beautiful and incredibly heartbreaking as well. One thing that did make my reading difficult, other than the content, is that she uses a fragmented timeline style in her chapters and sometimes, it does get confusing, but when you get used to it, it's quite easy to follow.
I found that her talent really shined through as an author and a storyteller in this book. I keep thinking about certain passages in this book, some were incredibly powerful and others simply tore my heart out. It was truly an unforgettable read.
To describe this as historical fiction makes me feel uneasy. I mean, this is about the Gwangju uprising, is this really historical when these events happened only 40 years ago? The South Korea that is known nowadays is very different from the one described in this book and this book really helped put things into perspective.
I loved everything about this book, especially the fact that it has made me more aware because although this book is fiction, it is inspired by a real story close to the author who also grew up during the Gwangju uprising. She also includes characters from all the possible perspectives and I find it amazing how she was able to achieve that and still make everything very coherent.
Anyways, I'll stop rambling about this book, but it was really amazing and I think it will stay with me for a while.
TW: VIOLENCE, death, suicide
P.S: Note to myself. I can't believe I was avoiding the k-drama Youth of May because I didn't want to get heartbroken and then stumbled upon this book instead...
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt
lowercase_em'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? No
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
serenade's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Gaslighting
pvid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
seasidess's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
kranfka's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
mxpringle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
doseogwan's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Ein Buch, das mir unter die Haut ging und dessen Bilder mir in unterschiedlichen Situationen immer wieder in den Sinn kommen. Ein Roman über ein Massaker, keine einfache Kost, aber mit Bravour geschrieben. Speziell die unkonventionelle Erzählperspektive im ersten Teil des Buches lässt alles näher und unmittelbarer erscheinen.
Ein Massaker vor mittlerweile über 40 Jahren, das lange keine Aufarbeitung erfahren hat und Menschen, die mit diesen schrecklichen Erfahrungen alleine gelassen wurden; dazu gebracht wurden, darüber zu schweigen. Ein wichtiges Buch, ein hartes Buch zu lesen, trotzdem einfühlsam und zart.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, and Murder
Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, and Suicide attempt