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A review by memoryoflife
Emily of Emerald Hill by Stella Kon
emotional
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
Emily of Emerald Hill... Oh, this book made me cry. Even now, I still can't read the last two pages without tears welling up and my throat getting choked by a lump of emotions. I have an extremely weak spot for stories relating to Asian family dynamics; it's the same reason why I cried watching movies like Everything Everywhere All At Once and Parasite, after all.
Simply put: Emily is not a good character. But she is an inextricably tragic one. So much of her identity is tied to her role as a mother and a wife, spurred by the trauma of abandonment when she was young, and as an additional side effect of being married off at the young age of fourteen and forced to adapt to her circumstances. She's a product of her trauma and circumstances, and I feel deeply pained for her; she has undeniably done the best she can, but without realising how her best may have hurt her family.
I'm actually kind of glad I won't have to analyse this book any longer. I still can't read the ending without bursting into tears.
Despite the emotions this play stirred within me, however, from a personal enjoyment standpoint... I think it's just fine. There's definitely a difference between "I greatly loved this and found personal enjoyment in this!" and "This had themes that emotionally hurt me and made me cry, but I didn't get too attached to the story or characters themselves." and I think Emily falls into the latter.
[Read as part of my literature curriculum, so there is no starred rating.]
Simply put: Emily is not a good character. But she is an inextricably tragic one. So much of her identity is tied to her role as a mother and a wife, spurred by the trauma of abandonment when she was young, and as an additional side effect of being married off at the young age of fourteen and forced to adapt to her circumstances. She's a product of her trauma and circumstances, and I feel deeply pained for her; she has undeniably done the best she can, but without realising how her best may have hurt her family.
I'm actually kind of glad I won't have to analyse this book any longer. I still can't read the ending without bursting into tears.
Despite the emotions this play stirred within me, however, from a personal enjoyment standpoint... I think it's just fine. There's definitely a difference between "I greatly loved this and found personal enjoyment in this!" and "This had themes that emotionally hurt me and made me cry, but I didn't get too attached to the story or characters themselves." and I think Emily falls into the latter.
[Read as part of my literature curriculum, so there is no starred rating.]