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A review by emilyusuallyreading
The Ginseng Hunter by Jeff Talarigo
4.0
What I Liked
The overall meaning of this book I think can be easily lost, because it's easy to forget that the story isn't about the prostitute. It's about the Ginseng Hunter... and he is important because we are all the Ginseng Hunter. We may not always live right on the border of horrific atrocities, but we know that preventable tragedy - trafficking, hunger, poverty - is happening around us and we are complacent or afraid, just like the Ginseng Hunter. He is nameless because he is us.
The simplicity of the novel is what makes it impactful. I read The Ginseng Hunter within an hour or less. The storyline was brief and incredibly compelling.
What I Didn't Like
At times the prostitute telling her story was exploitative or somehow plastic. She laid out her story in a very bare, vulnerable way to a man that was using her for her body... and she told her story like a novelist.
The overall meaning of this book I think can be easily lost, because it's easy to forget that the story isn't about the prostitute. It's about the Ginseng Hunter... and he is important because we are all the Ginseng Hunter. We may not always live right on the border of horrific atrocities, but we know that preventable tragedy - trafficking, hunger, poverty - is happening around us and we are complacent or afraid, just like the Ginseng Hunter. He is nameless because he is us.
The simplicity of the novel is what makes it impactful. I read The Ginseng Hunter within an hour or less. The storyline was brief and incredibly compelling.
What I Didn't Like
At times the prostitute telling her story was exploitative or somehow plastic. She laid out her story in a very bare, vulnerable way to a man that was using her for her body... and she told her story like a novelist.