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A review by booksamongstfriends
Another Person by Kang Hwagil
2.0
2.5 stars. I was so excited to read this book. I love translated stories and books, so I was sure that this book was going to shine, especially based on its topic, which is one that I always love seeing explored to spread awareness and information. Given that this perspective came from those living in South Korea, I had high hopes. Unfortunately, this book disappointed me. I don't know if it’s because of the translation or just the editing, but the stories and the multi-perspective POVs just did not land. I often found myself wondering if the events were from the past or happening currently, which made the story feel extremely disjointed and hard to follow. It felt like we were getting two or three different stories at the same time.
The book is meant to explore the main character’s assault against her coworker and boyfriend, but suddenly shifts to looking into the past about another student's death and the experiences of other coworkers at the school. This made it really hard for me to stay engaged. I stopped at about 60%. I think the topic, narrative, and theme of this book are worth exploring and reading. I wish I could just give it five stars for taking on the discussion of assault, harassment, workplace misogyny, and more, but the delivery just did not land for me.
I want to believe that maybe a physical print copy has a better structure or layout of how the chapters read, but some chapters just blur into the others, adding to the confusion. Unfortunately, this book did not feel like the best representation of these important topics because it came off very messy in its reading. I do hope to see more from this author, maybe with better editing or someone to ensure that what is being said is translated in a way that is clear and readable. I do not doubt that this book will still get high ratings just because of the important topics it discusses, and again, I think that it should. But for me, it was very hard to connect with the book outside of my own connection to the topic.
Additionally, the book felt very passive in its fictional recounting of events. There were times where the different occurrences with other women seemed contradictory to the message I thought the book was originally about. I think this book might have been better if it had focused solely on women’s POVs or had a clearer layout or timeline of these instances and events. The inclusion of the male POV added another layer of confusion. I still think anyone should read this book and form their own opinions. While it may have been confusing for me, it might be easier to grasp and hold onto for others.
The book is meant to explore the main character’s assault against her coworker and boyfriend, but suddenly shifts to looking into the past about another student's death and the experiences of other coworkers at the school. This made it really hard for me to stay engaged. I stopped at about 60%. I think the topic, narrative, and theme of this book are worth exploring and reading. I wish I could just give it five stars for taking on the discussion of assault, harassment, workplace misogyny, and more, but the delivery just did not land for me.
I want to believe that maybe a physical print copy has a better structure or layout of how the chapters read, but some chapters just blur into the others, adding to the confusion. Unfortunately, this book did not feel like the best representation of these important topics because it came off very messy in its reading. I do hope to see more from this author, maybe with better editing or someone to ensure that what is being said is translated in a way that is clear and readable. I do not doubt that this book will still get high ratings just because of the important topics it discusses, and again, I think that it should. But for me, it was very hard to connect with the book outside of my own connection to the topic.
Additionally, the book felt very passive in its fictional recounting of events. There were times where the different occurrences with other women seemed contradictory to the message I thought the book was originally about. I think this book might have been better if it had focused solely on women’s POVs or had a clearer layout or timeline of these instances and events. The inclusion of the male POV added another layer of confusion. I still think anyone should read this book and form their own opinions. While it may have been confusing for me, it might be easier to grasp and hold onto for others.