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A review by aforestofbooks
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
I added this book to my tbr years ago and kept procrastinating reading it because everyone who has ever read it said it was a difficult book to read. I was a little scared and unsure if I was ready, but I had no idea <i>when</i> I would be ready. I picked it up in part because I felt that this book sounded so relevant to what is going on in Gaza, yet I don't think I realized just how well I timed this until I got to the last quarter of this book.
Chapter 21 is a haunting chapter. I do think if I had read this book when it came out, it would have been a very difficult chapter to read. But seeing what this book describes played out in real life...real life is honestly much more horrifying than a book. Whatever anger I can muster up for the Federation in this book, is nothing compared to the hatred and rage I feel towards Israel, Zionists, the US, and all of their supporters. And I think this is why I feel so confused. People who have read this book and other stories like it, who can feel for these characters, for the innocent lives lost, for the atrocities committed, can't seem to find the ability to care about real people in the world we actually inhabit. They can't seem to make the same connections I can to what I read and what is actually happening. To care more about fictional lives than the lives of the people around you, is just something I cannot fathom anymore. And yet people like this do exist.
This book is so powerful, especially in 2024. It's eye-opening and a stark reminder of how history is repeating itself right before our very eyes. The conversations we get with Kitay and Rin at the end this book are words repeated back to us in the present.
<blockquote><i>"They were monsters! They were not human!"</i>
"Have you ever considered that that was exactly what they thought of us."</blockquote>
The characters in this book are morally grey and complicated. They have so many layers to them that explain why they are the way they are, yet it doesn't ignore how their decisions and actions make them complicit in horrible crimes against humanity. We see the characters trying to justify their actions and find a way to live with that guilt, but as the reader, we see between the lines and understand that what they have done cannot be condoned. And I really appreciate that Rebecca was able to have that come across in this book.
I do like Rin as a character. I can't exactly describe her as your typical main character who is the hero of the story because she's not exactly that. But I am looking forward to seeing what happens to her in next book and how she grapples with what she has done. Every character in this book gave me mixed feelings, except for maybe Kitay. But I think it was refreshing to read a book with characters like this instead of the usual stark good vs evil we get.
Chapter 21 is a haunting chapter. I do think if I had read this book when it came out, it would have been a very difficult chapter to read. But seeing what this book describes played out in real life...real life is honestly much more horrifying than a book. Whatever anger I can muster up for the Federation in this book, is nothing compared to the hatred and rage I feel towards Israel, Zionists, the US, and all of their supporters. And I think this is why I feel so confused. People who have read this book and other stories like it, who can feel for these characters, for the innocent lives lost, for the atrocities committed, can't seem to find the ability to care about real people in the world we actually inhabit. They can't seem to make the same connections I can to what I read and what is actually happening. To care more about fictional lives than the lives of the people around you, is just something I cannot fathom anymore. And yet people like this do exist.
This book is so powerful, especially in 2024. It's eye-opening and a stark reminder of how history is repeating itself right before our very eyes. The conversations we get with Kitay and Rin at the end this book are words repeated back to us in the present.
<blockquote><i>"They were monsters! They were not human!"</i>
"Have you ever considered that that was exactly what they thought of us."</blockquote>
The characters in this book are morally grey and complicated. They have so many layers to them that explain why they are the way they are, yet it doesn't ignore how their decisions and actions make them complicit in horrible crimes against humanity. We see the characters trying to justify their actions and find a way to live with that guilt, but as the reader, we see between the lines and understand that what they have done cannot be condoned. And I really appreciate that Rebecca was able to have that come across in this book.
I do like Rin as a character. I can't exactly describe her as your typical main character who is the hero of the story because she's not exactly that. But I am looking forward to seeing what happens to her in next book and how she grapples with what she has done. Every character in this book gave me mixed feelings, except for maybe Kitay. But I think it was refreshing to read a book with characters like this instead of the usual stark good vs evil we get.