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A review by tlindhorst
The Hive and the Honey by Paul Yoon
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
This is book of short stories about the Korean diaspora. Stretching from the Edo period in Japan to a Russian island today, Yoon weaves history through out these tantalizing fragments of stories. This is a book in which the reader’s reflection will reveal more and more. An undercurrent of loneliness, isolation and trauma haunts these stories.
Having read other reviews, I want to add that I enjoyed the fragmentary style that left mystery after mystery unresolved in these stories. In my own reflections on what the author may have been trying to communicate, I saw the structure of these stories as a mirror of the dislocation and loss of cohesion that comes about through forced migration, war, trauma. This is not a collection for people looking for an uplifting read or stories that have a clear and unified arc.
Having read other reviews, I want to add that I enjoyed the fragmentary style that left mystery after mystery unresolved in these stories. In my own reflections on what the author may have been trying to communicate, I saw the structure of these stories as a mirror of the dislocation and loss of cohesion that comes about through forced migration, war, trauma. This is not a collection for people looking for an uplifting read or stories that have a clear and unified arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and War