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A review by erinlcrane
The Disaster Tourist by Yun Ko-eun
4.0
This is a surreal story that I almost wanted to give 3 stars, but ultimately I think it’s thought provoking, so I went with 4 stars. I normally enjoy a more character driven story and these people feel flat, but it was so imaginative. It felt a bit like Sorry to Bother You in how off the rails it gets. It starts out surreal and just gets weirder. And that’s what I’d label it - surreal.
The beginning was weaker for me in that I think it takes too long to really get going. But once it got going, I was startled and drawn in. The other weaker bit for me was the romance if I can call it that. I didn’t feel the chemistry, so it read odd for me. It’s not a major part of the story at least.
I loved the commentary on our appetite for disaster and the horrible incentives this produces in a capitalist system. Yona is presented as both a victim and a participant. She is not important enough in the tourism company to enact change, so she rationalizes her acceptance of the situation. The difficulty in determining where to lay blame is touched on, too.
The finale was really fabulous and definitely helped push it to 4 stars.
The beginning was weaker for me in that I think it takes too long to really get going. But once it got going, I was startled and drawn in. The other weaker bit for me was the romance if I can call it that. I didn’t feel the chemistry, so it read odd for me. It’s not a major part of the story at least.
I loved the commentary on our appetite for disaster and the horrible incentives this produces in a capitalist system. Yona is presented as both a victim and a participant. She is not important enough in the tourism company to enact change, so she rationalizes her acceptance of the situation. The difficulty in determining where to lay blame is touched on, too.
The finale was really fabulous and definitely helped push it to 4 stars.