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A review by cobwebshelves
The Color of the Sky Is the Shape of the Heart by Chesil
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
"our history isn't some textbook that no one wants to open. our history can be found in our music. the tears we shed can be found in our songs. shrouded as our ancestors were in darkness, despite knowing their lives would likely end without notice, they never forgot to sing and dance and laugh. their spirit is with us across time. as long as we, the inheritors of that spirit, give our lives to living, the music will never die. our songs will continue to grow. though a change may come, the day of our history's end will not. do not fear. the world is filled with more art than textbooks."
i've struggled a bit with how to properly review this book for a few weeks now. i'm not quite sure how to properly put the emotions i was left with into words. insightful doesn't feel like it covers "the color of the sky" well enough, but the book certainly reveals a lot about the historical experiences of zainichi koreans.
jinhee is a zainichi whose family originated from north korea, yet she doesn't feel like she fully belongs in either culture. she cannot find a place in japan where she's perceived as a foreigner nor can she fit in with her classmates in the korean school as she doesn't speak the language. however, we first meet her in the us – about the be expelled from yet another school, unable to confess what led to her leaving the country that she tried to fit into despite it rejecting her at every step.
this book is heavier than it might first appear, dealing quite explicitly with issues of discrimination, xenophobia, and, in one instance, child sexual assault. it's told in a non-linear way which some readers found made it more difficult to get into. for me personally, the format worked fine. however, by the end of it, there was a feeling that the story was somewhat incomplete and probably could've carried on a few chapters longer.
the translation is somewhat complicated to talk about. on the one hand, there were brilliant instances of prose, like the one i've quoted above. on the other hand, sometimes the language felt a bit too simplistic. i can't compare the original to the translation, so it's possible that the choice of register was intentional, though, so it's not something i can critique too much.
thanks to Soho Teen and Netgalley for the access.
i've struggled a bit with how to properly review this book for a few weeks now. i'm not quite sure how to properly put the emotions i was left with into words. insightful doesn't feel like it covers "the color of the sky" well enough, but the book certainly reveals a lot about the historical experiences of zainichi koreans.
jinhee is a zainichi whose family originated from north korea, yet she doesn't feel like she fully belongs in either culture. she cannot find a place in japan where she's perceived as a foreigner nor can she fit in with her classmates in the korean school as she doesn't speak the language. however, we first meet her in the us – about the be expelled from yet another school, unable to confess what led to her leaving the country that she tried to fit into despite it rejecting her at every step.
this book is heavier than it might first appear, dealing quite explicitly with issues of discrimination, xenophobia, and, in one instance, child sexual assault. it's told in a non-linear way which some readers found made it more difficult to get into. for me personally, the format worked fine. however, by the end of it, there was a feeling that the story was somewhat incomplete and probably could've carried on a few chapters longer.
the translation is somewhat complicated to talk about. on the one hand, there were brilliant instances of prose, like the one i've quoted above. on the other hand, sometimes the language felt a bit too simplistic. i can't compare the original to the translation, so it's possible that the choice of register was intentional, though, so it's not something i can critique too much.
thanks to Soho Teen and Netgalley for the access.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault
Minor: War