I don't know much South Korea so I found this to be a bit educational. I definitely think it could have been shorter, but it was still a heartbreaking portrait of how a country might cope with tragedy, and a young woman's struggle with finding her place in it all. It is certainly a unique addition to the gothic/horror genre

It would've been quite an effective study of the ways in which post-war trauma warps temporality had it been at least a hundred pages shorter. As it is, one can feel the metaphors being belabored and stretched beyond their welcome. On the other hand, I did learn new things about South Korea - I didn't know it was quite a militarized society as depicted in the novel, and that the militarization takes its toll in that way. Additional star for that.

One of my favorite books this year. While very disturbing at times, it was so well written and will stay with me for days..look forward to seeing more by this author.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

This book had me hooked from page one, and I didn't want to stop reading. The writing is very atmospheric and beautiful, and the way the "horror elements" connected everything was really nicely done. I really liked the exploration of family, grief and generational trauma, and how, for Yewon, the town she was born in was a sort of symbol of all this. She wants to get away from Dalbit, but she realizes that there are certain things you cannot escape just by physically moving away from them. It was interesting to see how shared trauma can both pull people apart, but also connect them. I definitely preferred reading the parts that took place in Dalbit, but it made sense for the story to take place in more than one location.
I don't really have any notes atm. I just enjoyed this