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ambershelf's Reviews (1.3k)
Thank you to Tin House Books for the gifted ARC
After their arranged marriage at the height of the military dictatorship in South Korea, newlyweds Insuk and Sungho move to San Jose, California, with Sungho's overbearing mother-in-law. As the trio grieves the fracturing of their homeland separately, their lives drift further apart. Can they find their way back to one another?
I've said multiple times that I love poets' prose, and Koh beautifully demonstrates how absorbing and compelling her storytelling is in THE LIBERATORS. I absolutely adore the use of mixed media—from the poetry-like ruminations to drawings—THE LIBERATORS is a slim book that packs a punch and will leave the readers grasping for air yet craving more.
I was unsure halfway through the book due to the number of POVs for such a short story. It is true that with so many characters, each person feels a bit diluted, and some characters have more of a slice-of-life presence. Regardless, I'm blown away by how Koh doesn't rely on the overwritten immigrant tropes to spin a spellbinding story of displacement and diaspora, of trauma and grief, of love lost and found.
Toward the end, I sobbed so much reading about one particular character's hopes for a unified country. In his speech, I can feel the unyielding pursuit of overcoming the evil that divides humanity and grasping for the light that unites us. This aspect alone made me love THE LIBERATORS. In addition, Koh's acknowledgment is one of the best I've read, which helped me appreciate the novel so much more—I hope we never lose our humanity and always hold onto love to fight for a better future.
"We can fail but we can always rebuild." THE LIBERATORS is a perfect read for those interested in poetic prose, the Korean diaspora, and imperfect characters.
After their arranged marriage at the height of the military dictatorship in South Korea, newlyweds Insuk and Sungho move to San Jose, California, with Sungho's overbearing mother-in-law. As the trio grieves the fracturing of their homeland separately, their lives drift further apart. Can they find their way back to one another?
I've said multiple times that I love poets' prose, and Koh beautifully demonstrates how absorbing and compelling her storytelling is in THE LIBERATORS. I absolutely adore the use of mixed media—from the poetry-like ruminations to drawings—THE LIBERATORS is a slim book that packs a punch and will leave the readers grasping for air yet craving more.
I was unsure halfway through the book due to the number of POVs for such a short story. It is true that with so many characters, each person feels a bit diluted, and some characters have more of a slice-of-life presence. Regardless, I'm blown away by how Koh doesn't rely on the overwritten immigrant tropes to spin a spellbinding story of displacement and diaspora, of trauma and grief, of love lost and found.
Toward the end, I sobbed so much reading about one particular character's hopes for a unified country. In his speech, I can feel the unyielding pursuit of overcoming the evil that divides humanity and grasping for the light that unites us. This aspect alone made me love THE LIBERATORS. In addition, Koh's acknowledgment is one of the best I've read, which helped me appreciate the novel so much more—I hope we never lose our humanity and always hold onto love to fight for a better future.
"We can fail but we can always rebuild." THE LIBERATORS is a perfect read for those interested in poetic prose, the Korean diaspora, and imperfect characters.
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology
Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
Thank you to Vintage Anchor Books for the gifted copy
In this phenomenal collection featuring 26 contributors, NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT invites readers on a wildly original, imaginative, and unsettling journey. The tales traverse time & space and blend history & mythology to examine terrifying stories from the indigenous communities' perspectives—the horror of watching colonizers disrespect one's ancestral land, the horror of settlers looting one's art, the horror of being the only POC in a room, the horror of the Indian boarding schools, the horror of seeing your work misconstrued, the horror of academic grant writing, etc.
Every story is unique and packs a punch with varying degrees of horror. I've listed the ones that left a strong impression on me in the pinned comments with a brief description & TW, but if you want to go into the stories completely blind, please skip below!
• Kushtuka by Mathilda Zeller: A young woman helps cook for a party where the host collects Native artifacts; the night turns wild and truly horrific. This one is probably the scariest out of the entire collection & I'd suggest you read this one when it's bright out
In this phenomenal collection featuring 26 contributors, NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT invites readers on a wildly original, imaginative, and unsettling journey. The tales traverse time & space and blend history & mythology to examine terrifying stories from the indigenous communities' perspectives—the horror of watching colonizers disrespect one's ancestral land, the horror of settlers looting one's art, the horror of being the only POC in a room, the horror of the Indian boarding schools, the horror of seeing your work misconstrued, the horror of academic grant writing, etc.
Every story is unique and packs a punch with varying degrees of horror. I've listed the ones that left a strong impression on me in the pinned comments with a brief description & TW, but if you want to go into the stories completely blind, please skip below!
• Kushtuka by Mathilda Zeller: A young woman helps cook for a party where the host collects Native artifacts; the night turns wild and truly horrific. This one is probably the scariest out of the entire collection & I'd suggest you read this one when it's bright out
Thank you to Random House for the gifted ARC
A Korean-American writer-turned-tech worker, Soon Shin, comes across a manuscript translated from Korean at a party. Titled "Same Bed Different Dreams," the novel reimagines a parallel universe in which the Korean Provisional Government (KPG) never dissolves after WW2.
SAME BED weaves together three distinct narratives into one trippy chonker. The first layer is Soon's personal life and career. The second narrative is the novel Soon is reading about KPG's covert operations. And the third is a Black sci-fi writer and his extraordinary life. Park brilliantly integrates these three narratives, and I was blown away by how everything comes together in the end
A Korean-American writer-turned-tech worker, Soon Shin, comes across a manuscript translated from Korean at a party. Titled "Same Bed Different Dreams," the novel reimagines a parallel universe in which the Korean Provisional Government (KPG) never dissolves after WW2.
SAME BED weaves together three distinct narratives into one trippy chonker. The first layer is Soon's personal life and career. The second narrative is the novel Soon is reading about KPG's covert operations. And the third is a Black sci-fi writer and his extraordinary life. Park brilliantly integrates these three narratives, and I was blown away by how everything comes together in the end
Thank you to Get Red PR Books Crooked Lane Books for the gifted copy
When Miriam surprises her parents in Punta Cana, she doesn't expect it to turn into a work travel AND a journey to discover the culprit behind her parents' property damages. Before long, Miriam is called away to Puerto Rico to film a Three Kings Day special. But things only get worse from there.
BARBACOA is a cozy mystery perfect for those looking for a light read filled with Caribbean culture and delicious food. I adore how this story transported me to another weather & setting—I kept getting hungry while reading and could imagine the vibrant music. Many of the conversations in BARBACOA are in Spanish; depending on the reader, one might have to do considerable googling (like me
When Miriam surprises her parents in Punta Cana, she doesn't expect it to turn into a work travel AND a journey to discover the culprit behind her parents' property damages. Before long, Miriam is called away to Puerto Rico to film a Three Kings Day special. But things only get worse from there.
BARBACOA is a cozy mystery perfect for those looking for a light read filled with Caribbean culture and delicious food. I adore how this story transported me to another weather & setting—I kept getting hungry while reading and could imagine the vibrant music. Many of the conversations in BARBACOA are in Spanish; depending on the reader, one might have to do considerable googling (like me
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A great book for younger audiences learning to navigate grief. I only wish there were more emphasis on therapy