dlrosebyh's Reviews (773)

this felt like a sjm book (derogatory)

The fictional short stories in the book Triggered center on extrajudicial killings (EJK) in the Philippines. Jocelyn Martin, a college professor, urged the freshmen in her English class to create fictional accounts of EJK. This report highlighted the top six books.

When I tell you how much I enjoyed this book. Since I'm not a big lover of short tale collections, I thought that I'd feel conflicted about this one. Additionally, I learned from the synopsis that it was written in a YA style. Given that YA is one of my favorite reading genres, I was truly intrigued.

It was interesting to consider things from several viewpoints. Even though it was fiction, it seemed real because it was. The alarming part is that it is still taking place. Because I adore the divergent writing styles so much, I was genuinely shocked that the stories were written by freshmen rather than professional writers.

Was so good until the Norse Mythology part.

When So-nyo, 69, gets separated from her husband and vanishes among the crowds of the Seoul metro station, their children are overwhelmed with loud recriminations and are soaked in sadness and shame. As they debate the size of the prize to offer and the best way to phrase the language on the "Missing" flyers they are distributing across the city, they realize that none of them have a current image of Mom. Soon, a broader issue arises: do they actually know the lady they refer to as Mom? 

 

The novel, told in the alternating voices of Mom's daughter, son, husband, and, in the shocking conclusion, Mom herself, pieces together a life that appears ordinary but is anything but. 

 

I expected a novel about a mother to hit me deeply. This review is most likely on for me.  As a matter of fact, I never had a close relationship with my mother. I expected a book about someone's mother's death to be very moving for me. I don't believe I ever "loved" my mother, therefore I know it's something that would remain a fantasy for me. Nonetheless, I like this book a lot. I have nothing more to say.