Reviews

Saha by Cho Nam-joo

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the_sunken_library's review against another edition

5.0

The blurb of this is misleading.

Presented as a crime novel, this is really a dystopian novel about class. About a facist society that oppresses its inhabitants and how those on the lowest peg often have the freedom and means to rebel because the State doesn't even acknowledge them as humans, let alone problems.

Told as a series of intertwined stories, the Saha estates are where you go when you have no place/status in Town - a City? Country? A Corporation? Imagine a company taking over a place. Like old fashioned factory towns. But worse. Its scary and utterly believable.

olivartk21's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A bit confusing and all over the place, and the book focused too much on the back story of the characters before I could even get to the good parts. Overall, it was pretty good.

gs_227's review

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mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

sacsacgrape's review

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

seunghyunjee's review against another edition

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4.0

Aku ingin mengapreasiasi bagaimana Tante Cho mengemas Saha Mansion dengan amat rapi dan terstruktur. Untuk menciptakan kisah yang padat ceritanya, rumit alurnya, serta tokoh yang tidak bersentra ke satu-dua orang saja, Saha Mansion, menurutku, berhasil melakukan itu. Aku pikir, sentra ceritanya akan fokus pada Kakak-beradik Jin-kyeong serta Do-kyeong, tetapi ternyata, tidak sesederhana itu. Penghuni Saha Mansion-lah karakter utama di novel ini. Kisah mereka diceritakan satu per satu secara runtut, terjembatani dengan baik, dan sayangnya, aku menemukan satu cerita yang sampai akhir belum bisa ku temukan sebenarnya siapakah tokoh itu. Kunci baca Saha Mansion memang fokus dan teliti.
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Sebagai pembaca yang tak terlalu familiar dengan novel distopia, jujur saja, aku meluangkan waktu penuh untuk memahami keseluruhan cerita. Latar imajiner berupa sebuah negara buatan bernama "Town" yang diduga memiliki "Dewan Menteri" serta "Hukum Khusus" membelenggu para penduduk yang tinggal di tempat itu. Sebuah negara otoritas yang melakukan seleksi keahlian pada Warganya sendiri, memanipulasi semua hal dan menyingkirkan orang-orang yg "tidak taat" dengan memudah membalikkan telapak tangan.
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Selama membaca Saha Mansion, benakku langsung teringat oleh dua drama korea berjudul Black Knight dan Delightfully Deceitful. Ada beberapa bagian cerita yang mirip dan hadir di kedua drama tersebut.
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Apakah aku akan merekomendasikan Saha Mansion pada orang-orang? Ya, tentu saja, makanya aku menuliskan review ini. Mungkin para pembaca pertama kali kenalan dengan karya Tante Cho lewat buku Kim Ji-yeong, dan ketika baca Saha Mansion, langsung seperti tersengat listrik karena perbedaannya terlalu mencolok. Tetapi sungguh, Saha Mansion layak masuk to be read kalian, apalagi kalau kalian suka sama hal-hal di luar nalar serta penuh misteri.

grahamclements's review

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5.0

Saha is a dystopian novel set on a fictious Korean island called Town. The island is completely corporatised. Everything is run by a company, from education to health to the government. To survive in Town you have to be a good corporate citizen. It is the sort of utopia someone like Elon Musk or Gina Rinehart would idolise.

The story is set around what was an abandoned housing tower complex, Saha, which is now inhabited by dispossessed squatters. They have set up their own power source, have a well for water, and a vegetable garden. They are tolerated by the authorities as they can be used for menial labour. But they have no access to any services, like medical, social security or educational services. Charities don’t exist. The squatters are classified as non-citizens who are left to fend for themselves.

The novel tells the story, in an episodic fashion, of the inhabitants of Saha. It begins with Do-Kyung waking and vomiting, and then finding Su dead in a car. We are not told what has happened as he flees. But the novel is not a mystery. It is an examination of the lives of people who have been abandoned by a totally corporatised society. A society, from what I have read, that South Korea is not far from in reality.

Some of the characters have deformities, like the one-eyed Sara. Some of the characters are fleeing persecution. One of the characters is used for medical experimentation. Many of them have secrets. All of them hope for a better life. All of them hope to one day become citizens of Town.

Saha is a novel that questions how the less fortunate are treated in society and where neo-liberalism is taking us. This could be the western world of the near future. It is probably close to the China of the present. It is a brutal novel that could devastate a reader who is yet to realise how harmful and uncaring capitalism is.

I found the writing good, but a bit stilted to begin with. I think the style of writing emphasises the uncaring nature of the society and how the novel’s characters are not able to participate in it.

I really enjoyed Saha and will be looking up more of Cho Nam-Joo's writing. I really cared about the characters and what happened to them. I recommend this book to any readers who have a social conscience.

[Spoiler alert] The ending is ambiguous. I took it to mean that the characters find no one to attack or blame for their plight, just a faceless corporation.