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bonafidefaygo's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
thefeministthumb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
reads_vicariously's review against another edition
3.0
"A flock of birds whirred into flight, and Night shivered. Bird-pecked fruit with rotting wounds lay scattered atop the leaves blanketing the yard. The leaves shifted, tramped by unseen feet. Somewhere, an abandoned bird left behind was frantically beating a broken wing. Even knowing that its wing would only be further lacerated, the injury made worse, the bird could not stop clinging to the knife-edged air."
In an unnamed foreign country, a family of three is settling into a house at the edge of the woods. But something is off. Strange sounds come from beyond the tree line. The locals have tales of thieving imps who steal children. The postman speaks of violence through constantly shifting shark teeth. An old woman wanders naked and disoriented from the forest. The Dark is a living, breathing presence. And amidst it all is the ongoing story of a pregnant woman traveling to her family home in hopes of avoiding another miscarriage and the father who is left behind to take care of their young son.
The book is split into four sections, each functioning as a separate tale of sorts but that also adding more insight into the story and dynamics of the main family. And while each tale has its own small rise and fall of conflict and resolution, there are clear overarching themes, such as the alienation and isolation of the father and son or the emotional tension between childhood innocence and real world trauma. There are also levels of metaphor, allegory, and hidden meaning layered in through the text so it's a bit hard to explain without spoilers.
I found the book overall to be a nice balance of thought-provoking and unsettling, if a bit hard to understand at times (the writing sometimes morphs into stream of consciousness and symbolism and I'd get a little lost). The father's fears of parenthood were very well done, and I really enjoyed all of the unnerving and complicated scenes involving him and his son. There are some intense moments of brutality and also just lots of strangeness embedded throughout, where characters say and do things that just seem a little off without explanation. It all adds up to create a book that is insightful, disquieting, and occasionally undone by it's own goals.
In an unnamed foreign country, a family of three is settling into a house at the edge of the woods. But something is off. Strange sounds come from beyond the tree line. The locals have tales of thieving imps who steal children. The postman speaks of violence through constantly shifting shark teeth. An old woman wanders naked and disoriented from the forest. The Dark is a living, breathing presence. And amidst it all is the ongoing story of a pregnant woman traveling to her family home in hopes of avoiding another miscarriage and the father who is left behind to take care of their young son.
The book is split into four sections, each functioning as a separate tale of sorts but that also adding more insight into the story and dynamics of the main family. And while each tale has its own small rise and fall of conflict and resolution, there are clear overarching themes, such as the alienation and isolation of the father and son or the emotional tension between childhood innocence and real world trauma. There are also levels of metaphor, allegory, and hidden meaning layered in through the text so it's a bit hard to explain without spoilers.
I found the book overall to be a nice balance of thought-provoking and unsettling, if a bit hard to understand at times (the writing sometimes morphs into stream of consciousness and symbolism and I'd get a little lost). The father's fears of parenthood were very well done, and I really enjoyed all of the unnerving and complicated scenes involving him and his son. There are some intense moments of brutality and also just lots of strangeness embedded throughout, where characters say and do things that just seem a little off without explanation. It all adds up to create a book that is insightful, disquieting, and occasionally undone by it's own goals.
emmarpar's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
I think I only like mysteries when they’re resolved in some way. a lot of talk of vaguely unsettling things without anything actually happening. More allegorical than enjoyable.
theciz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The way this was written really irritated me. Usually I can power through lacklustre books if they’re short, but this was beyond me. There’s hints of the supernatural, but mostly very mundane things happen that are described in a "weird for weird’s sake" way. So tiring, I really didn’t care about the plot (or the obsession with breasts and the innate fear of women). I’ll give it points for creating a tense atmosphere though.
lukeburch's review against another edition
1.0
If you think this would be interesting to read, just know that it’s not.
zuly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ryn_k's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
allie_shu's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
2.0
sometimes the imagery is interesting and the writing evocative. but a lot of the time we're saying things like: "My attention was drawn to her breasts. So monumental that each of them could have held an unborn child, they hung down over the many folds of her mounting stomach." it seems Ono has 3 fears: old women, pregnant women, and fat women
hannahc24's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0