Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Liberators by E.J. Koh

3 reviews

sreddous's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The prose here is lovely, and if there's any framing that poetic, flowery, metaphor-filled language is really effective for, it's exploring generational trauma. In that regard, I think the lack of a "real three-act structure" is fine: the point is that these families have no choice but to keep going, keep going, and nothing is predictable and the end goals aren't always clear. I feel like a lot of families probably have similar stories to these, and that's really cool to see it represented like thsi.

I think a few things made it so I wish this book was longer: there's a LOT of domestic abuse and emotional abuse in the book that I think is explained away too quickly. I don't think it's exactly unrealistic -- a lot of people choose to stay in abusive situations even while knowing how horrible the situations are -- but then, the reasons why those people stay are super complex and nuanced, and a book that's got this many characters and this many plot lines doesn't really have the space to explore those nuances in the way they deserve. This book definitely gets uncomfortable, and that's not a bad thing, but I wish the characters who experienced abuse got more than just a few paragraphs of, "ah, now that [whatever situation] has changed, that person doesn't abuse me anymore!" which is really how it feels sometimes, and that's too shallow a take on a topic like that.

Content warning: domestic abuse, emotional abuse, racism, miscarriage, suicide (all pretty graphic)
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ukponge's review

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challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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jayisreading's review

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emotional reflective slow-paced

4.5

The Liberators was one of my most anticipated books of the year, especially because I absolutely adored Koh's memoir. Her writing remains beautiful with its poetic and sparseness, making every sentence meaningful and intentional. I thought the way she jumped between characters' perspectives worked really well (which I often find to be a hit-or-miss) to help move the story at a steady pace. I wouldn't have minded if the novel was longer, but it seems the decision to keep it under 250 pages was an intentional one that worked in Koh's favor.

I will say that the sparseness of Koh's prose might not be for everyone, and it may be especially dissatisfying for those who were hoping for more explanation/context than what she gives. I admit that this novel will make far more sense for those who have some knowledge of modern (South) Korean history and its ties to liberation, but Koh gives just enough to demonstrate the impact that history has had on the Korean diaspora, especially.

While I think I might have preferred Koh's memoir, The Liberators proved to be a strong debut novel that will work really well for some, while others may find that it will fall flat. For me, I initially had some mixed thoughts, only to find that sitting with the novel for a few days have made me really appreciate how everything unfolded across the pages.

Note: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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