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itsonmytbr's review against another edition
A man in a Buddhist society gets sick on a business trip and taken to a big ole dystopian version of a modern hospital. It costs more than patients can pay, they can keep patients as long as they like, it's basic the exact same as a regular hospital but everyone is Buddhist.
The first several chapters were a drag and I'm reliably informed it gets slower and more depressing from there. The translation was very hard for me to get into. Could not finish.
The first several chapters were a drag and I'm reliably informed it gets slower and more depressing from there. The translation was very hard for me to get into. Could not finish.
amess's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
someonetookit's review against another edition
1.0
I dont know whether something was lost in translation or it was just me but its a firm no. It took me upwards of a month to get through this and honestly, can I please have my time back
srhhecht'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? Yes
2.0
ivanssister's review against another edition
1.0
I don't know, man. My heart tells me this just wasn't the right time in my life to read a dystopian tale of medical care. But the other reviews tell me maybe that isn't the problem here.
ccanne's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
barf_mobile's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
My first impression of this book was fantastic! I thought it was hilarious, and eerie - my favorite combination. But as it kept going it became more of a discussion and very monologue heavy. There's probably a lot of cultural disconnect here since I only have a surface level understanding of Buddhism. Did not understand the weird sex stuff at all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Rape
hayley_ann's review against another edition
It sounded super interesting, but getting into it I was so confused. I don't know if this guy was just hallucinating and didn't understand, but there were so many red flags for me. He seemed totally coherent, his thought processes made sense, so why wasn't he concerned that all of a sudden there was like a marketplace in the waiting room? I just couldn't get into this book after 30 pages in.
bravadette's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Hospital is a dystopian, Lovecraftian sci-fi horror and Juvenalian satire of political-economic focus. It reads like Vita Nostra in space, and sometimes like Babel by RF Kuang.
To start:
I find the reviews for this book very strange, considering that most of the suffering characters endure comes from inability to afford treatment, inaccessibility to treatment, and a healthcare-industrial complex built on profit and keeping people sick . A DYSTOPIAN world where you have to gift your doctor money under the table AFTER YOU PAY THE BILL to recieve treatment does NOT sound communist to me. If anything, a satire that makes a hypercapitalist world its primary focus of critique is * anti-capitalist *. I think the reviews here and on Goodreads are being review-bombed by sinomisiacs.
If you have disabilities, or if you've known someone who has had to see 3 specialists to get a diagnosis they guessed on their own before even getting their first referral... If you had to lose days of work to get said diagnosis... If you can't afford to take an ambulance to the hospital in an emergency... If you have ever been hit with a single "surprise fee" because you are sick and, OBVIOUSLY, it isn't your fault... etc etc etc... this book is for you.
I went through Audible for my audiobook version. The tone is snarky and playful and well done. This is probably the greatest satire of the healthcare-industrial complex of our century- and that's an easy title and bar to set seeing that there isn't much of it.
To start:
I find the reviews for this book very strange, considering that most of the suffering characters endure comes from inability to afford treatment, inaccessibility to treatment, and a healthcare-industrial complex built on profit and keeping people sick . A DYSTOPIAN world where you have to gift your doctor money under the table AFTER YOU PAY THE BILL to recieve treatment does NOT sound communist to me. If anything, a satire that makes a hypercapitalist world its primary focus of critique is * anti-capitalist *. I think the reviews here and on Goodreads are being review-bombed by sinomisiacs.
If you have disabilities, or if you've known someone who has had to see 3 specialists to get a diagnosis they guessed on their own before even getting their first referral... If you had to lose days of work to get said diagnosis... If you can't afford to take an ambulance to the hospital in an emergency... If you have ever been hit with a single "surprise fee" because you are sick and, OBVIOUSLY, it isn't your fault... etc etc etc... this book is for you.
I went through Audible for my audiobook version. The tone is snarky and playful and well done. This is probably the greatest satire of the healthcare-industrial complex of our century- and that's an easy title and bar to set seeing that there isn't much of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Body horror, Cursing, Dementia, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Bullying, Cancer, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Confinement, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Sexism, Xenophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Vomit