Scan barcode
A review by brooke_review
Apartment Women by Gu Byeong-mo
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I quite enjoy Asian literature, and don’t too often take issue with translations; however, either Gu Byeong-mo’s Apartment Women is suffering from a translation disconnect or this book is lacking in some necessary style. The premise sounds pretty incredible, if I am being honest - several families move into an apartment complex in the middle of nowhere as part of a government experiment on communal living. This is my cup of tea because I love social studies. However, this book is written (or translated) so incoherently, that I had difficulty following much of it. The storyline is not clear, neither are the families and members within them delineated. I found myself confused throughout much of this book, not quite understanding where it was going or what I was supposed to get out of it.