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A review by philibin
Hospital by Han Song
dark
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
2.25
(2.25 Stars)
I struggled with rating this book... I was going to rate it a 2, and felt that was actually generous. Then I finished the book and read the translator's notes, and found a slightly better appreciation for it. However, as it is, even a 2.5 would have been too high, so I settled on 2.25. MY suggestion would be to read the translator's notes BEFORE reading the book. Yes, there would be some spoilers, but you'd gain better understanding and relevance about the story.
I've seen this work compared to both Philip K. Dick and Kafka. While I do see it as being Kafkaesque, I'd say it leans more into Palahniuk or Burroughs (William). It was dystopian, absurd, satirical, and more than a little disturbing, but mostly it was weird.
After reading the translator's notes, I can honestly say that much of this story was "lost in the translation". And I really believe that I would have enjoyed it more had I "got the joke".
I struggled with rating this book... I was going to rate it a 2, and felt that was actually generous. Then I finished the book and read the translator's notes, and found a slightly better appreciation for it. However, as it is, even a 2.5 would have been too high, so I settled on 2.25. MY suggestion would be to read the translator's notes BEFORE reading the book. Yes, there would be some spoilers, but you'd gain better understanding and relevance about the story.
I've seen this work compared to both Philip K. Dick and Kafka. While I do see it as being Kafkaesque, I'd say it leans more into Palahniuk or Burroughs (William). It was dystopian, absurd, satirical, and more than a little disturbing, but mostly it was weird.
After reading the translator's notes, I can honestly say that much of this story was "lost in the translation". And I really believe that I would have enjoyed it more had I "got the joke".