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De Uren Die We Deelden (2013)

by Ji-young Gong(Favorite Author)

4.44 of 5 Votes: 2

languge

English

genre

Graphic Novels & Comics

publisher

The House Of Books

review 1: Be ready to bawl, I couldn't stop crying at the end - this story was so heartbreaking. I absolutely fell in love with this book, and definitely recommend it. To be completely honest, the beginning dragged a little bit. Although I feel like this might be partially due to the fact that I was reading a translated copy. But soon enough I became hooked and couldn't stop - I finished this book in two sittings. The way Gong Ji-Young developed her characters was beautiful - at I first wanted to roll my eyes at the snobby Yujeong and didn't have much sympathy for the convicted criminal, Yunsu. But slowly, as I became engrossed in the story, each little piece of the past that was revealed gave me a greater understanding of how they became their present selves, and despite their fau... morelts I fell in love with both of them.This is one of those few books that as I finished one of my first thoughts was "I can't wait to read this again". Learning what I had about their pasts gave me a deeper insight to previous events and actions in the novel .... which to me makes it like a favorite movie that you notice and understand more and more with each viewing.I could keep going on and on and raving about this book, so I will cut myself short and just say if you are looking for an emotional, thought-provoking read, pick up a copy and enjoy!
review 2: What a beautiful book this really is. The premise sounds unremittingly depressing; a wealthy suicidal woman, still struggling to come to terms with the abuse she suffered as a teenager is made to visit a death row inmate convicted of murder and rape. How bleak and awful does that sound eh? However this is not a bleak book, it is delicate, fragile and beautiful. About finding and giving forgiveness, about the idiocy of claiming that death penalty executions are anything other than state sponsored murder, and about how inner peace can be found by accepting the unacceptable and learning to appreciate the little beauties around us. Yujeung is a profoundly damaged young woman, abused by a family member as a teenager and brutally rejected by her mother, she has become hedonistic and an embarrassment to her family. The only member of her family who treats her with respect is her aunt, a nun, who insists that Yujeung accompanies her on her charitable visits to the local state prison. The prisoner they visit, Yunsu is utterly hopeless, angry at the world and resistant to any attempts to change this. As Yujeung and Yunsu open up to one another, each finds a way of reconciling themselves to their own pasts. The story is told through alternating chapters focusing on the prison visits and Yunsu's childhood. The 'Blue Note' sections that follow the childhood and youth of Yunsu are particularly painful to read. These contrast with the growing warmth that is found in the prison visits, between Yujeung, Yunsu and the unwilling third party in the relationship, the prison guard Officer Yi. This is a deeply moving book; beautiful spare writing and well crafted characters combine to create a wonderful novel that is disarmingly easy to read despite the subject matter. less

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