February 8, 2025

After the death of her father, 정성 is sent to live with her aunt for summer break. Her aunt used to live an adventurous lifestyle but now owns (and resides in) a guesthouse hosting international travelers. 정성 lives at the guesthouse while learning more about her aunt and the different characters that she comes across—including a mysterious long-term lodger with a secret.

There’s a lot going on in this book and to be honest...I don't get it. It’s a bit of a mystery novel, but also a contemplative novel about family and life. There are a lot characters, and they all kinda have big personalities and backstories. Somebody’s smuggling things; someone else is running around screaming. And guns. Lots of guns. While I enjoy learning about people, the book tried to do so many things at once that I couldn’t figure out what to focus on.

I'll admit that there might also be a bit of comprehension issue from my side. Some of the sentences (especially contemplative ones from the narrator) are quite difficult to understand. Not only that but the author sometimes don’t say things explicitly, which is common with novels for an older audience. It would often leave me confused at why a character would act a certain way. It’s hard for me to know whether I just don’t enjoy the author’s writing or if it’s a language issue.

I personally don’t recommend this book because I don’t find it as accessible to learners. It was almost an exercise in patience trying to read this thing -_-

Gradings:14
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quynh graded
on May 28, 2025
quynh graded
on February 6, 2025
quynh graded
on February 6, 2025
harder than잠옷 파티L21
quynh graded
on February 6, 2025
quynh graded
on February 6, 2025
quynh graded
on February 6, 2025
quynh graded
on February 6, 2025
similar in difficulty to거짓말 같은 핼러윈 데이L25
quynh graded
on February 6, 2025
quynh graded
on February 6, 2025
quynh graded
on February 6, 2025
quynh graded
on February 6, 2025
harder than일 퍼센트L22
quynh graded
on February 6, 2025
quynh graded
on February 6, 2025
similar in difficulty to나를 팔로우 하지 마세요L25
quynh graded
on February 6, 2025
similar in difficulty to첫사랑 라이브L32