(Trigger warning for all sorts of extreme violence.) Violent and disturbing but strangely compelling and beautiful in its own twisted way. If you are looking for a dark retelling of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, this book is for you. It should not have been an easy read but for reasons that I don’t completely understand, I found it oddly calming. I have been very anxious and stressed out recently and this book is so dark and violent that it allowed me to completely forget about […]
“Love is the bridge that spans the world above and below, and keeps the wheel of life turning.”
I’ve actually been thinking about how to review this book since I finished reading it almost a week ago and I still have no idea. It’s clearly inspired by the movie Labyrinth (the author says as much) as well as other myths and legends that most of us are at least somewhat familiar with. I’m not an expert on any of these subjects and I haven’t seen Labyrinth in a long time (I tried recently but I couldn’t) so I don’t know if someone who […]
Sometimes quitting is the right thing to do
Disclaimer: I did not finish this book. One of my goals for this year is reading more Spanish and Latin American women writers. I asked a few friends to suggest some names at the end of last year and Almudena Grandes was one of the writers that almost everyone recommended. As to why I decided to go with her longest novel (700+ pages!), I don’t really know but I wish I hadn’t. My issue is not with her writing, Grandes is clearly talented and can […]
Yes, but what’s the name of the translator?
Right from the very first lines this felt wrong. After struggling with the style for almost 15% of the novel, I decided to check the name of the translator and it’s not the same one who did all the other Keigo Higashino novels I have read in English. I understand that it isn’t always possible to work with the same translator but a good translation is supposed to make the reader forget she’s not reading the original work and that is simply not the case […]
Watch out boy she’ll chew you up!
Junko Mizuno is a Japanese artist whose style is usually described as “Gothic kawaii”. Her illustrations are cute and childish but also erotic and grotesque. After Cinderalla and Hansel and Gretel, Princess Mermaid is her third and darkest retelling of a classic fairytale, and the one that differs the most from the original version (I’m referring to the Hans Christian Andersen story, not the sanitized Disney version). Princess Mermaid tells the story of three mermaid sisters who have sworn to avenge the death of their […]
“If you remember me, I don’t care if everyone else forgets.”
Kafka on the Shore is a strange book, even by Murakami standards. This is my second reading but sadly I don’t remember what I thought about it the fist time I read it 12 years ago because back then I didn’t take notes or write reviews. All I know is that I thought it was a four-star book. Haruki Murakami has been one of my favorite writers ever since I “discovered” him almost 17 years ago. I read a review of The Elephant Vanishes in […]