Review of The Vanished
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- Asma Aisha Ansari
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Review of The Vanished
The Vanished by Pejay Bradley is a historical fiction novel. It recounts the life and struggles of South Korean people in the early 20th century when their nation came under the Japanese colonial rule. South Korean society valued draconian traditions and demanding customs over modernisation. This paved the way for their dominance by the ambitious Japan, a highly industrialised and militarised nation. The author has skilfully used this setting to weave a dramatic and moving tale full of unfulfilled desires and longing for freedom.
Pejay Bradley introduces us to Lady Sougyon, the daughter of Prince Aansoon. Sougyon's loveless marriage with her estranged husband Hob compels her to live in a house provided by her doting father. She gives birth to son Embon, who, as per Korean beliefs, is born on an inauspicious day. Embon spends his early years under the caring eyes of his mother. The story follows Embon as he leaves his privileged life behind to become a freedom fighter.
There are many things that I liked about this book. The author has flawlessly captured the details of this distinct time period. The major events that took place in the book are actual historical events. The book has less than 250 pages. However, the basic structure of the South Korean society and the norms were meticulously explained in those pages. Each character helped the story in revealing different sides of this particular civilization. Although most of the characters were products of the author's imagination, all of them seemed real because they acted in accordance with the given time and situation. There were many emotional moments in the story where I was truly saddened by the character's pain. It was disheartening to read about the conditions in which women and servants had to live under a strict patriarchal system. Besides, the writing is easy to follow.
The book, unfortunately, lacks appealing characters. Some characters, who did manage to enchant me, were soon written off into oblivion. They were not brought up again in the story. Hence, a good number of interesting characters were underutilised. Additionally, the story started at a snail's pace. But, towards the end, it was rushed to give a bittersweet conclusion. Because of this reason, I had to be extremely patient while reading to keep up with this erratic flow of the plot. Owing to these shortcomings, I will rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
The book was professionally edited, as I found less than 10 grammatical errors. It contains some scenes depicting murders and assassinations. However, those scenes are neither gory nor repulsive. I will recommend this book to historical fiction readers who are interested in knowing more about the South Korean independence movement.
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The Vanished
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- Jagiine
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Thank you for the review:)
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