- #1
This novel is a deeply flawed and offensive work that masquerades as art. The story is marred by clichés, weak character development, and a complete lack of nuance.The writing is clumsy and amateurish, with stilted dialogue and a meandering plot that lacks direction.The portrayal of foreign characters is particularly egregious, relying on harmful stereotypes and reducing their identities to shallow physical descriptions.The novel also objectifies a young s*ave, romanticizing his foreign features and childlike appearance. The author's fixation on his exotic looks and mixed heritage is disturbing, treating him as a mere object of desire and stripping him of his humanity.The writer's lack of self-awareness is staggering, as they seem oblivious to the harm they're causing.While the translation team did an amazing job to make this novel semi-palatable, I still couldn't help but think that one would need to be particularly... blinded to its glaring issues to truly enjoy it.Overall, this novel is a disappointing read, a direct insult to the very concept of literature.