Counterweight - Djuna
I've been thinking about this book quite a bit since I've read it. The book was translated, so I'm not sure how much of it was the intention of the author or a choice of the translator, Anton Hur, but it was very jarring.
There's a meta moment where the main character, Mac, references the science fiction genre and how his situation 'wasn't from a science fiction book' very close to beginning. Which was off-putting on its own, but it was also done with the use of the acronym "SF", and maybe I'm out of the loop of common acronyms, but I feel like you can only use an acronym after you establish what it means. It confused me and was just a really weird choice because science fiction is only two words; I don't think it deserves an acronym at all in published media. The book uses the word lepidopterist repeatedly, but draws the line at science fiction, which is only one more letter.
Overall, this book was okay. I wouldn't be interested in reading it again, but I would check out Djuna's other works if I came across them. The blurb felt misleading, and seemed like it promised more action, but the characters just... Wander into the plot. They don't even think about their 'high stakes race to space' until the last 50 pages of the 176 page book. The bluntness falls flat for me, and a major antagonist's death was so lackluster that I missed it and had to reread the few sentences that mentioned it.
Some Positives:
The themes and world building were interesting.
Mac was an enjoyable protagonist as an (old?) mysterious gay man that was NOT happy about anything.
The 2nd main male character, Choi Gangwu, is a pathetic loser (affectionate).
Kim Jaein is very fun, and I loved her, but she only shows up at the end.
