Oasis

Absolutely destroyed me. I so badly want to give this 5 stars. And maybe this is my own problem, but there's just a few things I can't move past. The Good: The story itself was so gripping. Watching the relationship between Jong-du and Gong-ju blossom was beautiful, seeing Gong-ju imagine the kind of couple she wanted to be was so heartbreaking. Absolutely on point commentary on how society treats disabled people, while also highlighting the stark difference of treatment between visible and invisible disabilities. It almost felt like a Rapunzel story, with Gong-ju being "stuck in her castle". Overall, great story, very raw. The Gray: Jong-du is a deeply hurt and repressed man. His own family admits to his face they don't love him. His own brother beats him with a metal rod. It's clear he has never been taught what love is, never been taught how to treat people with sensitivity. This makes you question the morality of his actions and wonder, is he the villain or another victim? At first, I was angry about Gong-ju allowing the man who had just tried to violate her to be so intimately in her life. I thought it sent a bad message, that these kinds of things can be forgiven, and love can blossom from it. But now I actually think the deeper meaning behind it is that this is essentially how Gong-ju has been treated her whole life. She accepts mistreatment, because this is how her life has been. She has been so conditioned to it that she likely does not see any other option. Jong-du is far from an ideal partner, but he is also the only person in her life to see her as another person. He is the only one to allow her time to speak and to communicate with her.