I will read pretty much anything. I admit to having a few genres that I will bury myself within for long periods, but ultimately I just love reading itself and the escape it provides. The ability of a good book to paint a world that slowly but surely teleports you inside of it is something I both crave and find necessary for my survival. 

I often choose what book I pick up based on the mood I am in at the time. “How far away do I seek to be from reality? What am I hoping to feel?” I have noticed this as my depression has worsened, I tend to gravitate more towards scifi adventures that take me to other galaxies. I seek to feel powerful, like a hero. This can be very therapeutic, but I have a cycle in which it eventually leads to a reading rut and the only way to get out of it is to go on a blind date with a book that doesn't seem like something I would typically like.

I prepare ahead of time for these moments. I regularly go on downloading sprees that fill up my kindle with free books. I don't think much about what the book is about (I usually don't even read the summary.). That is why I have a massive amount of books on my kindle that I will probably never get around to reading. But, when the book rut happens, a lottery occurs and the first one to grab my attention wins the right to me actually reading it. That is how I came to read About the Night by Anat Talshir.

What caught my eye was the cover. I’m not sure why. I simply scrolled past it multiple times and just kept coming back to it. So it won the book lottery and I promptly downloaded it to my devices. It turns out this book is a historical romance. What is my absolute least favorite genre? Yeah...romance. Keep that in mind as you read how amazing I think this book is.

The book tells the story of Elias Riani and his true love, Lila, as they struggle to survive amidst the tragedies of war. Separated due to the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, their paths take vastly different directions before they are able to find each other again. It is a tale that is similar to the one told in The Notebook, but far more realistic and heart-wrenching. 

Anat Talshir's writing perfectly paints the struggles of all the characters in this book. They are all so very real and I felt myself wanting to reach out and hold their hands or hug them. I cried quite a bit while reading this one and had trouble restraining myself from reading it in one sitting. 

It is one of those books that has several characters. I know some people have trouble with those types, which is why I'm mentioning it. I had no trouble keeping up with everyone though, as each character is thoroughly brought to life. About the Night is easily one of the most beautiful books I have read in years. I am so happy I picked it. (it won my book lottery this time)

Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5 

Is it worth reading?

👍  Absolutely. Extra perfect for anyone who regularly reads historical romance or loved The Notebook by Nicolas Sparks.

Rating: 18+

Runtime: 2 hours 7 minutes

Genre(s): Drama

Released:  October 24th,  2020

Directed by: Hwan Lee

Written by: Hwan Lee

Starring: Lee Yoo-mi, Hani (Ahn Hee-yeon)

You are dropped into the world of Sejin who is a very peculiar character. The way she just generally seems unbothered by most things is both shocking and disturbing. When she does react, it seems…off. Viewers don’t get much information about her background, but it does seem that at some point before the film begins, something traumatic happened to her and has led to an apathetic outlook. Yet, at the same time, she comes off as astonishingly naive and aloof. However, as the film progresses it becomes questionable as to how genuine this naivety actually is. Overall she comes off as a long-lost character from a Sayaka Murata novel. 

After finding out she is pregnant, Sejin leaves home in search of a way to get enough money to pay for an “operation”.  The film follows this journey and the people Sejin meets along the way. The way Young Adult Matters is described and how the story is set up makes it seem like it is going to make some large statement about youth and the struggles they are dealing with. However, all the violence and cruelty just seems pointless, which may be a statement in itself, especially considering these are the moments in the film in which we linger the most. It has moments that feel almost poignant in its delivery, but they are hard to take too seriously when combined with the moments of absolute absurdity. It was almost as if Hwan Lee could not decide how dark of a film he wanted to create.

What the film lacks in its writing, it makes up for with its visuals. The way some of the scenes were framed and the usage of light was absolutely stunning. The acting was also superb, especially by Lee Yoo-mi (Sejin) and Hee-Yeon Ahn (Jooyoung). 

A quick note: While I did not enjoy how this film was written overall, I do think that since the film is in Korean and I do not speak said language, things definitely could have been lost in translation.

Rating: 6.5/10 ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Should you watch it?

👍This is good for those who are already fans of Korean films and don't mind a little violence.