Review of Red Thread of Fate

[Ngozi Onyibor]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Red Thread of Fate" by Woo Ae Yi.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Red Thread of Fate by Woo Ae Yi is a romance novel that explores themes of abuse in relationships and the concept of age being a deciding factor for love and compatibility.

Zarah and Perez met and fell in love in college, so they moved in together after graduation. Still, neither of them was prepared for how living together would test their love for each other. While Zarah is hardworking and resourceful, Perez is an abusive idler. At first, she thought all he needed was a little encouragement, but the more she pushed, the more determined he became not to move. Though she wasn't faultless, his behavior caused them constant strife; still, she stayed. But everything changed when Yue joined her workplace.

Yi blends poetry and prose to narrate the story, and I enjoyed the merger; it's something I rarely see in literature. There are subject-relevant poems in every other chapter. The poems provided a pleasant break from the prose and enriched my understanding and appreciation of the book.

Another quality of the book I like is Zarah's resolve to pursue financial independence and self-actualization. I admire her courage and willingness to start over again.

That said, I have a few quibbles. I didn't know what to expect when I read that Red Thread of Fate is a romance novel with a movie tie-in. However, I had no idea it meant the book would read more like a movie script than a novel. Besides the poems, most of the book consists of the author telling the reader what is happening and what happened rather than showing them. As a result, I never felt like I knew the characters enough to feel anything for them.

Also, I noticed that the author finds ways to work the characters' race and skin color into the story, even when it adds no value to the topic. An instance that I found disturbing was when the female protagonist did something inappropriate on a public bus with other passengers present, and the author insinuated that no one would dare criticize her behavior because of her skin color. Again, when Yue mentioned something about Zarah's experience growing up as an adopted child in a Caucasian family, I thought it would lead to a deeper discussion on the subject, but it just ended at that, which was a little disappointing. Overall, the consistent talk about race seemed more like fillers than a substantial topic meant to drive the plot forward.

Although I liked the poems, I prefer my prose a lot more emotive than what the novel's premise and narrative style could offer. Hence, I rate it 3 out of 5 stars. The book is a good pick for readers that enjoy unconventional romance novels with a dash of poetry. However, prospective readers should be aware that the romance is not all sweet and mushy; it features instances of domestic violence and a wide age-gap relationship that some readers might find bothersome.

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Red Thread of Fate
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[Patty Allread]

It sounds like the author tried to combine a screenplay with a novel, and that just doesn't work.

[Monale Bariyima Ueh]

I think this book doesn't do justice to the romance category it is placed in. The narrative style of writing didn't also help the lack of relatability. One of the selling points of a romance novel is when readers can connect to the characters and their emotions.