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chloenk_1011's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Suicide, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
mariposa517's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
neera_duke's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Writing is heartbreaking in its eloquence. Wasn't a huge fan of the tidy wrap up at the end of the novel but otherwise the story flowed very naturally between past and present. Hard to read at times but none of the traumatic events felt forced.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent
megmccreery's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This story opens with Lydia Lee, a 16 year old, in a small Ohio town, being found dead in a lake. The story explores everything that got Lydia and her family to this point, and how their whole family unit implodes with Lydia's death. There's generational trauma with the Lee parents projecting their wants, dreams, and desires that were never realized onto their favorite child, Lydia. There's two other kids in the Lee family, Nath and Hannah, and they have always been backburner children to Lydia. They have to find where they fit in in the family now that the star is gone.
I loved the discussion of not fitting in and being "different." James Lee was born from Chinese immigrants and has been the butt of racist jokes in all the Midwest towns he has lived in throughout his life. He dreams to fit in and have his kids fit in. Marilyn Lee is a woman who has always wanted to be different. She never wanted to have the husband, family, and white-picket home that her mother force-fed her her whole life. She wanted to become a rare female doctor in the 1960s.
The big question is: What happens when you just can't do it anymore? "It" meaning anything, a culmination of things, something you can't describe but only feel. The feeling of something suffocating you, holding you back, or maybe even the absence of feeling or feelings.
It did take me a minute to get into this book because Celeste Ng's writing is more complex and deeper than I'm used to reading, but it was such a heartbreaking, thought-provoking story. My heart hurt so much for all of the characters; I didn't think anyone's feelings or actions in reaction to their feelings were invalid. In conclusion, ouch my heart. Read this book.
I loved the discussion of not fitting in and being "different." James Lee was born from Chinese immigrants and has been the butt of racist jokes in all the Midwest towns he has lived in throughout his life. He dreams to fit in and have his kids fit in. Marilyn Lee is a woman who has always wanted to be different. She never wanted to have the husband, family, and white-picket home that her mother force-fed her her whole life. She wanted to become a rare female doctor in the 1960s.
The big question is: What happens when you just can't do it anymore? "It" meaning anything, a culmination of things, something you can't describe but only feel. The feeling of something suffocating you, holding you back, or maybe even the absence of feeling or feelings.
It did take me a minute to get into this book because Celeste Ng's writing is more complex and deeper than I'm used to reading, but it was such a heartbreaking, thought-provoking story. My heart hurt so much for all of the characters; I didn't think anyone's feelings or actions in reaction to their feelings were invalid. In conclusion, ouch my heart. Read this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Abandonment
Minor: Suicide
honeyfauna's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
boba_nbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
No notes. Ng is an incredible storyteller who always draws you into the heartbreakingly beautiful tales she spins. While masterfully weaving in character development, Ng takes you on a journey as this interracial family struggles to find themselves as individuals and as a family unit. How Ng is able to bring in multiple POVs in each chapter and effortlessly transition from one to the other is beyond me. Her words are magic, and I can’t get enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Child abuse
gabfat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Abandonment
kelchisradz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Physical abuse
yellow_library's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A beautiful, skillful, and heartwrenching depiction of family and relationship dynamics, what happens when our desires are left unexpressed, the struggle between striving to be different and striving to be normal. The weight of inheriting your parents dreams.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Racism and Sexism
Minor: Child abuse
lbird's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A good novel about family intricacies and striving towards being successful and being normal. The premise is nothing new, suburban life not being all that it’s cracked up to be and families having cracks beneath the surface. But the descriptions of what is happening inside characters’ minds and the metaphors are strong! I wish every character did not need a tragic backstory and huge emotional weight behind each one of their actions, because it felt manufactured for the story instead of authentic. The last 30 pages or so are the best!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Medical content
Moderate: Infidelity