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ryannreidreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Beautiful and hard. I learned a lot about Cambodian culture through this book. The last story was HARD as a teacher, though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Mass/school shootings, and War
micaelabrody's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
4.5 - i loved this. i am always here for a book of short stories that are loosely interconnected - in this, very loosely interconnected, but still it adds a great depth to an already thoughtful and honest collection. it took a few stories for this to click for me, but once it did it really clicked - and when i went back to flip through later i found they worked for me in the end.
some things in this book are universal - as a child of suburban ennui myself, the restlessness and dissatisfaction that permeates so’s stories really hit home. (and provided an easy soundtrack for me to use in california pop-punk, by the way.) other elements were relatable to me if not my exact experience - the really nuanced and often funny exploration of intergenerational trauma, including its humor, was fantastic. obviously i don’t even need to say that i am many more generations removed, my family escaped pogroms not the shoah, i don’t have the unique experiences of a first-generation immigrant, etc etc. but, the passage right at the beginning about parents' opaque cultural touchstones ("she'd do something as simple as drink a glass of ice water and her father, from across the room, would bellow, 'there were no ice cubes in the genocide!'") made me laugh out loud at how it sounded so much like my family saying i was "so american" for using a topsheet.
but the parts that are specific to the first-generation cambodian culture that so is portraying were wonderfully done as well, shining the most. his attention to detail, both personal and environmental, is fantastic, and his compassion for his characters is matched by his willingness to poke fun at them - from every angle this delighted and impressed.
i’m glad these were in a collection when i read them. putting them all together added a lot to the reading experience and i think they would have felt flatter without each other. again, i’m a sucker for this in general and especially for the weaving of a community through connected stories, which this did well, but i think that's why i felt a little more meh about the first few until i found his rhythm and context. (hypocritically, one of my critiques of this is that he hits some of the same themes hard in multiple stories - at times this worked really well to emphasize that same intergenerational trauma i mentioned but at times it was a little repetitive.)
i learned midway through reading this that anthony so passed away - a tragedy at any age of course, but what an incredible talent to lose especially so young. i’m so sorry i won’t have a chance to read any more of his work.
standouts:
maly maly maly
the shop
the monks**
somaly serey, serey somaly
generational differences
some things in this book are universal - as a child of suburban ennui myself, the restlessness and dissatisfaction that permeates so’s stories really hit home. (and provided an easy soundtrack for me to use in california pop-punk, by the way.) other elements were relatable to me if not my exact experience - the really nuanced and often funny exploration of intergenerational trauma, including its humor, was fantastic. obviously i don’t even need to say that i am many more generations removed, my family escaped pogroms not the shoah, i don’t have the unique experiences of a first-generation immigrant, etc etc. but, the passage right at the beginning about parents' opaque cultural touchstones ("she'd do something as simple as drink a glass of ice water and her father, from across the room, would bellow, 'there were no ice cubes in the genocide!'") made me laugh out loud at how it sounded so much like my family saying i was "so american" for using a topsheet.
but the parts that are specific to the first-generation cambodian culture that so is portraying were wonderfully done as well, shining the most. his attention to detail, both personal and environmental, is fantastic, and his compassion for his characters is matched by his willingness to poke fun at them - from every angle this delighted and impressed.
i’m glad these were in a collection when i read them. putting them all together added a lot to the reading experience and i think they would have felt flatter without each other. again, i’m a sucker for this in general and especially for the weaving of a community through connected stories, which this did well, but i think that's why i felt a little more meh about the first few until i found his rhythm and context. (hypocritically, one of my critiques of this is that he hits some of the same themes hard in multiple stories - at times this worked really well to emphasize that same intergenerational trauma i mentioned but at times it was a little repetitive.)
i learned midway through reading this that anthony so passed away - a tragedy at any age of course, but what an incredible talent to lose especially so young. i’m so sorry i won’t have a chance to read any more of his work.
standouts:
maly maly maly
the shop
the monks**
somaly serey, serey somaly
generational differences
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Death
no stories take place in the genocide and there are minimal flashbacks/explicit references, but it is mentioned frequentlyiszys's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Gun violence, Hate crime, Death of parent, Drug use, and Mass/school shootings
robinks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This collection of short stories was so engaging and devastating. So seamlessly integrates fact and fiction, and I love how the characters jump off the page, some recurring in multiple stories to get another perspective on a them. What a beautiful testament to Cambodian-American life and queerness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Violence, Death of parent, Classism, Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Blood, Genocide, War, Suicide, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Moderate: Medical content, Addiction, Child death, Infidelity, Drug use, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, and Racism
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Vomit
jpn99's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, and Medical content
samantha1960's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
One of the best short story collections I’ve ever read. Each one is unique yet perfectly aligns with the books overall theme. This book will make you laugh with absurdly weird moments and cry from true tragedies.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Racism, War, Addiction, Death, Dementia, Colonisation, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Mental illness
apeachy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
I listened to this via audiobook, and I loved the experience! The narrator’s tone matched the irreverent, nonchalant humor, yet didn’t undermine the seriousness of the subject matter.
Perfect read for: Someone looking for a fresh voice in 1st/2nd generation immigrant narratives without the pity of Oprah’s book club.
Perfect read for: Someone looking for a fresh voice in 1st/2nd generation immigrant narratives without the pity of Oprah’s book club.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Genocide, and Mass/school shootings
goodolnicole's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mass/school shootings, and Sexual content
Minor: Colonisation, Addiction, Genocide, and War
tm400's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
this was a wonderful collection of short stories that illuminated the lives of different cambodian americans, and how the effects of the khmer genocide in the 70s continue to affect the cambodians that managed to flee + their children. the author was a gay cambodian american so all of the stories relate to either one or both of those aspects of his identity
i really enjoyed this collection, but the one thing i disliked about the story most by far is the (in my opinion) over-sexualization of many aspects throughout the book. i know the author is gay, and i know his homosexuality is an intrinsic part of this life/experience- i just personally dislike reading sexualized scenarios (especially in scenes that aren't inherently sexual?) and i wasn't understanding the relevance of such.. detail to the actual story. i also felt like the language/detail at times was excessively vulgar/grotesque/idek..just way vivid and not what i was expecting. i disliked that a lot.
those are my main demerit, so i'm giving this one 4/5 stars. also this is going to sound bizarre but there was one story in particular that genuinely made me angry, and that was superking strikes again.... i'm just copying what i wrote in my journal:
"paired with genuinely grotesque language about blood, guts, crude things, etc., it was just a hard piece for me to digest. that, on top of the fact that it's written in a first person perspective ("we" pronouns) and has TWENTY-EIGHT SEPARATE INSTANCES OF PARENTHETICAL STATEMENTS, it makes the story feel like it's trying so desperately to be something that it's just not... and it was obvious, to me."
trust me. i counted.
definitely recommend the read!!! also there are definitely more tw's than what i've listed i just wld have to scan thru the book again for a super detailed tw list!
(my copy had 256 pages)
i really enjoyed this collection, but the one thing i disliked about the story most by far is the (in my opinion) over-sexualization of many aspects throughout the book. i know the author is gay, and i know his homosexuality is an intrinsic part of this life/experience- i just personally dislike reading sexualized scenarios (especially in scenes that aren't inherently sexual?) and i wasn't understanding the relevance of such.. detail to the actual story. i also felt like the language/detail at times was excessively vulgar/grotesque/idek..just way vivid and not what i was expecting. i disliked that a lot.
those are my main demerit, so i'm giving this one 4/5 stars. also this is going to sound bizarre but there was one story in particular that genuinely made me angry, and that was superking strikes again.... i'm just copying what i wrote in my journal:
"paired with genuinely grotesque language about blood, guts, crude things, etc., it was just a hard piece for me to digest. that, on top of the fact that it's written in a first person perspective ("we" pronouns) and has TWENTY-EIGHT SEPARATE INSTANCES OF PARENTHETICAL STATEMENTS, it makes the story feel like it's trying so desperately to be something that it's just not... and it was obvious, to me."
trust me. i counted.
definitely recommend the read!!! also there are definitely more tw's than what i've listed i just wld have to scan thru the book again for a super detailed tw list!
(my copy had 256 pages)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, and Racism
Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Sexual content
maddie7217's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Alcohol, Sexual content, Medical content, Excrement, Death of parent, Dementia, and Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Genocide, and Mass/school shootings