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nevertheless_she_reads's review
3.0
I had high hopes for this short-story collection and wanted so badly to love it. The cover is cool AF.
This is such an abstract, artsy read. 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 feels almost transcendental. Certain passages are so raw and mind-bending, I feel like it's taking me to a new level of knowing. But as a whole, the stories within were waaay beyond my level of comprehension. I was left with a giant question mark hovering over my head.
Regardless, here is my favorite quote:
"Painting is dynamic, not like photography, freezing a moment in time...but a medium to capture the subject moving through time, caught in its locomotion."
This is such an abstract, artsy read. 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 feels almost transcendental. Certain passages are so raw and mind-bending, I feel like it's taking me to a new level of knowing. But as a whole, the stories within were waaay beyond my level of comprehension. I was left with a giant question mark hovering over my head.
Regardless, here is my favorite quote:
"Painting is dynamic, not like photography, freezing a moment in time...but a medium to capture the subject moving through time, caught in its locomotion."
afi_whatafireads's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Phewww.....
That was indeed, a bloody collection! I can't fathom how much the last story impacted me, to a point that I got goosebumps just thinking about it.
That was indeed, a bloody collection! I can't fathom how much the last story impacted me, to a point that I got goosebumps just thinking about it.
"It was useful to fracture yourself, but what happened when you wanted again to be whole? And how is it possible to still feel lonely in a house full of bodies?
There's something about Meng Jin's writing that feels ethereal. If you're reading it in one glance without thinking about it too much, you'll find that the story is mundane, and has no absolute plot; but when you delved in deeper, there's so much to the story than just the surface. Jin dives into the subject of self-identity, to a point that it felt suffocating in some stories; how we can't seem to find ourselves in the midst of chaos in the world.
The recurring theme for all the stories are the question of loneliness, and how as oneself; we try to make ourselves useful to others in order to not 'lose' ourselves altogether. The elements of magical realism, mixed with representation of Asian culture makes the collection of stories unique. Whilst there are some stories that made you feel like ...... "Am i the dumb one?" ; I feel that its best to appreciate the writing as it is told without thinking too much about it.
Amongst the 10 stories, my TOP FAVOURITE would be the last of the story , which is entitled Odd Women, and I absolutely LOVED how Jin plays around with the characters and the possibility of oneself to have different powers. It has hints of fantasy and I feel that Jin wrote out and concludes the whole collection beautifully with the last story; on how humans still searches for oneself through multiple lenses and it can lead to a question of identity crisis and the constant feeling of never being enough. This story had impacted me so much, I still think about it until now and get goosebumps.
Another top stories that I liked is the title of the book the itself, which is Self-Portrait with Ghosts. I love how art is one of the constant topics that is written by the author, and the line between reality and what is not is interpreted differently by the human mind. I love that there's a sense of warmth and nostalgia to the story but also ; its somewhat told the story as a whole; how perception can either be humans best friend or worst nightmare.
Overall, this collection of short stories are a hit and miss for some, but mostly, it had impacted me and left me something deep to think about. You might need to dive deeper into some stories, but mostly, Jin's writing is definitely exquisite. Loved it!
Personal Ratings : 4🌟
Biggest thank you to Times Reads for this copy! I absolutely loved it :)
shavawnellsbury's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
icrylikeagirl's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Best book of short stories that I've ever read.