Reviews

really, really beautiful writing. a great exploration of family dynamics, tragedy and the true weight of expectations.

i don’t usually like books that aren’t dialogue-driven, which is the case here. (it is also more slow-paced, and character-focused than plot.) i love descriptions and heartfelt, incredible storytelling as much as the next person, but i’m always more interested in the conversations for some reason, but i still really enjoyed this! after i was hooked in the story, i didn’t even realize there is less dialogue than i usually prefer.

i also loved the time-jumping that gave us more insight into each character, slowly puzzling up the pieces of mystery until the last page. this was pretty depressing and dark at times, so i don’t think i’d recommend this to just anyone, but i definitely don’t regret buying it, and will suggest it to people i know would appreciate it.

(i’ll also be picking up more works by this author!)

marthaos's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

I read this book for an online Bookclub that I am part of. I had already read ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ and enjoyed it so was interested to see if this held up and it did.

Centred around a mixed race family in 1970’s America, the story begins when their precious daughter, Lydia goes missing, later to be found dead in their town’s lake. Parents Marilyn and James are devastated and their loss leads them to look back on their own history, their struggles in early marriage and eventually their own part in Lydia’s death.

James, born of Chinese parents, grew up with the weight of their expectation on his shoulders. He became a doctor of American cultural studies, cowboys specifically, but always felt different, endured many racial slurs and despite every effort, never quite fitted in. And Marilyn’s dreams and ambitions were forfeited once she married and became a mother, something she never came to terms with and despite a latent effort to return to her studies and abandoning her family, the pull of family was stronger in the end, in a way that she wasn’t expecting. Lydia’s siblings, older brother Nath and younger sister Hannah, are crying out for attention from their parents but the dynamic is set, so it seems, and it takes the tragedy of Lydia’s death to finally find a new balance, to truly be present to each other in a more loving way.

The theme of racism was explored and due to James’ lifelong experience of being ‘othered’, all he wanted for his children was for them to blend in. Marilyn, on the other hand, due to giving up on her dreams, wants her children, particularly Lydia, to stand out. These opposing positions are bound to lead to a family out of balance.

I found two of the characters didn’t quite ring true for me: that of Jack. While an effort was made to round him out, I found it lacked subtlety. And also Louisa, who was portrayed very one-dimensionally.

I enjoyed this book, however. I found the mystery of Lydia’s death held me to the end but more than this it was a subtle exploration of family, of their personal and generational history, of their longings and hurts and how eventual healing came through the darkness.

nicoleb330's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.5

laura_ge's review against another edition

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3.0

The premise sounded so interesting but this just fell flat for me. I usually love books centering around dysfunctional families but the Lees felt too stereotypical/one-dimensional for me to care much about them.

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