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alundeberg's review against another edition
3.0
I was pretty stoked when while researching novels by Vietnamese authors that I came across Monique Truong's The Book of Salt, a novel set in Paris with a Vietnamese narrator who is Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas's cook. Vietnam? Paris? Stein? 1930's? Absolutely, yes please.
That said, I really wanted to like this book. Identity, marginalization, and societal hypocrisy are the dominant themes, and Truong includes just about every iteration of them and it feels heavy-handed. The story follows Binh, a gay man who is a Vietnamese immigrant in Paris who works as a cook. In Vietnam, he doesn't fit in in Vietnam, despite the help of his wiser older brother who helps him get a job with the French Governor-General in Saigon. Working for the imperialist power and being a gay man, he is a second-class citizen in his own country and home. For reasons one may imagine, he has to leave and makes his way to Paris. There he meets Stein, whose own story mirrors his own: an ex-pat gay woman with an older brother and who did not fit in at home. Stein has the benefit of being an American, and this just further shows how Binh is marginalized as she never attempts to learn how to say his name correctly. Just in case the reader doesn't understand the marginalization in society, Binh's lover in Paris is African-American who passes as white. There are other examples, but that would be spoiling the book to give them. It was fun at first to piece together how Truong develops the themes, but then it got tiring: I GET IT.
There is also a lot of evocative language used, but after awhile, I lost track of what it was supposed to evoke. It felt pseudo-philosophical, trying to make greater points about life, but not saying much of anything. There were passages like this frequently and they became tiresome. It is an interesting premise, but the execution was not strong.
That said, I really wanted to like this book. Identity, marginalization, and societal hypocrisy are the dominant themes, and Truong includes just about every iteration of them and it feels heavy-handed. The story follows Binh, a gay man who is a Vietnamese immigrant in Paris who works as a cook. In Vietnam, he doesn't fit in in Vietnam, despite the help of his wiser older brother who helps him get a job with the French Governor-General in Saigon. Working for the imperialist power and being a gay man, he is a second-class citizen in his own country and home. For reasons one may imagine, he has to leave and makes his way to Paris. There he meets Stein, whose own story mirrors his own: an ex-pat gay woman with an older brother and who did not fit in at home. Stein has the benefit of being an American, and this just further shows how Binh is marginalized as she never attempts to learn how to say his name correctly. Just in case the reader doesn't understand the marginalization in society, Binh's lover in Paris is African-American who passes as white. There are other examples, but that would be spoiling the book to give them. It was fun at first to piece together how Truong develops the themes, but then it got tiring: I GET IT.
There is also a lot of evocative language used, but after awhile, I lost track of what it was supposed to evoke. It felt pseudo-philosophical, trying to make greater points about life, but not saying much of anything. There were passages like this frequently and they became tiresome. It is an interesting premise, but the execution was not strong.
amb3rlina's review against another edition
4.0
I'm giving this book 4 stars, knowing that it will mostly likely earn 5 next time I read it, which I hope will be soon. The language is jaw dropping, and I read it a little to fast to savor it appropriately. The story is great and there are a lot of gems of humanity along the way. But truly it is the beautifully sensual language that is the star of the show. Beautiful.
bookbirder's review against another edition
2.0
Well-written but failed to capture my interest, and jumped back and forth between time periods a confusing amount.
m_papaya's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
patroclusbro's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Ein Buch voller wunderschöner Bilder über das Kochen, das Meer, Familienwunden und Erinnerung.
Leider ist mir die Hauptfigur bis zum Schluss nicht näher gekommen; die häufigen Wechsel der Zeitperspektiven haben es mir schwer gemacht, die Handlung nachzuvollziehen, und wie einzelne Geschehnisse zusammenhingen. Ich hatte das Gefühl, dass es, abseits weniger Szenen im letzten Viertel, kaum einen Unterschied macht, wie viel und welche Passagen des Buches man liest, um es "gelesen zu haben". Da hätte ich mir eine geradlinigere Erzählstruktur, eine bessere Markierung von Zeit, oder die striktere Unterteilung in einzelne Anekdoten gewünscht.
Definitiv ein "Vibes, not plot"-Buch, mit einem in sich zerrissenen, zynischen Hauptcharakter, und mit einer weniger tiefgehenden Darstellung von Gertrude Stein und Alice B. Thoklas, als erwartet.
Leider ist mir die Hauptfigur bis zum Schluss nicht näher gekommen; die häufigen Wechsel der Zeitperspektiven haben es mir schwer gemacht, die Handlung nachzuvollziehen, und wie einzelne Geschehnisse zusammenhingen. Ich hatte das Gefühl, dass es, abseits weniger Szenen im letzten Viertel, kaum einen Unterschied macht, wie viel und welche Passagen des Buches man liest, um es "gelesen zu haben". Da hätte ich mir eine geradlinigere Erzählstruktur, eine bessere Markierung von Zeit, oder die striktere Unterteilung in einzelne Anekdoten gewünscht.
Definitiv ein "Vibes, not plot"-Buch, mit einem in sich zerrissenen, zynischen Hauptcharakter, und mit einer weniger tiefgehenden Darstellung von Gertrude Stein und Alice B. Thoklas, als erwartet.
kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
This is a beautiful book... it's kind of a foodie book, but it's beautiful in so many other ways. Set in Vietnam (at the time when it was French Indo-China) and Paris in the 1910-20's, the first-person storyteller is a young gay Vietnamese man who studies under a chef in his home country and emigrates by boat to Paris, where he works as a cook for Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. The book is beautiful and deep and it's not just about the plot. It's about family and stories and names and flavors. Beautiful book.
pmastr's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
5.0
ac_rva's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death