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blackcatkai's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
CW: racism, classism, abandonment, sexual content, grief, death, sexism, body shaming, implied infidelity, mentions of sexual assault
a short story collection about the immigrant experience of multiple characters from laos to canada. some are sweet, others heartbreaking, all of them are pretty great looks into culture, family, and belonging (or the search of them). i like the way thammavongsa writes and will probably be reading more of her work in the future. some stories felt a bit cut off, ending at points that felt like there should be more, but i'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys more emotional short story collections or slice of life character driven narratives.
a short story collection about the immigrant experience of multiple characters from laos to canada. some are sweet, others heartbreaking, all of them are pretty great looks into culture, family, and belonging (or the search of them). i like the way thammavongsa writes and will probably be reading more of her work in the future. some stories felt a bit cut off, ending at points that felt like there should be more, but i'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys more emotional short story collections or slice of life character driven narratives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Racism, Abandonment, Classism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Sexism, Misogyny, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault and Infidelity
javafenn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I spent several weeks thinking about what to say about this book and I still can’t find the words. The stories were good but they almost felt like they were void of any hope and only meant to exploit trauma. It felt as if it was something to shock but nothing more. Not all of it was like that but it felt like a lot of it was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Racism
chichio's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-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
4.75
An excellent short story collection with stories that explore how uncomfortable it is to exist between two cultures. The literal only reason it’s not getting a 5 star is that some of the stories ended a little too abruptly for me—I get that might be a testament to how well this was written but there were some endings that could’ve benefitted from being drawn out a little longer.
Favourite stories:
• How to Pronounce Knife
• Randy Travis
• Edge of the World
Favourite stories:
• How to Pronounce Knife
• Randy Travis
• Edge of the World
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Racism, Emotional abuse, Classism, Death of parent, and Cursing
emma_b_rhodes's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
A collection of short stories that all engage with displacement, diaspora, and refugee experience in honest, oftentimes darkly funny, ways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Classism and Death
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