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distilledreads's review against another edition
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
I have conflicting feelings about this one. I read it in the early hours of the morning in less than an hour, and while I enjoyed the brief glimpse of each narrator and the undercurrent themes that linked the stories, I wasn’t blown away overall. However, I certainly don’t regret reading it, especially with how quick of a read it was. The writing was simple but evocative, and certain sentences prompted thought and mulled deliberation, I just wish that feeling had been more frequent for me. This is a completely personal preference, but I ended up being disappointed that the short story “How to Pronounce Knife” opened this collection as it ended up being my most enjoyed story and everything else paled slightly in comparison.
“How to Pronounce Knife”: As she watches her father eat his dinner, she thinks of what else he doesn’t know. What else she would have to find out for herself.
“Slingshot”: You can do that with a joke, hide how you feel and mean what you say at the same time, and no one will ask you which it is.
“A Far Distant Thing”: We lose each other, or the way we know each other gets lost.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual assault
kierscrivener's review against another edition
emotional
informative
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
This is a hard book to rate as it is a short story collection. I liked the stories and many touched on important topics of immigration, identity, femininity, age, child-parent relationships, marriage, English as a second language, essential jobs, and promotion of underqualified white workers over experienced POC.
I loved that it showed a diversity of Laos people and experiences and is set in and written by a Canadian. But for me they are too short to hit impact. I know short stories are often jumping off points for discussions and I would definitely reread these but in many cases I was left impressed but wanting more.
I loved that it showed a diversity of Laos people and experiences and is set in and written by a Canadian. But for me they are too short to hit impact. I know short stories are often jumping off points for discussions and I would definitely reread these but in many cases I was left impressed but wanting more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
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