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robinks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Dementia, Genocide, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Mass/school shootings, Sexual content, War, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Homophobia, Child death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Drug use, Medical content, and Racism
Minor: Vomit, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
samantha1960's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Genocide, Racism, War, Addiction, Death, Dementia, Colonisation, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Mental illness
tm400's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
i really enjoyed this collection, but the one thing i disliked about the story most by far is the (in my opinion) over-sexualization of many aspects throughout the book. i know the author is gay, and i know his homosexuality is an intrinsic part of this life/experience- i just personally dislike reading sexualized scenarios (especially in scenes that aren't inherently sexual?) and i wasn't understanding the relevance of such.. detail to the actual story. i also felt like the language/detail at times was excessively vulgar/grotesque/idek..just way vivid and not what i was expecting. i disliked that a lot.
those are my main demerit, so i'm giving this one 4/5 stars. also this is going to sound bizarre but there was one story in particular that genuinely made me angry, and that was superking strikes again.... i'm just copying what i wrote in my journal:
"paired with genuinely grotesque language about blood, guts, crude things, etc., it was just a hard piece for me to digest. that, on top of the fact that it's written in a first person perspective ("we" pronouns) and has TWENTY-EIGHT SEPARATE INSTANCES OF PARENTHETICAL STATEMENTS, it makes the story feel like it's trying so desperately to be something that it's just not... and it was obvious, to me."
trust me. i counted.
definitely recommend the read!!! also there are definitely more tw's than what i've listed i just wld have to scan thru the book again for a super detailed tw list!
(my copy had 256 pages)
Graphic: Death, Genocide, and Racism
Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Sexual content
martinatan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Genocide, Drug use, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, Death, Dementia, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Minor: Gun violence, Classism, Violence, Hate crime, Cancer, Drug abuse, War, Cursing, Colonisation, Excrement, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Racism
caroliiineb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Genocide and Racism
Minor: Death, Gun violence, and Suicide
kayladaila's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, Excrement, Terminal illness, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Genocide, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, War, Abandonment, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Alcohol
geraldinerowe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: War, Murder, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Racism, Suicide, and Sexual content
maregred's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Genocide
Moderate: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Dementia, Drug use, War, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Cultural appropriation, Suicide, Racism, Alcohol, Classism, and Sexual content
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
every ethnic group always has a set of commonalities that binds them, yet as so adeptly illustrates here, they are multifaceted and far from being a monolith. i learn a lot abt cambodian culture and the u.s. cambodian community - despite them being a lil similar to my own - but i also enjoy this for its purely fictional aspect, w/ a particular favorite being "human development."
the different immigrant struggles, family conflicts, legacy of intergenerational trauma are examined through various characters and storylines. although they're effective in varying degrees, i often find myself smirking and snorting bc of the dark humor that only the marginalized and survivors know to espouse, while also startled by the off-handed mentions of trauma and violence, a firm reminder that the genocide that sent this group of ppl to where they reside happened not long ago, yet it's also not talked abt enough in the mainstream.
from this volume, it's clear that so was a literary force to be reckoned w/, someone whose future work i would've looked forward to. ig we'll all have to make do w/ afterparties, a nonetheless notable work.
Graphic: Terminal illness, Sexual content, and Dementia
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Violence, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Excrement, and Gun violence
Minor: Addiction, War, Child death, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Homophobia, and Drug abuse
elihegy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Homophobia, Dementia, Genocide, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Addiction