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jefferz's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Part speculative fiction, part Asian American character drama, Jinwoo Chong’s debut novel Flux is an incredibly complex story filled to the brim with incredible character work details. Despite being billed as a science fiction/time-travel associated story, the sci-fi elements largely take a back seat to Chong’s frank and startlingly good exploration of topics including biracial cultural identity, queer labels, the power of image, Asian portrayals in media, and the ever present theme of guilt. A unique blend of genres, this is easily one of the most ambitiously written novels I’ve read this year while simultaneously being one of the most difficult novels to recommend to others due to how tricky and alienating its presentation can be. While I found it to be an amazing and fascinating read, I acknowledge I’m also the exact match for the type of reader this book is clearly suited for; one that is a critical reader fully immersed in the story, reading between lines.
One of the primary reasons why I believe Flux has such polarizing reviews is due to the complexity of its plot and characters on top of the abstract presentation of the focal company, Flux. Presented from the perspectives of three individuals clearly from different years, the stories have zero hand-holding for the reader and forces you to to keep track of each narrative and characters that have seemingly nothing in common. I’m not going to recap what’s already discussed in the book’s synopsis but of the three characters, Brandon’s perspective makes up the bulk of the story initially. All three stories are incredibly detailed and my brain was both fascinated and sometimes struggled to process all that was happening, which is mostly character and family-centered drama. I am the type of reader that loves and craves complex and high-concept novels so this wasn’t necessarily a problem, but I can easily see the vast majority of readers not making it past the first 50-60 pages and finding many parts slow.
To make matters more interesting, Brandon’s storyline is very unapologetically queer but not in the typical rainbow colored or prideful “yas” manner. The character voice and reactions are entirely millennial and the social commentary is absolutely cutting, more than enough to alienate younger genz/alpha and older readers. His storyline also incorporates elements of being biracial and the complexities of being Asian American on top of being unlabeled yet clearly queer. While I personally felt completely (and at times quite uncomfortably) seen by this novel, I often wondered and worried how the story and content would land with readers outside of these specific groups that I so happen to be in. Pop culture references (RIP twitter), generational ideology, even subtle jabs at ethnic white knighting and being entirely politically correct further cement Flux’s millennial flavor and views.
A good portion of the book also heavily focuses on an in-universe 80’s police cop television show called Raiders. Brandon’s entire story is written in 2nd person directed to the main character of this television show which is an incredibly unique concept. Being from the 80’s, Raiders features intentionally questionable Asian stereotypes but also provides representation, areas that Flux heavily comments and reflects on. The sheer level of detail in Raiders, it’s individual ep storylines, the shift in its production, controversies surrounding it’s main actor, its lasting impact the show has on Bo and Brandon, it is incredible. And Raiders isn’t even the plot’s main focus.
When it comes to Flux’s science fiction angle, the mechanics and speculative fiction elements are quite vague and involve the concept of vast bioenergy that has unexpected effects. Flux’s entire being, its fall from grace, and its founder are unmistakably inspired by Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, albeit in an entirely different industry and field. While elements of time travel and realities are important aspects, they feel more of a plot mechanism to facilitate and connect the events between the three storylines; the “what then” is more important than the “how”. While the concepts behind Flux’s sci fi elements made sense and were completely functional, I felt that they were playing the supporting act to Chong’s intense and emotional familial drama which was stellar (particularly impressive since familial drama is not one of my preferred reading genres/interests).
As I progressed through the book, I progressively felt like the science fiction elements were unevenly distributed, its first 150 pages in particular. While I have nothing bad to say once the book hits the 70% mark, its first third felt oddly lacking in this area and while the content was excellent, the read felt slow and unfocused. Part of this may be attributed to the book’s synopsis of a neo-noir, time-traveling story to cover murder. While not necessarily wrong, I felt that the synopsis is a poor representation of the book’s tone and focus (though admittedly, this is a very difficult book to write a synopsis for without giving away spoilers). Having completed the book, I acknowledge that its initially slower pacing is completely by design. I was in complete awe at how every scene across all three characters was connected and free of any obvious plot holes. However to get the full impact of the book’s plot twist at the two thirds mark when it pulls a move reminiscent of Inception, the reader is required to have paid full attention through the copious amounts of slice of life and familial drama. The emotional payoff in Blue’s (and to a lesser extent Brandon’s) final chapters is stunning. I’m also a sucker for quiet toned epilogue chapters, and the book’s ending was exactly what I wanted. Yet, I have a growing suspicion that the vast majority of potential readers will never be able to appreciate it due to how difficult the preceding content is to follow.
Despite how fully realized and deep Flux’s three characters and storylines are, the sheer amount of details is also my biggest nitpick with Flux (primary reason for a 4.5 rating bumped down). Between the fictional 80’s show Raiders itself, the real-life cast and production behind the show, Brandon’s recruitment into the company Flux, Flux’s core purpose and technology, exploration of tragedy and grief tearing people apart, self identity and culture, there is so much going on and I found myself often wondering if all of these details are important and crucial to Flux’s main story. While the vast majority of the details are, I often felt like the sheer scope of Flux’s ambitions was getting away at times. There was so much content about Raiders’ storyline and episodes, and while they were very detailed and realistic, it sometimes felt like it was too much or irrelevant. Every episode or scene in Raiders has a direct relation to something that affects Bo, Brandon or Blue, however I often felt like a lot less would have still gotten the job done while avoiding losing or confusing more casual readers. Brandon’s day to day movements during his employment at Flux also felt like they were occasionally veering into unnecessary territory, particularly some of Brandon’s almost sexual romps. Again, I personally did not mind them particularly due to Chong’s critical underlying social commentary plus queer representation, but I’ve seen other reviewers criticize these scenes for being crude or vulgar when taken at face value (I do not personally agree, and found a particular review that went off about how no gay man drinks that much milk to be hilariously terrible).
Flux’s science fiction’s element also felt like it was executed in a manner that made it difficult for casual readers to follow or stay invested in due to the plotting and pacing. Most of the book’s storyline has minor intentional inconsistencies that serve as the hook to the book’s time and reality altering climax, but they’re sometimes subtle and easy to overlook (this one begs to be read more than once). Compared to the amount of character drama and grief that is somewhat separate from the science fiction angle, the balance felt a bit off and at times, you could almost forget the science fiction elements exist. Once Flux’s, well, Flux kicks in, it’s relentless and is easy to become lost. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I couldn't help but wish the science fiction angle somehow couldn’t be spaced more evenly while still maintaining its Inception/Matrix moment; I loved the way a particular world-glitching scene is written with the stuttering dialogue and scenes recap.
If it wasn’t already evident, I personally loved Flux but fully realize that I am part of a very narrow niche group of readers that are able to fully appreciate everything it accomplishes. The character work and representation is excellent and more importantly, has completely different things to say and comment on compared to many other books or media that tackle similar topics. The characters are fully realized, complex, and heavily flawed, the area that Flux excels the most in. It’s just a shame that I feel very few readers will also experience Flux fully due to how complex it is to follow and how tricky its presentation and flavor can be. The sometimes unfocused scope of details and the science fiction element running a bit wide are perhaps small signs of Flux being a debut novel, however I am very impressed by the quality of Chong’s writing and sky high ambition and am eagerly looking forward to his upcoming novel I Leave It Up to You. I always feel a bit awkward mentioning that I generally am less interested in reading about familial drama and Asian American experiences (despite being Asian American myself), but the fact that Chong was able to get me so invested in both topics within his excellent writing is a huge accomplishment.
The above review is based on a complimentary copy for review purposes provided by Melville House Publishing via Netgalley, thanks for the reviewing opportunity.
One of the primary reasons why I believe Flux has such polarizing reviews is due to the complexity of its plot and characters on top of the abstract presentation of the focal company, Flux. Presented from the perspectives of three individuals clearly from different years, the stories have zero hand-holding for the reader and forces you to to keep track of each narrative and characters that have seemingly nothing in common. I’m not going to recap what’s already discussed in the book’s synopsis but of the three characters, Brandon’s perspective makes up the bulk of the story initially. All three stories are incredibly detailed and my brain was both fascinated and sometimes struggled to process all that was happening, which is mostly character and family-centered drama. I am the type of reader that loves and craves complex and high-concept novels so this wasn’t necessarily a problem, but I can easily see the vast majority of readers not making it past the first 50-60 pages and finding many parts slow.
To make matters more interesting, Brandon’s storyline is very unapologetically queer but not in the typical rainbow colored or prideful “yas” manner. The character voice and reactions are entirely millennial and the social commentary is absolutely cutting, more than enough to alienate younger genz/alpha and older readers. His storyline also incorporates elements of being biracial and the complexities of being Asian American on top of being unlabeled yet clearly queer. While I personally felt completely (and at times quite uncomfortably) seen by this novel, I often wondered and worried how the story and content would land with readers outside of these specific groups that I so happen to be in. Pop culture references (RIP twitter), generational ideology, even subtle jabs at ethnic white knighting and being entirely politically correct further cement Flux’s millennial flavor and views.
A good portion of the book also heavily focuses on an in-universe 80’s police cop television show called Raiders. Brandon’s entire story is written in 2nd person directed to the main character of this television show which is an incredibly unique concept. Being from the 80’s, Raiders features intentionally questionable Asian stereotypes but also provides representation, areas that Flux heavily comments and reflects on. The sheer level of detail in Raiders, it’s individual ep storylines, the shift in its production, controversies surrounding it’s main actor, its lasting impact the show has on Bo and Brandon, it is incredible. And Raiders isn’t even the plot’s main focus.
When it comes to Flux’s science fiction angle, the mechanics and speculative fiction elements are quite vague and involve the concept of vast bioenergy that has unexpected effects. Flux’s entire being, its fall from grace, and its founder are unmistakably inspired by Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, albeit in an entirely different industry and field. While elements of time travel and realities are important aspects, they feel more of a plot mechanism to facilitate and connect the events between the three storylines; the “what then” is more important than the “how”. While the concepts behind Flux’s sci fi elements made sense and were completely functional, I felt that they were playing the supporting act to Chong’s intense and emotional familial drama which was stellar (particularly impressive since familial drama is not one of my preferred reading genres/interests).
As I progressed through the book, I progressively felt like the science fiction elements were unevenly distributed, its first 150 pages in particular. While I have nothing bad to say once the book hits the 70% mark, its first third felt oddly lacking in this area and while the content was excellent, the read felt slow and unfocused. Part of this may be attributed to the book’s synopsis of a neo-noir, time-traveling story to cover murder. While not necessarily wrong, I felt that the synopsis is a poor representation of the book’s tone and focus (though admittedly, this is a very difficult book to write a synopsis for without giving away spoilers). Having completed the book, I acknowledge that its initially slower pacing is completely by design. I was in complete awe at how every scene across all three characters was connected and free of any obvious plot holes. However to get the full impact of the book’s plot twist at the two thirds mark when it pulls a move reminiscent of Inception, the reader is required to have paid full attention through the copious amounts of slice of life and familial drama. The emotional payoff in Blue’s (and to a lesser extent Brandon’s) final chapters is stunning. I’m also a sucker for quiet toned epilogue chapters, and the book’s ending was exactly what I wanted. Yet, I have a growing suspicion that the vast majority of potential readers will never be able to appreciate it due to how difficult the preceding content is to follow.
Despite how fully realized and deep Flux’s three characters and storylines are, the sheer amount of details is also my biggest nitpick with Flux (primary reason for a 4.5 rating bumped down). Between the fictional 80’s show Raiders itself, the real-life cast and production behind the show, Brandon’s recruitment into the company Flux, Flux’s core purpose and technology, exploration of tragedy and grief tearing people apart, self identity and culture, there is so much going on and I found myself often wondering if all of these details are important and crucial to Flux’s main story. While the vast majority of the details are, I often felt like the sheer scope of Flux’s ambitions was getting away at times. There was so much content about Raiders’ storyline and episodes, and while they were very detailed and realistic, it sometimes felt like it was too much or irrelevant. Every episode or scene in Raiders has a direct relation to something that affects Bo, Brandon or Blue, however I often felt like a lot less would have still gotten the job done while avoiding losing or confusing more casual readers. Brandon’s day to day movements during his employment at Flux also felt like they were occasionally veering into unnecessary territory, particularly some of Brandon’s almost sexual romps. Again, I personally did not mind them particularly due to Chong’s critical underlying social commentary plus queer representation, but I’ve seen other reviewers criticize these scenes for being crude or vulgar when taken at face value (I do not personally agree, and found a particular review that went off about how no gay man drinks that much milk to be hilariously terrible).
Flux’s science fiction’s element also felt like it was executed in a manner that made it difficult for casual readers to follow or stay invested in due to the plotting and pacing. Most of the book’s storyline has minor intentional inconsistencies that serve as the hook to the book’s time and reality altering climax, but they’re sometimes subtle and easy to overlook (this one begs to be read more than once). Compared to the amount of character drama and grief that is somewhat separate from the science fiction angle, the balance felt a bit off and at times, you could almost forget the science fiction elements exist. Once Flux’s, well, Flux kicks in, it’s relentless and is easy to become lost. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I couldn't help but wish the science fiction angle somehow couldn’t be spaced more evenly while still maintaining its Inception/Matrix moment; I loved the way a particular world-glitching scene is written with the stuttering dialogue and scenes recap.
If it wasn’t already evident, I personally loved Flux but fully realize that I am part of a very narrow niche group of readers that are able to fully appreciate everything it accomplishes. The character work and representation is excellent and more importantly, has completely different things to say and comment on compared to many other books or media that tackle similar topics. The characters are fully realized, complex, and heavily flawed, the area that Flux excels the most in. It’s just a shame that I feel very few readers will also experience Flux fully due to how complex it is to follow and how tricky its presentation and flavor can be. The sometimes unfocused scope of details and the science fiction element running a bit wide are perhaps small signs of Flux being a debut novel, however I am very impressed by the quality of Chong’s writing and sky high ambition and am eagerly looking forward to his upcoming novel I Leave It Up to You. I always feel a bit awkward mentioning that I generally am less interested in reading about familial drama and Asian American experiences (despite being Asian American myself), but the fact that Chong was able to get me so invested in both topics within his excellent writing is a huge accomplishment.
The above review is based on a complimentary copy for review purposes provided by Melville House Publishing via Netgalley, thanks for the reviewing opportunity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Dementia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Suicide, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting
erikagibson126's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Dementia, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Deportation
kestrelfire's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.0
Definitely ambitious and will take the reader for a ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Minor: Domestic abuse
drymice's review
challenging
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, and Car accident
wordsareworlds's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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 enjoyed Flux and thought it was an interesting debut, but I think the pacing was rather off and wanted to get into more of the spec-fic and interconnectedness much sooner than the book got there.
I really liked the exploration of being mixed race, and the complicated feelings of being diaspora, specifically around language. I related so strongly to the portrayal of anger and isolation of grief after losing a parent, along with how the MC latches onto this one tv show so much that it is simultaneously embarrassing and heartbreaking. The nuance of his relationship with that fictional TV show was so good, and I saw so much of myself looking desperately for representation and connection in the media of a place that so often felt like it tolerated me at best. The last 40% or so is a whirlwind of time loop chaos, and Chong's writing really lends itself to the cinematic style there and in the TV show "recaps."
Onto the downsides. The pacing is rather choppy and slow. Some of that's on purpose but also obvious information is withheld for way too long and I think Chong could have gone further into the spec fic elements a lot sooner. There are some elements in this that felt very "written by a man," especially when it comes to Min and their relationship. Side characters overall are flat, although ymmv on how much of that is purposeful because of the MC's self-absorbtion and disconnects from reality. The main company in this book is a thinly-veiled Theranos, complete with renamed Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani. The plot hinges on the specific consequences of their actions much more than the overarching ones, and I wanted a lot more from the Blue storyline on that front.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and I'll definitely be looking for more from this author, with the hope that it gets a blurb that much better fits the actual contents.
Recommended for people who enjoy a character-driven scifi that explores grief and how much that can warp a person's life, and fans of movies like Vanilla Sky or David Lynch.
I really liked the exploration of being mixed race, and the complicated feelings of being diaspora, specifically around language. I related so strongly to the portrayal of anger and isolation of grief after losing a parent, along with how the MC latches onto this one tv show so much that it is simultaneously embarrassing and heartbreaking. The nuance of his relationship with that fictional TV show was so good, and I saw so much of myself looking desperately for representation and connection in the media of a place that so often felt like it tolerated me at best. The last 40% or so is a whirlwind of time loop chaos, and Chong's writing really lends itself to the cinematic style there and in the TV show "recaps."
Onto the downsides. The pacing is rather choppy and slow. Some of that's on purpose but also obvious information is withheld for way too long and I think Chong could have gone further into the spec fic elements a lot sooner. There are some elements in this that felt very "written by a man," especially when it comes to Min and their relationship. Side characters overall are flat, although ymmv on how much of that is purposeful because of the MC's self-absorbtion and disconnects from reality. The main company in this book is a thinly-veiled Theranos, complete with renamed Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani. The plot hinges on the specific consequences of their actions much more than the overarching ones, and I wanted a lot more from the Blue storyline on that front.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and I'll definitely be looking for more from this author, with the hope that it gets a blurb that much better fits the actual contents.
Recommended for people who enjoy a character-driven scifi that explores grief and how much that can warp a person's life, and fans of movies like Vanilla Sky or David Lynch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Racism and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse
mirandyli's review
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This was a great, trippy, dystopian read with a bisexual Korean male lead. Confusing at times but quick to get through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If you know the movie Groundhog Day (1993) you will be familiar with the order of some events within this book. It is particularly easy to lose your place during the audiobook and then be confused until the events start to wrap up. There are some really poignant moments between characters, especially towards the end of the book. It may be easy to predict how certain characters are connected together throughout the events of the story, and the 'villain' is also very apparent well before the big reveal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Racism, Medical content, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Drug use, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Bo has a scene where there is a stick stuck in his hand and his wrist is also broken. Brandon and his boss have a toxic faux friendship where drug use is common. Blue and his family have a history of verbal aggression, if not abuse, and he struggles to maintain/fix his connection to his family- there is a tense Christmas Dinner scene. Blue is nonverbal but this is "fixed" with some sort of implant in his neck.alienguy's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Blood, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism and Toxic friendship
pond_newt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I really loved this book. It took me a while to get into it and I was quite confused for the first quarter of the book but it brought it all together very well by the end. There were some really emotional scenes throughout the book, especially from the POV of Bo, which hit very hard. Although it's sold to be about time travel the main focuses are grief and family, with the sci fi elements largely taking a back seat. Massively recommend, particularly if you enjoyed the show Severance as they share similar tones and themes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Dementia, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Racism, Violence, and Pregnancy
hamstringy's review against another edition
challenging
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is definitely a really powerfully written book about grief, fandom, and tech-politics. The narrator was excellent. I don’t quite know how I feel about the ending or most of Blue’s parts—I feel like I’m missing fulfillment here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Racism and Car accident