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_forestofpages's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism and Racism
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
dalmavatai's review
dark
reflective
tense
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? No
3.0
This is a very poignant collection of short stories - some of them were really interesting both conceptually and as the story unfolded, but many of them didn't work for me because they were confusing as to their intent. This isn't really a fault of the book though, I think it did everything it set out to do, I am just a reader who prefers when I can understand clearly the goal and intent behind a story. Would recommend if you like literary fiction and can enjoy stories without understanding everything about them. My favorites in here are Slingshot, Randy Travis, Mani Pedi, Chick-a-Chee, and Ewwrrrkk - the second half didn't work for me as much as the first half.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Xenophobia, Death, Grief, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Racism, and Sexism
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