You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
los angeles: 4stars. so so so good and the writing with the letters are so unique, deliciously repulsive.
oranges: 3.75 stars. damn men.
g: 4 stars. this fucked w my brain just a bit. i dont usually want to experience life from fucked up characters but this time, i wonder. disgustingly good.
yeti lovemaking: 2.5 stars. sorry i didn’t get it, it’s probably me oops.
returning: 3stars
office hours: 3stars
peking duck: 4.5stars. the story is so so so rich and has so many layers, probably one of my favorites. i am proud of the mother for standing up for herself, but also mother and daughter relationships stories will always choke me to tears and scrunch up my face into infinite age lines but that’s the meaning of life i fear.
tomorrow: 4.5 stars. the ending ? the plane? the labour? she’ll never be free. the daughter is not free. or will sheeee idkkkkk. very scrumptious metaphors, disturbing and grotesque but makes me think. i love thinking. tell me more!!!
id say id want to read more of these as actual novels but the beauty of it is that it’s short. love love love, i shall read more of ling ma.
oranges: 3.75 stars. damn men.
g: 4 stars. this fucked w my brain just a bit. i dont usually want to experience life from fucked up characters but this time, i wonder. disgustingly good.
yeti lovemaking: 2.5 stars. sorry i didn’t get it, it’s probably me oops.
returning: 3stars
office hours: 3stars
peking duck: 4.5stars. the story is so so so rich and has so many layers, probably one of my favorites. i am proud of the mother for standing up for herself, but also mother and daughter relationships stories will always choke me to tears and scrunch up my face into infinite age lines but that’s the meaning of life i fear.
tomorrow: 4.5 stars. the ending ? the plane? the labour? she’ll never be free. the daughter is not free. or will sheeee idkkkkk. very scrumptious metaphors, disturbing and grotesque but makes me think. i love thinking. tell me more!!!
id say id want to read more of these as actual novels but the beauty of it is that it’s short. love love love, i shall read more of ling ma.
emotional
reflective
tense
One day, you pick up a book, except this book doesn’t behave like a book. As you flip through the anthology, you find a chamber between the pages leading to a drafty forest with a single, barren road. With nothing more behind you, you follow the road and see a woman crying over her husband as he crawls out of a self-made grave within the trees. Further down, you meet a Yeti, who invites you into a large estate where you find your 100 exes, living and waiting. One of them offers you a dose of G and you become weightless and formless, the book falling from your hands, the stories becoming your own personal fever dream that stretches on and on…
This is how it feels reading “Bliss Montage.” Absolutely bizarre and incredible. I loved every single surreal and self-referential moment from this anthology. While I realize it won’t resonate with everyone (sadly!), I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in absurdist fiction. It reminds me of Kazuo Ishiguro’s “The Unconsoled,” but I think this montage is more effective as the stories become meta in relation to each other and feed into a growing sense of dread and self-reflection. It’s totally unique, and I want to read everything Ling Ma writes now.
For my own reference, this is my order of favorites: Returning, Office Hours, Peking Duck, G, Yeti Lovemaking, Los Angeles, Oranges, Tomorrow.
This is how it feels reading “Bliss Montage.” Absolutely bizarre and incredible. I loved every single surreal and self-referential moment from this anthology. While I realize it won’t resonate with everyone (sadly!), I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in absurdist fiction. It reminds me of Kazuo Ishiguro’s “The Unconsoled,” but I think this montage is more effective as the stories become meta in relation to each other and feed into a growing sense of dread and self-reflection. It’s totally unique, and I want to read everything Ling Ma writes now.
For my own reference, this is my order of favorites: Returning, Office Hours, Peking Duck, G, Yeti Lovemaking, Los Angeles, Oranges, Tomorrow.
4.5⭐️ “In China, a boy is always better, if you're going to have one child. But me, I was secretly happy.
A boy, at best, can adore his mother, but a girl can understand her. When the doctor told me it was a girl, I thought, Now I will be understood.”
a variety of short stories all different, structure wise, and story wise. each story was super interesting, the last one being pretty nuts. like what did i read level nuts.
A boy, at best, can adore his mother, but a girl can understand her. When the doctor told me it was a girl, I thought, Now I will be understood.”
a variety of short stories all different, structure wise, and story wise. each story was super interesting, the last one being pretty nuts. like what did i read level nuts.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Really enjoyed the stories:G, Returning, and Office Hours
Other than that, could not get into Ma’s use of magical realism… the remainder of stories just lacked development or felt not entirely fleshed out. The integration of fantasy elements felt awkward and it hindered my ability to understand the world she was trying to build.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
loved Ling Ma’s stylistic choices; the way sentences are structured makes every moment feel crystalline and clear in the mind. favorites: Los Angeles, G, Office Hours, Peking Duck
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Racism, Toxic friendship
Read this in 2 days. Ling Ma is so talented, it was fun to read her short stories after enjoying Severance!! I especially liked Office Hours. Some of these stories seemed to be avoiding an ending. Is that how short stories work? I don’t know what’s what in the literary world, i’m just here for the vibes.
I want to ride an e-scooter through Ling Ma’s brain