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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not what I was expecting from Ling Ma after “Severance”, but well received nonetheless. The first four stories in this collection each had an interesting premise but the story telling itself felt too hazy and self-indulgent so I didn’t enjoy them much. Thankfully, the latter four stories more than make up for my disenchantment with the former four. Ling Ma is firing on all cylinders in these witty and engrossingly absurd (@ “Tomorrow”, my fav) stories of immigrant life and emotions. In the end, the two halves balance out to 3 stars.
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An utterly fascinating collection of speculative fiction short stories exploring womanhood, Americanness, class, descending from immigrants , relationships, career and so much more. Loved this.
I had high hopes for this short story collection, and I was definitely pleased. I think this was a nice, eclectic mix of stories. There was a good mix of fantasy, realism, humor, and romance. I think despite how comical some of the stories were, they almost always had some great quotes about interpersonal relationships (romantic or otherwise).
"Returning" and "G" were my favorites, but I enjoyed all of the stories. The amount of world building that Ling Ma was able to include in such short stories is unbelievable. "Peking Duck" and "Tomorrow" reminded me a lot of Ma's other book "Severance" with how the narrators described their childhoods and feelings of exclusion as Asian Americans. I would definitely reread and buy my own copy. I really liked it, but not quite at a full 5 stars. I think I would probably rate closer to 4.5 stars.
Date Read: 08/29/24
STORIES:
Los Angeles- A woman lives in a mansion with her two kids, her husband, and her 100 ex-boyfriends
Oranges - A woman follows her abusive ex after spotting him while walking to a date
G - Two friends take "G," a drug that makes you invisible at the right dose, but with an overdose you'll truly vanish
Yeti Lovemaking - A woman describes having sex with a yeti
Returning - An estranged couple travel to the husband's home country for a ceremony where people are buried alive overnight in order to be born anew
Office Hours - A film professor shows his student the portal to another world hidden in his office closet
Peking Duck - A Chinese immigrant girl describes her childhood after moving to the US and how it affects her relationship with her mother
Tomorrow - A pregnant woman discovers that her baby's arm is growing outside of her, so she seeks comfort by traveling to her home country of China
"Returning" and "G" were my favorites, but I enjoyed all of the stories. The amount of world building that Ling Ma was able to include in such short stories is unbelievable. "Peking Duck" and "Tomorrow" reminded me a lot of Ma's other book "Severance" with how the narrators described their childhoods and feelings of exclusion as Asian Americans. I would definitely reread and buy my own copy. I really liked it, but not quite at a full 5 stars. I think I would probably rate closer to 4.5 stars.
Date Read: 08/29/24
STORIES:
Los Angeles- A woman lives in a mansion with her two kids, her husband, and her 100 ex-boyfriends
Oranges - A woman follows her abusive ex after spotting him while walking to a date
G - Two friends take "G," a drug that makes you invisible at the right dose, but with an overdose you'll truly vanish
Yeti Lovemaking - A woman describes having sex with a yeti
Returning - An estranged couple travel to the husband's home country for a ceremony where people are buried alive overnight in order to be born anew
Office Hours - A film professor shows his student the portal to another world hidden in his office closet
Peking Duck - A Chinese immigrant girl describes her childhood after moving to the US and how it affects her relationship with her mother
Tomorrow - A pregnant woman discovers that her baby's arm is growing outside of her, so she seeks comfort by traveling to her home country of China
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
2.75. I liked the writing and was intrigued by the stories. What I didn’t like was that they seemed to end when it was getting good. I prefer my stories to not be open ended.
Finished this on a travel day across two planes. I think Ling Ma's writing style and story premises are amazing - and stay in my memory - but I find myself disappointed by the endings.