Reviews - Bliss Montage | The StoryGraph

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3.26k reviews for:

Bliss Montage

Ling Ma

3.91 AVERAGE

joannemae's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: N/A

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

What a freakin' gem of a book.

I genuinely didn't think I'd enjoy this one based on how much I detested Ma's other book, Severance. But here I am. This book was stunning throughout, which I find so rare in a short story collection. You'd expect at least one story to fall flat, but they all shine in unexpected and beautiful ways. The way Ma uses the absurd to tackle grief, isolation, loneliness, and identity is extremely clever and memorable. You think you're reading about the most insane open marriage in the world, and the next you're contemplating what it means to hold on to ghosts. Don't even get me started on the yeti sex.

It reminds me a lot of animated shows/movies (like BoJack Horseman and AtLA) where you're caught off guard by the presentation and silly goofy plot lines only to be hit with the hardest and most brutal examination of humanity.

My favorite short story was definitely Peking Duck-- more of this, PLEASE. It takes the stereotypical Asian immigrant child story and flips it on its head (and spits on it and tells it to shut up because YES can we please stop making our moms so weak and docile????) and then makes you cry and want to call your mom to apologize for everything.

lavieemilyrose's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

splattergunk's review against another edition

4.0

dark funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Favorite Stories: Returning; Peking Duck

zebrakat's review against another edition

3.5

Some of the short stories worked better for me than others but all of them were extremely weird.

josephx23's review against another edition

5.0

I just finished this and wow. What a storyteller. I found this in the Horror section of my local used bookstore. The stories did have some shocking moments, but this doesn’t really fit in the genre. I’m not sure why it was shelved there, but I don’t know that I would have read it otherwise. Many of the stories are told from the perspective of a millennial professional, which I connected with easily. Because of this rapport, I heard from perspectives different from my own - narrators who are women, narrators who are the children of immigrants from China. There were moments that subverted the conventions of realism, but never so much that I had to uncomfortably suspend disbelief. As someone who struggles with magical realism, that made for a satisfying read. I’m definitely going to check out Severance and keep an eye out for anything new from her.