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ps2's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
stranger's review
2.0
You can see my full review here: http://www.runspotrun.com/book-reviews/the-hundred-year-flood-by-matthew-salesses/
lcsmcat's review
4.0
This is an author to watch. He shows a good grasp of his craft and spins a story that keeps you wanting to go forward even as you are trying to slow down and appreciate the work behind the plot.
newbatteri's review
5.0
[Taken from the Editor's Kindle First letter]
Matthew Salessesās dreamlike debut is haunting and magical, roaming in and out of time and place. The Hundred-Year Flood transported me from Boston to Prague to a hospital to being underwater. I saw myself touching the statue of a saint for good luck and waiting for a flood that comes only once every hundred years. I grappled with Pragueās myths, ghosts, heroes. This is one of those books that I thought I was reading just for the wonderful story itself, until I stepped back and realized that throughout the narrative, the author has unfailingly and beautifully woven together the threads of identity.
We follow the protagonist, twenty-two-year-old Tee, as he navigates the bonds of personhood. The bond of living in two cities. The bond of being seen as American and foreign at the same time. The bond of being both white and Asian. The bond of individuality and of becoming your father. The bonds of love and lust and loyalty. While Tee tries hard to convince himself that living in a new place will forge a new identity, Salesses masterfully lays down the heart of the novel: that the imprint of family is permanent and never washes away.
I was overcome by the ease and the absolutely breathtaking way with which Salesses navigates the waters of self and home. Roxane Gay, author of Bad Feminist and An Untamed State, calls the novel āepic and devastating and full of natural majesty,ā and I couldnāt agree more.
Matthew Salessesās dreamlike debut is haunting and magical, roaming in and out of time and place. The Hundred-Year Flood transported me from Boston to Prague to a hospital to being underwater. I saw myself touching the statue of a saint for good luck and waiting for a flood that comes only once every hundred years. I grappled with Pragueās myths, ghosts, heroes. This is one of those books that I thought I was reading just for the wonderful story itself, until I stepped back and realized that throughout the narrative, the author has unfailingly and beautifully woven together the threads of identity.
We follow the protagonist, twenty-two-year-old Tee, as he navigates the bonds of personhood. The bond of living in two cities. The bond of being seen as American and foreign at the same time. The bond of being both white and Asian. The bond of individuality and of becoming your father. The bonds of love and lust and loyalty. While Tee tries hard to convince himself that living in a new place will forge a new identity, Salesses masterfully lays down the heart of the novel: that the imprint of family is permanent and never washes away.
I was overcome by the ease and the absolutely breathtaking way with which Salesses navigates the waters of self and home. Roxane Gay, author of Bad Feminist and An Untamed State, calls the novel āepic and devastating and full of natural majesty,ā and I couldnāt agree more.
faysie34's review
2.0
After his uncle kills himself on 9/11, Tee runs away to Prague. An adopted Korean-American, he has never felt truly a part of anything and hopes that the city will welcome him with open arms. Drunk on New Year's Eve, he meets Katka and Pavel. Pavel is an artist who wishes to paint Tee. As Tee becomes a part of their daily life, he begins to question his place in the world and his involvement with the couple. While this book was well-written, it dragged for me. Not bad, but not something I would reach for again.
itsjunghan's review
3.0
[3.5 stars] First book of 2017! I knew of Matthew Salesses through Korean adoptee community & was drawn to his first novel because I knew it included that theme. That being said, I found this one hard to get into. The first third provided a lot of exposition but also a confusion of characters & non-linear timelines that floated about in the same way that the life of Tee, the protagonist / narrator, seemed to be searching for but never quite achieving grounding & purpose. The imagery of the power & destruction of the flood itself was beautiful even if the full context for the events of Tee's life didn't reveal themselves until the final few subchapters. You may find this book to be right up your alley if you enjoy a non-linear story with a search for self at the center.
ioduok's review
5.0
I'm a slow reader, but I took an even longer time reading The Hundred-Year Flood because I kept having to put it down and marvel at how brilliant the writing is. Salesses is a stylistic writer, and takes great care in crafting his sentences. But he doesn't just use language to prop his work up. Rather, it is the foundation used to support the creation of full characters, people you can believe exist and are living this drama in real time. This novel is beautifully, seems effortlessly, written.
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