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emilyinherhead's review
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
After emotions are felt, expressed, where do they go? Is there a place where spent passion collects? Surely it can't simply vaporize, disappear like smoke. There must be a secret hiding place. For every old love affair, a locked room.
This novel is full of characters, both within and outside of the Chao family, that aren't easy to like. We're in many of their heads through the lead-up to, and unraveling after, a seemingly easily-solved murder, and what we find there isn't super flattering. There is jealousy, resentment, emotional suffocation, greed, inadequacy, fear, and even maybe some hate. It's both slightly repulsive and incredibly juicy. And since the family owns a restaurant, there's a lot of drool-inducing writing about delicious food.
I don't want to give away any of the plot, since following it as it unfolds is part of the joy of the reading experience, but I'll just say that if you enjoy digging into family dynamics or if you're interested in immigrant stories and/or literary mystery, you'll probably really like The Family Chao.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Racial slurs
wngwendy's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.0
"Doesn't she know that college is more than 4 years of bubble tea?"
no, no i do not
This book was an interesting read, it tackles the anxiety that early generations of Asian Americans deal with and intra-generational trauma. The book is a weird mix of Chinese culture and racial stereotypes, this does make me wonder who the target audience is for this book. I would also classify this book more as a mystery with a tint of familial horror.
I cannot speak on the Asian American experience, but as a person of Chinese descent, I did relate to some parts of the story. These were mainly the issues of losing the ability to speak mandarin and some of the family dynamics described in the book. However, some parts of the books really went into racial stereotypes and felt hugely exaggerated, these parts made me feel a bit cliché and could've probably benefited from sensitivity readers.
This arc was provided to me by netgalley
no, no i do not
This book was an interesting read, it tackles the anxiety that early generations of Asian Americans deal with and intra-generational trauma. The book is a weird mix of Chinese culture and racial stereotypes, this does make me wonder who the target audience is for this book. I would also classify this book more as a mystery with a tint of familial horror.
I cannot speak on the Asian American experience, but as a person of Chinese descent, I did relate to some parts of the story. These were mainly the issues of losing the ability to speak mandarin and some of the family dynamics described in the book. However, some parts of the books really went into racial stereotypes and felt hugely exaggerated, these parts made me feel a bit cliché and could've probably benefited from sensitivity readers.
This arc was provided to me by netgalley
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, and Murder
Moderate: Hate crime and Animal cruelty
Minor: Child abuse
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