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lversrock's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, and Drug use
Moderate: War and Grief
Minor: Homophobia
tennietenten's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Addiction and Sexual content
lia_mills's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
To be honest, I found Part I of this book to be difficult to get through, in a "this feels like homework" kind of way (and this is coming from someone who usually enjoyed doing English homework).
I suspected choosing the audiobook may have been a mistake - this book uses a lot of poetic language in a way that often works on the page but can be a little exhausting to listen to, and the way the story moves back and forth across memories over years or decades, although effective in helping us understand the narrator, can be a little confusing in audiobook form.
But from Part II onwards it picked up for me - maybe I just got used to it. It's certainly an evocative story, with a lot of insights into the life of a shy, thoughtful, working-class, queer, Vietnamese-American young man, and a level of emotional depth that makes me understand why it's been so highly regarded.
Some quotes I found particularly interesting:
• "The thing is, I don't want my sadness to be othered from me, just as I don't want my happiness to be othered. They're both mine. I made them, damn it."
• "Too much joy, I swear, is lost in the desperation to keep it."
• "You asked me what it's like to be a writer, and I'm giving you a mess, I know. But it's a mess, Ma. I'm not making this up. I made it down."
Works (2) this made me think of:
• My Sister's Keeper (2004 family/medical/legal drama novel by Jodie Picoult): has a similar aspect of moving through time (although from a variety of different narrators rather than the one here), and a similar reliance on (and, to my mind, borderline overuse of) explanatory metaphor and symbolism.
• Call Me By Your Name (2007 coming-of-age novel by Andre Aciman): has a similar exploration of a secret MM relationship, from the first-person perspective of the more (comparatively) introverted partner.
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Cursing, Medical content, Abortion, Addiction, Child abuse, Death, and Grief
uisceerika's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Colonisation, Drug use, Gore, War, Car accident, Child abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Sexual content, Death, Drug abuse, Racism, Alcoholism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
voidfavors's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Animal death, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, War, Violence, Addiction, Racial slurs, and Terminal illness
melanija's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, War, Violence, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Racism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Animal death, and Grief
Minor: Sexual content and Cancer
purple_converse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Abortion, Racism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Violence, Excrement, Drug abuse, Grief, Addiction, Car accident, Cursing, Homophobia, Mental illness, Blood, and Dementia
tinygoldfox's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, and Abortion
Moderate: Racism, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Cancer, Child abuse, Car accident, Grief, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
shaleen64's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, and War
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Addiction, and Racism
Minor: Cancer, Pregnancy, and Abortion
kalaser's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Dementia, Drug abuse, and Abortion
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual violence, Racism, Terminal illness, and War