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arinaski's review
2.0
I really couldn't connect with any of the characters and none of the stories had an interesting plot or anything gripping.. disappointing..
rat_reads's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
sweeettea's review
Had it checked out from the library but not in the mood for short stories. To try again another time
zeldaspellman's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? No
3.5
undermeyou's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so inconsistent. I tend to give a lot of leeway with short story collections because it’s rare that I end up liking every piece. This felt more like an anthology with how inconsistent it was. Some pieces were lyrical and haunting and others left me completely confused and lost with no idea of the purpose of the story. There were even a few stories that I had no idea what was going on from start to end. Maybe it was a poor translation, but I doubt it, as the translator seems to have several decently rated titles.
sanmeow's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
a collection of stories about women fighting against higher powers that are restricting them, such as societal expectations and pressures, family issues, identity issues, loneliness, mental health, and more. it's extremely descriptive and atmospheric and that's what i very much liked about this collection. thematically, i loved it, and it taught me more about malay culture, since this was written by a chinese-malay author. i enjoyed the surrealism because it was well done and suited my personal taste. i think this isn't a generally likable collection because it is definitely a bit peculiar. it's also lacking in structure, which was clearly on purpose and i liked it here, though i've disliked it in some other books. it can be a bit hard to approach for sure, but it inspires you to think more about what the author was trying to say. overall, i enjoyed this, but i don't think it's for everyone.
alisarae's review against another edition
#AlisaReadstheWorld: Malaysia
This little collection of stories features female protagonists who have experiences with the liminal. There is usually an element of a ghost-like being in every story. In looking at the collection as a whole, you can see that the ghosts refer to women's experiences of being overlooked, unheard, unseen, unimportant.
I really enjoy reading about and eating food from "crossroads cultures," the term I use for countries that have an overlap of languages and peoples. Malaysia has a melting pot of Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino cultures, among others, and the author gives nod to that with descriptions of accents, languages, and street scenes. Some of the conflicts in the stories are based on the differences that arise when you have people with very different backgrounds living together in the same spaces.
I read a few reviews on Goodreads where people complained about the translation, but I don't think that is at all the problem with this book. As someone who is paid to translate, I always pay close attention to the flow of a translation when I'm reading it. This one is quite good, and there were several times I thought, "That must have been a tricky sentence," or "That was a clever solution." It's hard to erase the awkwardness and clunkiness of the original language when you are translating, and it usually takes several passes to get all the kinks worked out. Of course, Asian languages tend to have a clipped quality to the sentences and romance languages often retain a (tiresome) long-windedness, because that's a reflection of how the author thinks and expresses themselves—it's a shadow of the original language that doesn't need to bed erased. My hunch is that these complainers were placing the blame in the wrong place: many of the individual stories do not have strong explanations of the metaphors or satisfying endings. I, too, wasn't overly fond of the stories where the ending just dropped off, but it is what it is.
This little collection of stories features female protagonists who have experiences with the liminal. There is usually an element of a ghost-like being in every story. In looking at the collection as a whole, you can see that the ghosts refer to women's experiences of being overlooked, unheard, unseen, unimportant.
I really enjoy reading about and eating food from "crossroads cultures," the term I use for countries that have an overlap of languages and peoples. Malaysia has a melting pot of Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino cultures, among others, and the author gives nod to that with descriptions of accents, languages, and street scenes. Some of the conflicts in the stories are based on the differences that arise when you have people with very different backgrounds living together in the same spaces.
I read a few reviews on Goodreads where people complained about the translation, but I don't think that is at all the problem with this book. As someone who is paid to translate, I always pay close attention to the flow of a translation when I'm reading it. This one is quite good, and there were several times I thought, "That must have been a tricky sentence," or "That was a clever solution." It's hard to erase the awkwardness and clunkiness of the original language when you are translating, and it usually takes several passes to get all the kinks worked out. Of course, Asian languages tend to have a clipped quality to the sentences and romance languages often retain a (tiresome) long-windedness, because that's a reflection of how the author thinks and expresses themselves—it's a shadow of the original language that doesn't need to bed erased. My hunch is that these complainers were placing the blame in the wrong place: many of the individual stories do not have strong explanations of the metaphors or satisfying endings. I, too, wasn't overly fond of the stories where the ending just dropped off, but it is what it is.
apotofhoney's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
alymaravilla's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0