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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Catcher in the Rye for the girlies. I had no idea this was so ED heavy. The way it's portrayed is like we're in the mind of someone who knows how to hide things from themselves and therefore, us, just like some of us who were in active ED at some point in our lives. The family dynamics were so real and the end had me.
Spoiler-free Review:
This is one of my favourite contemporary books of all time. Top three for sure. This book had incredible analysis on Asian family dynamics and Asian culture. It also had an extremely relatable sister relationship portrayal. The main character that we follow, Jayne, was so relatable for me. She suffers from some issues and her narration and though process was just incredible relatable for many women in their 20’s, regardless of race.
The story follows Jayne, who is a Fashion student in New York City. She is struggling financially with a terrible roommate who gaslights her. She is glad to be out of her hometown of Texas but also doesn’t feel a sense of connection to New York City so she is constantly feeling directionless and lost. Enter June, her older sister, who also lives in New York City but who is a rich and successful woman working in the finance industry with a great job. June is then diagnosed with Uterine Cancer and the sisters, who were quite estranged prior to the diagnosis, begin learning how to rely on each other and build back their bond.
As someone who has a younger sister, wow was this ever relatable. As the oldest sister, not unlike June, I feel like my younger sister has made some decisions that I don’t identify with. Often younger siblings take advantage of opportunities you may have missed out on or chosen not to participate in, which causes you to resent them and talk down to them to make yourself feel better. In contrast, younger siblings often envy their older sibling’s success. They also tend to view older siblings as preachy and a bit of a bully at times. These dynamics were so well portrayed in this book, and I just couldn’t put it down.
I would highly recommend the book.
This is one of my favourite contemporary books of all time. Top three for sure. This book had incredible analysis on Asian family dynamics and Asian culture. It also had an extremely relatable sister relationship portrayal. The main character that we follow, Jayne, was so relatable for me. She suffers from some issues and her narration and though process was just incredible relatable for many women in their 20’s, regardless of race.
The story follows Jayne, who is a Fashion student in New York City. She is struggling financially with a terrible roommate who gaslights her. She is glad to be out of her hometown of Texas but also doesn’t feel a sense of connection to New York City so she is constantly feeling directionless and lost. Enter June, her older sister, who also lives in New York City but who is a rich and successful woman working in the finance industry with a great job. June is then diagnosed with Uterine Cancer and the sisters, who were quite estranged prior to the diagnosis, begin learning how to rely on each other and build back their bond.
As someone who has a younger sister, wow was this ever relatable. As the oldest sister, not unlike June, I feel like my younger sister has made some decisions that I don’t identify with. Often younger siblings take advantage of opportunities you may have missed out on or chosen not to participate in, which causes you to resent them and talk down to them to make yourself feel better. In contrast, younger siblings often envy their older sibling’s success. They also tend to view older siblings as preachy and a bit of a bully at times. These dynamics were so well portrayed in this book, and I just couldn’t put it down.
I would highly recommend the book.
#Haiku
...
Foibles, dark places
Gooey centers of being
Frying emotions
.
.
Mark of brilliance
Loving the unlovable
Writing the depressed
.
.
With humor and gags
Tropes dashed and shelved far away
These sisters feel real
...
Foibles, dark places
Gooey centers of being
Frying emotions
.
.
Mark of brilliance
Loving the unlovable
Writing the depressed
.
.
With humor and gags
Tropes dashed and shelved far away
These sisters feel real
Jayne drove me nuts in the first half but man the character development. What a raw and wonderful read.
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I struggled so much trying to finish this book, it seemed to hit way too close to home in every aspect. I think this is the kind of book that I will definitely read again in a few years, just to prevent myself from forgetting how it felt. It was not perfect but it was painfully real and just beautifully done.
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.
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4.5/5 maybe??? I struggled a bit to actually get through to the end which makes me a bit unwilling to give it a 5/5. A re-read later might change my mind.
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4.5/5 maybe??? I struggled a bit to actually get through to the end which makes me a bit unwilling to give it a 5/5. A re-read later might change my mind.
CW: eating disorders
Oh. My. God. Please read this book. Just, please read it.
Especially relevant to those with sisters, those who have ever been in their twenties, those who suffer from imposter syndrome from time to time, those who worry about their families dying suddenly but also harbor old wounds from just typical family shit so they maybe don’t call home as often as they should, those who identify as human....
It’s that good, y’all. It. Is. That. Good.
Oh. My. God. Please read this book. Just, please read it.
Especially relevant to those with sisters, those who have ever been in their twenties, those who suffer from imposter syndrome from time to time, those who worry about their families dying suddenly but also harbor old wounds from just typical family shit so they maybe don’t call home as often as they should, those who identify as human....
It’s that good, y’all. It. Is. That. Good.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment