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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was my first read from this author. For one, their names were too close and confusing even if it was for cultural reasons. For two, Jane's summary of June when they were in grade school (shame) didn't correlate with when they were adults (jealousy). Seemed too drastic of a change in view in too short of a time frame. Lastly, it was a bit too dramatic for my liking.
This was such a beautiful and messy discussion of sisterhood and belonging. Both sisters made decisions that had me hitting my head against a table in annoyance but the bond that ultimately brought them together felt realistic and just the right amount of messy. Furthermore, Jayne's aching for somewhere to belong - somewhere she misses yet has never found - was beautifully portrayed.
However, I found the ending rushed and as such we missed out on the character growth which I was waiting for throughout the novel. We are simply told Jayne is going to get better from her eating disorder with no real exploration of recovery. I think this book would benefit from being slightly longer and dedicating more time to healing.
Some of my favourite quotes from this book:
- "I know what it's like to want to leave. How it feels when the home you have is a mirage, an illusion. But I know that wherever I am, if June's around, I'll be ok."
- "Have you ever considered that it isn’t a place that will improve your life? That there is no such thing as a geographic cure?"
- "It’s directly translated as ‘far pain’ or ‘far sickness’ as opposed to ‘heimweh’ or ‘homesickness.’ But it’s also longing for the unknown, since the familiar is stifling or challenging. The foreign can seem fantastic, exalted, since its possibilities are infinite. We have no data or experience around it. But once we arrive and the faraway is known and becomes familiar, then what? You’ve got all that energy and longing and possibility that no longer has anywhere to go. It’s got nowhere to be invested, nowhere to live."
However, I found the ending rushed and as such we missed out on the character growth which I was waiting for throughout the novel. We are simply told Jayne is going to get better from her eating disorder with no real exploration of recovery. I think this book would benefit from being slightly longer and dedicating more time to healing.
Some of my favourite quotes from this book:
- "I know what it's like to want to leave. How it feels when the home you have is a mirage, an illusion. But I know that wherever I am, if June's around, I'll be ok."
- "Have you ever considered that it isn’t a place that will improve your life? That there is no such thing as a geographic cure?"
- "It’s directly translated as ‘far pain’ or ‘far sickness’ as opposed to ‘heimweh’ or ‘homesickness.’ But it’s also longing for the unknown, since the familiar is stifling or challenging. The foreign can seem fantastic, exalted, since its possibilities are infinite. We have no data or experience around it. But once we arrive and the faraway is known and becomes familiar, then what? You’ve got all that energy and longing and possibility that no longer has anywhere to go. It’s got nowhere to be invested, nowhere to live."
"Sisters never stand a chance to be friends. We're pitted against each other from the moment we are born. A daughter is a treasure. Two is a tax."
I knew that I would cry during this book because I'm such a sucker for that special relationship, based on growing up surrounded by it and having my sisters being my best friends. However, I didn't know that it would hit that hard.
Mary H.K. Choi opens her heart to us readers as she gives a fragile story of a pair of sisters. June and Jayne. Their relationship has been rocky all growing up, thus causing a diversion in any connection with each other as they become adults. However, life has other plans for them, and soon on a random day at a bar in New York, June seeks out Jayne. And not-so-good news follows after the sisters are reunited.
June has cancer.
Thus, Jayne and June's life are forced together again. And though their differences, trauma, and issues mingle and crash together, it seems that they can't let go of each other and end up needing each other more than they ever thought.
This was such a challenging read because it was real. So real that from chapter one to the end, I saw myself. I saw my issues exposed on the page. And I felt exposed, yet comforted to know that I wasn't alone. You could say that it was a bittersweet experience. Very heartbreakingly beautiful and perfect. Choi captures the harsh life of the Asian - American experience, and all the pressure and stigma one has to live up to due to their immigrant parents sacrificing so much for you because they believed it would be beneficial and the best life for you. The racism, the struggles of simply being a woman, and all the pain our body goes through. Not only this but mentally as well. Choi captures in painful and raw detail how eating disorders can have control over your life. It was so in your face, that I had to put down the book to breathe. I'm just going to say, there is a chapter in this book that I had a hard time reading because of how heart-wrenching and unfamiliar it was.
The sibling relationship of rivalry mixed with feelings of devotion and love is so complex that I just cried and cried because of how relatable it was. Not only this but the relationship with their parents. The constant state of trying to impress and please them, and hoping they like you. Or even care for you. Just made me cry. I was in tears. and now I'm trying to recover.
As a warning, Mary H.K. Choi writes about eating disorders and self-body image in a very graphic and descriptive manner. So, please be cautioned when reading, especially if you struggle with any eating disorder. Please be gentle with yourself.
Other triggering/ content warnings: cheating, racism, mental illness, abusive parenting, cancer/ sickness of a loved one.
Choi's writing is so beautiful and real, that I highly suggest reading this book. It will make you cry, but it is worth it.
I knew that I would cry during this book because I'm such a sucker for that special relationship, based on growing up surrounded by it and having my sisters being my best friends. However, I didn't know that it would hit that hard.
Mary H.K. Choi opens her heart to us readers as she gives a fragile story of a pair of sisters. June and Jayne. Their relationship has been rocky all growing up, thus causing a diversion in any connection with each other as they become adults. However, life has other plans for them, and soon on a random day at a bar in New York, June seeks out Jayne. And not-so-good news follows after the sisters are reunited.
June has cancer.
Thus, Jayne and June's life are forced together again. And though their differences, trauma, and issues mingle and crash together, it seems that they can't let go of each other and end up needing each other more than they ever thought.
This was such a challenging read because it was real. So real that from chapter one to the end, I saw myself. I saw my issues exposed on the page. And I felt exposed, yet comforted to know that I wasn't alone. You could say that it was a bittersweet experience. Very heartbreakingly beautiful and perfect. Choi captures the harsh life of the Asian - American experience, and all the pressure and stigma one has to live up to due to their immigrant parents sacrificing so much for you because they believed it would be beneficial and the best life for you. The racism, the struggles of simply being a woman, and all the pain our body goes through. Not only this but mentally as well. Choi captures in painful and raw detail how eating disorders can have control over your life. It was so in your face, that I had to put down the book to breathe. I'm just going to say, there is a chapter in this book that I had a hard time reading because of how heart-wrenching and unfamiliar it was.
The sibling relationship of rivalry mixed with feelings of devotion and love is so complex that I just cried and cried because of how relatable it was. Not only this but the relationship with their parents. The constant state of trying to impress and please them, and hoping they like you. Or even care for you. Just made me cry. I was in tears. and now I'm trying to recover.
As a warning, Mary H.K. Choi writes about eating disorders and self-body image in a very graphic and descriptive manner. So, please be cautioned when reading, especially if you struggle with any eating disorder. Please be gentle with yourself.
Other triggering/ content warnings: cheating, racism, mental illness, abusive parenting, cancer/ sickness of a loved one.
Choi's writing is so beautiful and real, that I highly suggest reading this book. It will make you cry, but it is worth it.
It took me a while to actually sit myself down and begin to read this. The first few pages had me appalled at the relationship dynamic between Jayne and June. Living with three other sisters, I had a bond with each to where I couldn’t imagine living in the same city and not speaking to each other.
Even so, as I continued reading, I found my self laughing at the small things that are natural within a sibling dynamic, especially between sisters so close in age. I appreciate reading about the authenticity of a sibling relationship fraught by trauma and secrets but still held together by a buried, almost unacknowledged love for each other, despite seeming to be a crumbling mess.
I also appreciate the reality of who Jayne and June were. Both were awful in their own respects. Jayne was overly sensitive and cared too much about what others thought, and June was too blunt and didn’t seem to care enough about what others thought of her. Even so, I think there’s something beautiful about that, and at the point of sounding pretentious, I always enjoy a good juxtaposition of sibling personalities.
I enjoyed Choi’s writing style, but if you are not a fan of modern pop culture references, modern being from the late 2010s and forward, beware. Profane language is also sprinkled throughout, but in all honesty, there is no way to convincingly write about living in New York without profane language being used.
The pacing of the story was pretty good as well, I never felt as if the book was moving too slow or not fast enough, however the ending, albeit sweet, did seem to pick up in the last thirty pages or so. Even so, slight spoiler alert, it was a happy ending, which is always a plus in my book.
All in all I’d give it a four out of five stars, definitely an enjoyable read and one I’d recommend to a casual reader.
Even so, as I continued reading, I found my self laughing at the small things that are natural within a sibling dynamic, especially between sisters so close in age. I appreciate reading about the authenticity of a sibling relationship fraught by trauma and secrets but still held together by a buried, almost unacknowledged love for each other, despite seeming to be a crumbling mess.
I also appreciate the reality of who Jayne and June were. Both were awful in their own respects. Jayne was overly sensitive and cared too much about what others thought, and June was too blunt and didn’t seem to care enough about what others thought of her. Even so, I think there’s something beautiful about that, and at the point of sounding pretentious, I always enjoy a good juxtaposition of sibling personalities.
I enjoyed Choi’s writing style, but if you are not a fan of modern pop culture references, modern being from the late 2010s and forward, beware. Profane language is also sprinkled throughout, but in all honesty, there is no way to convincingly write about living in New York without profane language being used.
The pacing of the story was pretty good as well, I never felt as if the book was moving too slow or not fast enough, however the ending, albeit sweet, did seem to pick up in the last thirty pages or so. Even so, slight spoiler alert, it was a happy ending, which is always a plus in my book.
All in all I’d give it a four out of five stars, definitely an enjoyable read and one I’d recommend to a casual reader.
emotional
funny
emotional
sad
medium-paced
One sentence summary: Two sisters living in New York confront cancer, eating disorders, past traumas, and men.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes