Take a photo of a barcode or cover
![Deceit and Other Possibilities [With Battery] by Vanessa Hua](https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/1zi56ra8xvshldfyx5oe4hd3pp6o)
3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m not used to short story collects, bot generally drawn to them, but I’ve been reading more novellas recently so I am becoming more familiar with the idea of a truncated narrative like this. I quite enjoyed the stories in this collection and the themes each of them explored. I guess I should’ve expected it from the title of the collection, but they’re all kind of downers lol.
It’s hard to pick out a favorite of these, I definitely saw reflections of not only themes I enjoy in longer narratives, but also reflections of myself and my own feelings in a lot of the stories. They’re all picking apart different, yet intertwined, aspects of human experience and I liked the way they were presented. I really appreciated the mix of characters, the perspectives of different American born vs immigrant characters and the separation of generations in that same vein. I really admire how Hua could create such distinct characters who still had certain similar experiences. I also really admire how she created these deeply flawed protagonists who still had that something redeemable about them that made me, as a reader, want to see them succeed and make it through this hardship.(Except the cult leader and the missionary… fuck those guys fr.)
I think that is why I liked this collection so much. I’ve always been a fan of narratives that explore the complexity of human emotion and the messiness of our more destructive tendencies. Characters with flaws who make mistakes and have to deal with the consequences. It’s something I like digging into and what I really love is how Hua left some of these stories a bit open ended, allowing the reader to consider for themself what the ultimate outcome would be. And, admittedly, there’s also a catharsis in reading about characters whose lives are falling apart.
That said, despite how much I did like the stories and the characters, I found this hard to really get into and immerse myself in because it was so heavy. It took me a while to get through it and I wasn’t eager to pick it up between reading sessions. I was still curious, and I did like that they’re short stories so my commute meant could be one or two tales here and there without forgetting important context or something, but I just wasn’t hugely excited to crack it open each time. I’m glad I did, of course, but maybe it was just the wrong time for me to come to this collection. While I came away from reading sessions feeling relaxed and rewarded, I also just had this ever present feeling of “damn…that sucks.” And I guess it made me enjoy it less than I wanted to.
Overall, it was a good read, I just think I should’ve tried it at a different time. The stories have definitely stayed with me across the weeks it took to finish this collection; I’m still thinking about that second story despite having read it almost a month ago now. Like I said, I love characters that are messy and flawed and sometimes just downright terrible and these stories all served that up so well. I appreciated it a lot, just wanted to like it more.
It’s hard to pick out a favorite of these, I definitely saw reflections of not only themes I enjoy in longer narratives, but also reflections of myself and my own feelings in a lot of the stories. They’re all picking apart different, yet intertwined, aspects of human experience and I liked the way they were presented. I really appreciated the mix of characters, the perspectives of different American born vs immigrant characters and the separation of generations in that same vein. I really admire how Hua could create such distinct characters who still had certain similar experiences. I also really admire how she created these deeply flawed protagonists who still had that something redeemable about them that made me, as a reader, want to see them succeed and make it through this hardship.
I think that is why I liked this collection so much. I’ve always been a fan of narratives that explore the complexity of human emotion and the messiness of our more destructive tendencies. Characters with flaws who make mistakes and have to deal with the consequences. It’s something I like digging into and what I really love is how Hua left some of these stories a bit open ended, allowing the reader to consider for themself what the ultimate outcome would be. And, admittedly, there’s also a catharsis in reading about characters whose lives are falling apart.
That said, despite how much I did like the stories and the characters, I found this hard to really get into and immerse myself in because it was so heavy. It took me a while to get through it and I wasn’t eager to pick it up between reading sessions. I was still curious, and I did like that they’re short stories so my commute meant could be one or two tales here and there without forgetting important context or something, but I just wasn’t hugely excited to crack it open each time. I’m glad I did, of course, but maybe it was just the wrong time for me to come to this collection. While I came away from reading sessions feeling relaxed and rewarded, I also just had this ever present feeling of “damn…that sucks.” And I guess it made me enjoy it less than I wanted to.
Overall, it was a good read, I just think I should’ve tried it at a different time. The stories have definitely stayed with me across the weeks it took to finish this collection; I’m still thinking about that second story despite having read it almost a month ago now. Like I said, I love characters that are messy and flawed and sometimes just downright terrible and these stories all served that up so well. I appreciated it a lot, just wanted to like it more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief
A fantastic book of short focusing on the immigrant and/or first gen experience, specifically most stories focus on the experience of East Asians. That's an important undercurrent in all the stories. They're stories that focus on people making poor choices and having to deal with the consequences or about to see the consequences coming. The characters in each story have unique voices and stand apart from each other - this isn't something you always see in a short story collection by the same author.
Some stories seem to have inspirations from real life, the obvious Edison Chen story and the obvious Azia Kim story come to mind. However, telling the story from their POVs is pretty interesting. I do think the Edison story went pretty easy on him, he's kind of a major asshole - more so than what was depicted.
I also have to say that unlike other short story collections, I don't think this one was front loaded or back loaded, it was consistent throughout.
4.5/5 rounds to 5.
Some stories seem to have inspirations from real life, the obvious Edison Chen story and the obvious Azia Kim story come to mind. However, telling the story from their POVs is pretty interesting. I do think the Edison story went pretty easy on him, he's kind of a major asshole - more so than what was depicted.
I also have to say that unlike other short story collections, I don't think this one was front loaded or back loaded, it was consistent throughout.
4.5/5 rounds to 5.
Found this to be a poignant read as an immigrant and Chinese American. Love the writing.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As with all short story collections, some were better than others. I preferred the ones that were more reigned in, more realistic - many of them had scenarios that quickly spiraled out of control, becoming completely absurd by the end (examples: a cult leader clogging multiple toilets on an airplane with his socks and underwear to get the attention of the man sitting next to him; a college rejection culminating in a arson; a golfing excursion culminating in a shoot out). The title does say it all - this book is about deceit and the strange and baffling possibilities that stem from it.
What a tumultuous beautiful and powerful read that highlights how immigrant families navigate the complexities, joys, and challenges of living in America. This work highlighted so many important topics throughout the stories including navigating cultural expectations that differ between family and outside community, grappling with debt and poverty, dealing with scandal and shame, grappling with the decision to have children, and how love manifests in a plethora of forms. This work was a five star for me and so compelling.
Each story included in this collection was unique and compelling to read. I enjoyed the diversity in immigrant experiences that were included, as well as the theme of deception that permeated every story. There were quite a few protagonists who were quite unlikable and didn't mind stepping on other to further their own station in life. Thankfully, we didn't have to stay with any story for too long, and Hua did a great job of highlight a revealing vignette of their story to convey a bigger picture. I enjoyed this collection as well as her previous work, [b:A River of Stars|36978059|A River of Stars|Vanessa Hua|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1514523099l/36978059._SY75_.jpg|58782919].
The stories all contain deception in one way or another and I enjoyed how you didn’t really quite know what the deception always was in the beginning of the story. Although second hand embarrassment is very real here (because you really can’t “enjoy” deceit). In a lot of ways, I felt sad for many of the characters. Their deception is often tied to finding some sense of worth or trying to please others, but the cost is often pretty damn high.
Two observations that made me really like this collection:
1) the writing is deceptively simple - the stories are quick and easy to read but so much is going on in them. So I found myself wondering if that deceptively simple writing was intended. Did the author think about how she was writing a simple, complicated story? I think she’s brilliant if she did.
2) the stories often end abruptly - just as a revelation is made or something big is about to happen or you want to see if the main character can pull off their next desperate attempt. Sometimes I hate that tactic, but it works well here in the setting of deceit because you never know what’s next when you’re in a nebulous situation
Two observations that made me really like this collection:
1) the writing is deceptively simple - the stories are quick and easy to read but so much is going on in them. So I found myself wondering if that deceptively simple writing was intended. Did the author think about how she was writing a simple, complicated story? I think she’s brilliant if she did.
2) the stories often end abruptly - just as a revelation is made or something big is about to happen or you want to see if the main character can pull off their next desperate attempt. Sometimes I hate that tactic, but it works well here in the setting of deceit because you never know what’s next when you’re in a nebulous situation