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2.98 AVERAGE
2.98 AVERAGE
"The truth is you cannot return anyplace. Your homeland marches on without you. Your childhood home will fall."
This was a bit of a downer for me, but some important messages about the harsh realities of life. Our childhood forms us, but we need to continue on, discovering ourselves, and not looking back at what we left behind? Even when we give something up, there is something on the other side to look forward to? Maybe...hard to unearth the theme of this novel. Perhaps there was not one...
A little hard to follow, Eleanor, the protagonist, was a bit chaotic and confusing. There were some complex stories about her mother that were relatable, but I felt so much was left unfinished. Nonetheless, I felt invested and eager to understand her and see where the story would go. A difficult read, yet well-written.
This was a bit of a downer for me, but some important messages about the harsh realities of life. Our childhood forms us, but we need to continue on, discovering ourselves, and not looking back at what we left behind? Even when we give something up, there is something on the other side to look forward to? Maybe...hard to unearth the theme of this novel. Perhaps there was not one...
A little hard to follow, Eleanor, the protagonist, was a bit chaotic and confusing. There were some complex stories about her mother that were relatable, but I felt so much was left unfinished. Nonetheless, I felt invested and eager to understand her and see where the story would go. A difficult read, yet well-written.
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Had DNFed this one last year but always wanted to get back to it. Glad I did. It got a nut confusing towards the end but overall a great book. I enjoyed this book and felt strongly for Eleanor, Narisa and Jia Jia. Such beautiful, compelling characters. This cover is stunning too!!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Suicide
This book was not what I was expecting at all, and I feel like it may be one I think about for a while. In fact, this might be a book I need to read more than once in order to truly decide how it hits me. The writing itself is excellent, and the book has a clear voice. But it’s not a clean or neat or linear story. As I got started reading it, it felt really random—the characters didn’t seem to make sense and the timeline jumped and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be taking in as a reader. As I kept reading, I found myself highlighting more and more quotes, though. Quotes about how hard it is to be a person and to make sense of all that comes along with that. The ending didn’t feel like it came to a conclusion, but I think that might also be part of what the book is trying to say about grief and loss and the mess of being human. Even as I write this review, I feel as though it’s not conveying anything about the book at all. And maybe that’s the brilliance of this book: that it really does find a way to convey the confusion, mess, loss, and chaos of growing up, making choices, falling in love, asking big questions, aging, losing loved ones, letting go of dreams, and making peace with the past. I have some time before I have to get this back to the library, and I may have another go at it, just to see if I can bring my thoughts together more specifically. Overall, definitely worth the time. (I saw an interview with the author who said that, for her, this book is about the fact that sometimes we are unknowable, even to ourselves, and I thought that was a really helpful insight. I would agree with that theme, and hearing it from her made me feel like this is definitely a book that I will read again at some point, since I think that’s a message we always need to be reminded of.)
Not bad writing, I just don’t know why this story is being told. It feels aimless and I’m not connecting
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes