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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
This book examines race relations between Korean and Black Americans in LA. It gives an interesting nuances through the perspective of a Korean American woman and a Black man who are both connected through a shooting. It is not really a thriller or mystery, but I really appreciated the nuances of their thoughts. The ending was a little weird though
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really disappointed by the ending, but before that I thought it was great
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
I took a while between finishing this book and rating/reviewing because it's complex and I wanted to see how Black reviewers found the book's representation of Black protagonists as well as its depiction of the unarmed shooting of a fictional character more than loosely modeled on Latasha Harlins. I'm not an Own Voices reviewer for this book, but none of the OV reviews I found criticized the representation so I'll proceed as normal.
I enjoyed this novel! It's based on a murder case in the 1990s and I think this was successful for a premise. The characters were really interesting as they navigate anti-Asian racism, anti-Black racism, and violence against both groups. These characters are complex. We see the narrative from both the family of the Black girl killed and the Korean-American community at the heart of the crime as well.
I think my favourite part is how this explores the way we remember and think of our family. Both for Ava's family remembering her after the shooting and the Park family as they reflect on the actions of the matriarch. Can we love and support people who do terrible things, believe terrible things?
If you like family dramas, books centred around crime, racism, and tragedy, and complex books that show two sides of a conflict, you'll enjoy this novel.
I enjoyed this novel! It's based on a murder case in the 1990s and I think this was successful for a premise. The characters were really interesting as they navigate anti-Asian racism, anti-Black racism, and violence against both groups. These characters are complex. We see the narrative from both the family of the Black girl killed and the Korean-American community at the heart of the crime as well.
I think my favourite part is how this explores the way we remember and think of our family. Both for Ava's family remembering her after the shooting and the Park family as they reflect on the actions of the matriarch. Can we love and support people who do terrible things, believe terrible things?
If you like family dramas, books centred around crime, racism, and tragedy, and complex books that show two sides of a conflict, you'll enjoy this novel.
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-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
torn up by this book. an absolutely devastating story about how anti-black racism in america, particularly from the asian community, leaves scars in the lives of two families. this hit me hard and i feel like you could write an essay about just those last 6 pages. thinking about the way that we set fire to tragedy to turn them into spectacles to whisper about but fail to grapple with them; about the ways we seek forgiveness from the wrong people
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-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