Scan barcode
emohell's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
absolutely loved this book. read it for class and thoroughly enjoyed it. it’s written like a script which is really fun, and it works incredibly well. shows an accurate and frustrating look at the asian-american experience both in and out of hollywood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Minor: Death
courtsbooks's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Fatphobia
ncoletti's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
montyroz's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
adriennne's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
rkeats's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Books with humour and satire can be a little hit or miss for me. Interior Chinatown turned out to be a hit - although I initially had reservations. I started listening and it just wasn’t clicking. Thankfully I was able to grab the ebook and combining the two formats worked really well.
There are two things that I especially enjoyed about the book. The first is the way it highlighted the reality of being Asian in America. Part of this is the feeling of not really belonging, as if the only true Americans are Black or white. Another part is the racism that Asians face, and Yu skewers so much of it - the limiting stereotypes, the crude casual racism, the fetishisation and more.
The other aspect of the book I admired was the structure, the way the author took two seemingly disparate elements and wove them together. The first element is the straightforward narrative of Willis Wu - his parent’s backstory and his own personal life. The second element is scripts from a tv series called White and Black, a police series set around Chinatown. Willis begins as “Generic Asian Man” but hopes to work his way up. Of course these scripts and his aspirations with the show are one large metaphor. I think I initially struggled with the audio since it wasn’t clear what was tv script and what wasn’t. The formatting was obvious in the ebook and the I was able to really settle in to this story.
An original book which highlights important social issues and meant this was a winner for me.
There are two things that I especially enjoyed about the book. The first is the way it highlighted the reality of being Asian in America. Part of this is the feeling of not really belonging, as if the only true Americans are Black or white. Another part is the racism that Asians face, and Yu skewers so much of it - the limiting stereotypes, the crude casual racism, the fetishisation and more.
The other aspect of the book I admired was the structure, the way the author took two seemingly disparate elements and wove them together. The first element is the straightforward narrative of Willis Wu - his parent’s backstory and his own personal life. The second element is scripts from a tv series called White and Black, a police series set around Chinatown. Willis begins as “Generic Asian Man” but hopes to work his way up. Of course these scripts and his aspirations with the show are one large metaphor. I think I initially struggled with the audio since it wasn’t clear what was tv script and what wasn’t. The formatting was obvious in the ebook and the I was able to really settle in to this story.
An original book which highlights important social issues and meant this was a winner for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
noelanig's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual assault
mandkips's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Dementia
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Suicide
ophelia_reads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The form of this novel is as interesting as its subject matter. If you’ve never read a screenplay before, it might take some getting used to, but I loved how Yu borrows from that format to tell this story. As so often is the case, that “confine” of structure breeds a creative flexibility that warps and blends the flow between screen and real life. In a moment when so many are taking interest in AAPI stories, maybe for the first time, this is a great fiction work to add to the TBR stack.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism