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kalldaff's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
4.25
A meandering meditation on loss, whether it be loss of a loved one, a marriage, or a part of oneself. Although convoluted at times, I enjoyed seeing the way Jia Jia's relationships changed through the book. And of course the best part was the fish man (who was honestly very unsettling). I feel like you can tell this is the author's first work, and you can see hints of how her writing is going to develop into books like Ghost Music (which is a masterpiece). Would recommend to folks who like lit fic with weird little motifs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
emmalouisereads's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.75
I really enjoy this author’s writing style. It’s easy to read and captivating.
I actually preferred the reading experience of this one to their other book, Ghost Music, but that could be because I’ve accepted that a lot of mysterious elements will forever remain a mystery with this author.
I actually preferred the reading experience of this one to their other book, Ghost Music, but that could be because I’ve accepted that a lot of mysterious elements will forever remain a mystery with this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Death
hannahleila's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Infertility, and Suicide
Moderate: Cancer, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity
emory's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Cancer
annelihghh's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Grief
lipstickitotheman's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Braised Pork is a novel written in English by a Chinese author that is set in contemporary China. The plot is kicked off with the main character finding her husband drowned in their bathroom next to a picture that he drew of a fish man. Obviously the main character, Jia Jia, becomes obsessed with the fish man and has spiritual experiences about/with him. She journeys through China and Tibet to discover more about the fish man and his connection to her and to her husband’s death. There are emotional and situational resolutions for Jia Jia and other characters that bring them a lot of peace, but the narrative resolutions for the reader are secondary, I suppose—not absent because I didn’t find the ending lacking in anything at all. The narrative is resolved in a way that still leaves the reader with questions, which is something I really enjoyed about the book. In the grand tradition of magical realism, sometimes things just happen: Sometimes there’s a water dimension connected to our own that both takes from and gives to the people who encounter it.
While reading the book, I enjoyed and respected the writing style and narrative techniques overall, but I was occasionally bored and ready for the plot to move on. However, in the weeks since I finished it, I’ve thought about this book pretty regularly. The atmosphere and “locations” Yu created have sort of woven their way into my brain and come to the surface a lot. I don’t know why! It may be the way she explores grief, reality, food, intergenerational experiences, complex partner relationships, and, of course, water.
(I wrote this for a job application, but may as well preserve my thoughts here too)
(I wrote this for a job application, but may as well preserve my thoughts here too)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide, Grief, and Death
Minor: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Infertility, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
nixiethepixie's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
read this in one night – which in itself was a lovely experience. i felt lured in to the quiet storytelling an yu presents. the narrative voice felt both stream of consciousness and omnipresent, making it an engaging read for me. at times the narrative voice moved between perspectives, creating an allusive atmosphere. i saw somewhere that the book was described as 'cinematic', and after reading it, that description has some resonance.
i enjoyed the beijing locality, and the gentle but undeniable influence of mainland chinese ways of thinking that exist throughout the book. a gentle mediation on grief, family, journey and selfhood – i felt engaged in jia jia's journey throughout.
it's interesting to observe that the majority of interactions were occurring in language other than english, and between chinese characters in china – as a chinese reader, it was interesting having things shared in english, as i observed a process of translation in my own head as i interpreted or imagined them occurring in chinese/between chinese people. i suppose it opens questions of the role of language and storytelling. made me want to go to beijing, and also travel.
i enjoyed the beijing locality, and the gentle but undeniable influence of mainland chinese ways of thinking that exist throughout the book. a gentle mediation on grief, family, journey and selfhood – i felt engaged in jia jia's journey throughout.
it's interesting to observe that the majority of interactions were occurring in language other than english, and between chinese characters in china – as a chinese reader, it was interesting having things shared in english, as i observed a process of translation in my own head as i interpreted or imagined them occurring in chinese/between chinese people. i suppose it opens questions of the role of language and storytelling. made me want to go to beijing, and also travel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
brea_k_'s review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
hallsifer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I'm not sure I understand every part of this book, but I'm also not sure I'm meant too. It's so wonderfully surreal and dreamy, with a very strange disconnected vibe that genuinely made me want to keep reading. I might revisit it to find things I missed on the first read through! I would definitely reccomend to people that enjoy Murakami novels, it's got the same otherwordly feeling in parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Minor: Cancer