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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 ⭐️ there are no words for the devastation and pain that is this book. every page was full of torture and heartbreak and horror. i kept waiting for the ending to be wrong, and it never changed. it is impossible to read this and not feel utterly shattered. this is one of the heaviest books i have ever consumed and i am different for having read it. people always talk about what a terrible thing war is, but works like this genuinely illuminate just what level of atrocity it holds. families are torn apart, lives are taken or permanently ruined, and peace does not undo the nightmares committed. i am astonished but i also believe this type of literature is so important and that we need more exposure to these stories.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A captivating, harrowing work about colonization, war, and the loss of innocence that accompanies both. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel; the prose is gorgeous and the characterization makes the reader empathize with even the most morally ambiguous of characters. I don’t think a book has hit me this hard emotionally since Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Warning. Whatever the opposite of a happy-ever-after is, that’s this book. Also, Chan does not shy away from exposing the horrors of war - tw: rape, pedophilia, violence.
Warning. Whatever the opposite of a happy-ever-after is, that’s this book. Also, Chan does not shy away from exposing the horrors of war - tw: rape, pedophilia, violence.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This was so sad and so beautiful. I’m not a big fan of wartime books or historical fiction, but these dynamic characters were just so captivating and i really found myself loving this family and wanting the best for them and their country - and honestly im bad enough at history to have not known how the history part of the narrative would progress so i found myself thrown in to the lows and highs and the hopes and the devastation and just woof. Beautiful and sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, War
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism
Minor: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Pregnancy
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
This was a beautiful historical fiction that explored parts of history I knew a little bit about but enjoyed learning so much more. This is a really difficult book to read because of all the heavy topics discussed but I appreciated the way it leaned into the story it told. Truly beautiful.