Reviews

Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith

lexi724's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

I really loved this book. The way it was written was like a puzzle that you thoroughly enjoy putting together. At first I thought that the "main" character was not fleshed out well, however the end of her story is perfect for the readers to understand her. Her character is not telling the story, rather it is a vessel for the narrator to do it. I thought this was a really lovely writing style and I enjoyed how realistic each character was in their flaws. The Vietnamese folklore came to life.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault

danielles_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

What is this book!! Wow, I really enjoyed the puzzle of it--trying to figure out the links between each POV character, as well as the order in which things happened, the purpose of things happening, and what was going to happen next was so damn fun. I'm not a huge murder mystery reader, but I really love puzzling through this kind of story. It was just vague enough for me to go "huh???" throughout the first half, but clear enough for everything to start coming together and really making sense during the second half to the point that I could predict some of the reveals just before they happened (monumental for me lol).

The ending was a little unsatisfying considering how open-ended and vague it was. But SO MUCH else was revealed during the last 50ish pages that my mind is still reeling. I'm still thinking through all the connections between the characters, and theorizing what exactly happened.

I'm pretty sure Binh is Ma's daughter's daughter (who was conceived through her dad raping her), but that was never outright confirmed. But it makes a lot of sense as to why Binh's spirit started inhabiting people's bodies at Ma's house. Though I'm still a little confused on what happened with Ma's daughter's mother-in-law, Bà. I'm pretty sure Binh was inside the dog but was she somehow also controlling the grandma? Her eyes were all glassy too but the ending made it seem like she could only inhabit one body at a time. But really, what happened to Long and Winnie in the end?? I like to imagine that Winnie found her way back to that dog and that was actually her in the end.

 

There were a lot of characters that I can't really figure out the significance of, which kind of makes their chapters feel like wasted page time, but I feel like there has to be some link there that I'm missing. Every chapter seems to have at least a basic link, but it doesn't seem like enough to justify a whole chapter to me.

Louis Lejeune had a hair with the name "Yen" is his sexual conquest book. The last chapter reveals Ma's daughter's name to be Yen--is that her? Is Louis actually Binh's father? What's the significance of the French guys' POVs, other than them burning alive causing the rubber plantation to fail and become infested with snakes? Were their spirits going around inhabiting people with Binh as well? And what is going on with the smoke and the big mouths?! What is that?? And why all the time spent on the Cooks and the other English teachers at the Achievement! Academy when that didn't really play any part in the story (other than being a vehicle for Winnie to briefly meet Second Assistant?).

The book also seems to have a lot to say about animals (specifically contrasting snakes and dogs) and body image. Honestly I'm not really sure what exactly it's saying (lol), but there's definitely emphasis on those. The snakes seem to be a motif, perhaps contrasting against dogs that are seen as pets but are actually a vehicle for "evil" in this novel. Body image is a little simpler, as Winnie feels so out-of-place in her body that she is willing to leave it and feels more comfortable in other forms. 

The characters weren't likeable at all here (literally every single one does awful things without any redeeming qualities), which is usually an issue for me, but the atmosphere and plot puzzling were so damn interesting it kept me intrigued. The prose really made Vietnam come alive, with its humid weather and motorbikes everywhere. 

Though honestly I am still kind of confused, lol. I feel like I'll be thinking about this book for a while. I kind of want to reread it to see all the details I missed the first time! This book would definitely make a GREAT book club discussion, where everyone can share their theories!

foxandkit's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is one of the most insane books I've ever read, and I mean that as a compliment. Even when I was struggling halfway through the book to follow the links between all the characters, I was having the best time delving into the sheer craziness of what was transpiring. If you love a book where there are many intricate threads to follow and connect, this is definitely a book for you. Be careful in terms of gore/ body horror if that's something that upsets you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Body horror

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Eating disorder

duckieeereads's review against another edition

4.0

bodies linked through violence, linked through nature, linked through love // what a wonderful weird journey

jgkubik's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Amazing novel with complex stories and characters that all intertwine to assemble the puzzle as the book progresses. The story use elements of history, folklore, and current sociological concepts to tell a story around self, revenge, and mystery

dre_'s review against another edition

4.0

Ghost story / murder mystery / inter generational conflict / adventure / snakes / shape shifting - fun!!

katie_burgert's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

thebechdelbitch's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Well I really just feel like I need to read this again, in physical form with the words written on the page so I can properly work out what was going on. What I did understand I absolutely loved though. I've never read anything like this before. 

anyajulchen's review against another edition

3.0

La idea es buena, pero la ejecución fue torpe. A veces era difícil entender qué hilo de historia seguíamos o distinguir a los personajes.
El final me dejó más confusa de lo que pensé.

bookwormclare01's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0