Scan barcode
mishnah's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.25
A flawed, goofy masterpiece – I haven't read this guy in a decade or more, but this shares all the flaws and glories of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe; it's mawkish in its sentimentality, about 20% too confident in its gimmicks, but nevertheless tremendously impactful on both an emotional and stylistic standpoint. Sometimes being cringe is good, actually.
dreamer626's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs
fantasynovel's review
4.0
Probably one of the smartest books that I've ever read. I love how Yu utilized the stereotypes of Hollywood to talk about the Chinese-American experience. And so much about the Hollywood stereotypes was hilarious. The dialogue between the cops? Amazing. Normally I don't like surreal books, but I really enjoyed this. I do think that he could have done a lot more with the romance, which was mainly just about how pretty Karen was. Instead of having their romance be a Hollywood stereotype, he could have given it more life to contrast it with the fake world he's surrounded by.
michellechien930's review
5.0
Cleverly innovative and provocative novel/screenplay on cultural assimilation, the minority model, Asian culture, generational trauma, stereotypical roles, and societal racism. Very smartly and punctually written like a screenplay, with life imitating the movies (or the other way around), author Charles Yu plays to his strengths by highlighting the immigrant experience of always being the side character to a greater performance by the Blacks and Whites. I was pleasantly surprised that the author was Taiwanese and incorporated a lot of Taiwan culture in "Interior Chinatown", with the accurate history of the KMT government's move to Taiwan and imposed iron grip on the island, White Terror, usage of the Taiwanese language, etc. One of my favorite books of the year, with amazingly written quotes such as:
“If you don't believe it, go down to your local karaoke bar on a busy night. Wait until the third hour, when the drunk frat boys and gastropub waitresses with headshots are all done with Backstreet Boys and Alicia Keys and locate the slightly older Asian businessman standing patiently in line for his turn, his face warmly rouged on Crown or Japanese lager, and when he steps up and starts slaying "Country Roads," try not to laugh, or wink knowingly or clap a little too hard, because by the time he gets to "West Virginia, mountain mama," you're going to be singing along, and by the time he's done, you might understand why a seventy-seven-year-old guy from a tiny island in the Taiwan Strait who's been in a foreign country for two-thirds of his life can nail a song, note perfect, about wanting to go home.”
“You’re here, supposedly, in a new land full of opportunity, but somehow have gotten trapped in a pretend version of the old country.”
“This is it. The root of it all. The real history of yellow people in America. Two hundred years of being perpetual foreigners.”
“If you don't believe it, go down to your local karaoke bar on a busy night. Wait until the third hour, when the drunk frat boys and gastropub waitresses with headshots are all done with Backstreet Boys and Alicia Keys and locate the slightly older Asian businessman standing patiently in line for his turn, his face warmly rouged on Crown or Japanese lager, and when he steps up and starts slaying "Country Roads," try not to laugh, or wink knowingly or clap a little too hard, because by the time he gets to "West Virginia, mountain mama," you're going to be singing along, and by the time he's done, you might understand why a seventy-seven-year-old guy from a tiny island in the Taiwan Strait who's been in a foreign country for two-thirds of his life can nail a song, note perfect, about wanting to go home.”
“You’re here, supposedly, in a new land full of opportunity, but somehow have gotten trapped in a pretend version of the old country.”
“This is it. The root of it all. The real history of yellow people in America. Two hundred years of being perpetual foreigners.”
go_devils's review
emotional
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ellenclibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This is a 3.5 for me but I’m rounding up because the message is profound. The very writing device that lessened my reading enjoyment is the essence of the book. It’s one of those stick-with-it titles. I both read and listened and I recommend both for the first bit and then switching to audio fully.
nachbora's review against another edition
4.25
Very interesting and strangely written book, but quite engaging and keeps you pondering the interactions of the characters and how those interactions are an analogy to identities.
francescareadsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
xtie's review against another edition
3.0
This really grew on me - the irony felt too tongue in cheek at the outset - but built up and grew to feel exactly like that sour taste that America leaves in your mouth, as someone different and Other