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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this book. It made me think about love and families; how we make and break them, how they evolve.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read this in the depths of despair about what the future may hold, and think about it when you need to remember that doors will always continue to open, and choosing one or the other is and should be exciting! And also, sometimes, maybe, you don't have to choose!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Homophobia
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you take the Relationship (capital R) in this book as a character itself, that's maybe (maybe) the only organic entity I could say I enjoyed. All the parents were messy and products of their own upbringing which should either have been explored more thoroughly or cut. Tan and Omar were personality voids halfheartedly trying to tempt the story in another direction. And Ben and Mike...just came across as loveless robots...where was the pulse?
I was not a fan of the writing style. A lot of the book is written like "and then, and then, and then" which I think is the product of the author telling things and not showing. I get that this is supposed to be a toxic relationship that is mainly surviving because of convenience and the only enjoyment they get from it is sex, but I wish there was more nuance. I actually can't picture how these people were together for 4 years. All of their conversations are boring and don't sound positive at all.
It was fine. I just love complaining but it was inoffensive and its worst crime is that it was kinda boring.
It was fine. I just love complaining but it was inoffensive and its worst crime is that it was kinda boring.
I wanted to love this book, and it had so many nuanced and deeply emotive elements that the story was ultimately very compelling. However, the central romance of the book is so deeply unhealthy and unkind that the author’s romanticization of it is distressing. Their dynamic is indifferent at best, but violently abusive at worst. The characters mention casually having given black eyes, thrown objects, and broken glass. They are callous to one another’s emotional needs and one has repeated affairs. They downplay one another’s trauma and compete over whose life was harder. While the author does connect these tendencies back to their respective childhoods, the book also implies that this is sort of a Great Romance whose elements of tragedy only intensify its importance. Other characters pressure them to try and salvage their once in a lifetime love story, but the story we learn over the course of the book is largely one of dysfunction and trauma.
I'm a big fan of remote, brisk, chilly slice-of-life stories but this was a bit much even for me. Nevermind!
a love letter to cooking and the rough edges of people. surprisingly romantic despite its objections to sentimentality.
I listened to this on Audible app. I think had I read it I would have gotten more out of it. Undoubtedly well written, unfortunately I found most of the domesticity tedious and the relationship between the two partners Benson and Mike difficult to understand. I did however, enjoy the interaction between each man and his family fascinating enough to keep me engaged for the duration of the book. A 2.5 read for me overall.