Reviews - Disorientation | The StoryGraph

3.21k reviews for:

Disorientation

Elaine Hsieh Chou

4.02 AVERAGE

chandranolynne's review against another edition

2.0

dark funny reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I went into this with zero information or expectations, and still somehow ended up disappointed. Maybe it's me, perhaps satire is just not my thing in books. I love satirical movies, shows, and articles, but the two books I've read both just didn't jive with me. I do believe that part of this was the narrator (actually in both cases) because she was very somber and monotone, so I ended up zoning out a lot. But also, it was just SO over the top. I get it, kind of, with the satire that you need those stereotypical roles and relationships, but after a while they are just so grating. It wasn't all bad - there were definitely some funny and witty moments, but overall it was mostly eye-rolly for me.

carly_zimm's review against another edition

3.75

emotional funny 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: Yes

pineapplebunnies's review against another edition

3.75

funny reflective slow-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

Honestly it was such a strange book, it felt like a long indie art film. However I really did enjoy Ingrid and her arc, the characters were all very well fleshed out and really felt like they could be real people. The story played out in an interesting way - all at once fantastical and absurd but also realistic in terms of how it ended for our main character. Overall the wandering story and pacing was my biggest issue with this story, with some parts feeling like internal monologue - essay about racism - random event occurring - back to internal monologue. The prose itself was great however, super funny and yet had a lot to say.

megancholic's review against another edition

3.75

dark funny

booksofannie's review against another edition

4.0

dark funny medium-paced

talknerdybookblog's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional funny reflective 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

Representation: Taiwanese-American main character, Korean-American supporting character, lesbian Vietnamese-American supporting character, Chinese side character, lesbian Black side character, Taiwanese-American side character

Mature Themes:

• Sex
• Cursing
• Drug abuse

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Racism
• Gaslighting
• Emotional abuse
• Homophobia
• Xenophobia
• Misogyny
• Cultural appropriation
• Racial slurs
• Discussion of a side character's attempted suicide
• Cultural appropriation
• Yellowface
• Fetishization of East Asian women becomes a main plot point
• Brief allusion to an adult/minor relationship between a supporting character and his wife (he met his wife in China when he was 27, and earlier, it was mentioned that there's a 15-year age gap between them)

Ending:

The ending is very OTT because the book is satire, but I think it reflects what happens in real life: those who perpetuate oppression through a "free speech" narrative are rewarded, whereas those who call out oppression - white supremacy - are punished by institutions (and the people who want to uphold it). <b>Disorientation</b> ends with Ingrid having dropped out of her Ph.D. and working a minimum wage job at a hot dog fast food joint. But the author emphasizes that while society might consider this "failure," Ingrid is all the better for it. This is a brief pause as she considers what she wants to do now that she's left academia. She finally has time to rest and heal from the trauma of academia, and she's rebuilding her relationship with her parent and learning their native language. Essentially, Ingrid is on the road to reclaiming herself and her identity outside of the white space of academia.