Reviews - Disorientation | The StoryGraph

3.21k reviews for:

Disorientation

Elaine Hsieh Chou

4.02 AVERAGE

kliaw's review against another edition

3.75

mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A bit cartoonish but overall an enjoyable read: twisty enough to maintain attention

The little mysteries pop up and are resolved relatively quickly, but new ones pop up to continue the forward momentum of narrative

The main character is kind of dumb for a while and the author does not understand the mechanics of doing a PhD

Do they say the title in the book? No

jenche's review against another edition

3.0

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

i feel like this may have worked better for me if ingrid was in undergrad and not a phd student - she felt very naive and immature to me and her revelations about racism just felt very surface level, like…shit my friends and i were thinking about when we were in college. idk even the mystery aspect of it was just fine to me but not that twisty or surprising aside from the central premise

mollynelsonregan's review against another edition

4.75

challenging emotional funny reflective medium-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

A wry and irresistible novel that touches on cultural appropriation, performative activism, and the battles of academia.

katiekull's review against another edition

2.0

challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I can’t remember why I had requested this from the library. I waited for forever and when it was ready I couldn’t even remember what it was about. Once I got into it I learned pretty quickly. It was fine I think it was pretty repetitive and predictable. I wouldn’t not recommend it but I wouldn’t go out of my way to tell someone to read this unless they’re really looking for books that specifically discuss racism.