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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Joan is a unique first person narrator. As an immigrant in both the US and within her family, she doesn’t quite fit in anywhere until she begins practicing medicine. It was interesting to read about Joan as she dealt with the fallout of her father’s death and her journey of figuring out where she fits in her family and community. I quite enjoyed the time I spent with Joan.
Joan is a thirty-six-year-old doctor at an ICU at New York City hospital. She loves her job and feels safe there. Her parents raised her and her older brother Fang in America, but once they were college educated, Mom and Dad returned to China where they finally found financial success for themselves. After Joan’s father dies, her mother returns to America for a time to visit her grandchildren. The hospital requires Joan to take substantial leave after the death even though she’d much rather work, but she spends some time at her brother’s, hanging out with her mother and nephews.
Fang and his stay-at-home wife constantly let Joan know she’s living her life wrong. They repeatedly tell her that she should come out to the suburbs and open a practice there and get herself a husband and children so she can be complete. I liked that she never felt the need to have a husband and a kid to feel whole. The expectations of women go the other way, too. Her sister-in-law Tami’s parents are disappointed with her for getting an education and then quitting her career to “just” be a mom. Familial expectations, coworkers’ opinions, even the neighbors weigh in because Joan seems just a little too weird living a life without a TV and an active social calendar.
This novel is odd and original like the character Joan and offers compelling insight into what it’s like to be a Chinese-American female, especially toward the end of the book when COVID-19 starts to make an appearance in society and at the hospital where Joan works.
I enjoyed this, especially things like her thoughts on American TV once her neighbor gives her his old one because he simply can’t believe she doesn’t have any of the pop culture references that most of us have.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES JANUARY 18, 2022.
Fang and his stay-at-home wife constantly let Joan know she’s living her life wrong. They repeatedly tell her that she should come out to the suburbs and open a practice there and get herself a husband and children so she can be complete. I liked that she never felt the need to have a husband and a kid to feel whole. The expectations of women go the other way, too. Her sister-in-law Tami’s parents are disappointed with her for getting an education and then quitting her career to “just” be a mom. Familial expectations, coworkers’ opinions, even the neighbors weigh in because Joan seems just a little too weird living a life without a TV and an active social calendar.
This novel is odd and original like the character Joan and offers compelling insight into what it’s like to be a Chinese-American female, especially toward the end of the book when COVID-19 starts to make an appearance in society and at the hospital where Joan works.
I enjoyed this, especially things like her thoughts on American TV once her neighbor gives her his old one because he simply can’t believe she doesn’t have any of the pop culture references that most of us have.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES JANUARY 18, 2022.
I'm all in on on Weike Wang. This was character driven, slice-of-life, quiet - but also somehow a bit dazzling. What a voice.
Started reading this novel without knowing anything about it and couldn't put it down. The first-person character is so well developed, and her quirks while at first were off-putting, the more I got to know her, the more I found them endearing or at least understood them with empathy. The author's ability to perceive language as both a cultural insider and outsider, the way in which people often describe the children of immigrants as standing with one foot in each boat (insecure in each but fully aware of both), allows her to tease out meaning in a way that is unique, humorous, and exciting. Lots to process though. An unexpectedly heavy feeling for such a small number of pages to carry.
Finished in under 36 hours from picking it up from the library so it must have been good.
3.5 stars. I had trouble connecting with this one. It was well-written, but maybe not for me.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Some really powerful lines about grief and finding home in the world. Also a reminder that yes, Covid really was (and is!!!) *that bad*. Took me a long time to read because the subject matter was heavy, but I’m glad it exists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic
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
reflective
slow-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
Jag tyckte så oväntat mycket om Chemistry - att det kanske inte var så oväntat att Wangs nästa inte skulle spela lika högt. Det här är en mer standard "första generationen född i USA-asiat"-roman. Mindre navelskådande och stereotyp än vad de brukar vara, men inslagen av Covidroman i slutet gör den väldigt... been there done that ändå. 3+ på grund av snygg hantering av språk, språklighet och karaktärer.
(Och årsstatistiken över "Vit amerikan" mildras något, så här sista dagen.)
(Och årsstatistiken över "Vit amerikan" mildras något, så här sista dagen.)