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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Rounding up for a novel that would be 3.5 out of 5 stars for me. This is Wenke Wang’s sophomore novel and her writing is much more improved over her debut novel, Chemistry. Her execution was more astute and mature. I felt like I was inside the head of Joan as I was reading. This novel is another stab at a Chinese-American woman, second generation, getting her footing in her adulthood, reminiscing her childhood and upbringing, and evaluating her individual and collective relationships with her parents. Wang did a wonderful job balancing the yin and yang of family and career, love and loss, and the story of a non-white female working among white male dominated doctors and medicine. I definitely recommend reading, just note that this is a mild literary novel with light sarcasm and humor. It is not meant to be high drama and therefore is not the most exciting story, but I did enjoy this book quite a lot.
The book isn’t bad, and I think I would have liked it if there hadn’t been such an emphasis on weight. The weight of objects, the weight of people, and it just made me uncomfortable. I didn’t really like how the dialogue was written because of the lack of quotations but it wasn’t too bad.
reflective
fast-paced
funny
hopeful
I love Weike Wang's stuff - typically I don't like reading about my own profession but Joan's mindspace is such an interesting place to be. Dry, cutting, concise, but empathetic is such a tightrope to walk but Wang always does it with magnificent sensitivity. More vibes than plot but this is one of the few boooks that I wished was a bit loonger to show more growth and create more closure
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Unintentional resonance reading this alongside [b:Permission to Come Home: Reclaiming Mental Health as Asian Americans|58950949|Permission to Come Home Reclaiming Mental Health as Asian Americans|Jenny Wang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1644346055l/58950949._SY75_.jpg|92907297], as Joan feels like a character who largely doesn't give herself permission to feel or to take time off... but in some ways, it's because it simply never occurs to her. When confronted about overwork, she's confused about what she would do with all that extra time. I was also largely reminded of [b:Convenience Store Woman|38357895|Convenience Store Woman|Sayaka Murata|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523623053l/38357895._SY75_.jpg|51852264], also about a 30-something single woman whose friends/family expect her to have an interest in pursuing a romantic relationship and professional ambitions when she's perfectly content to exist as she is, to be a cog in the machine because machines need cogs to function.
The novel takes places from fall 2019 through spring 2020, where the COVID-19 pandemic starts creeping in as a side character but not the main focus- I'm definitely curious to see how this time period will manifest in fictional works, and this is the first I've read acknowledging the lurking anxiety and sense of dread the diaspora felt as we read reports, heard from our colleagues (including the, "why worry it's on the other side of the world"), and saw increased attacks on our community. For Joan, though, it's a reason to come back to work after being forced to use bereavement leave for an extended break.
A short read, dry but packed more of a punch than [b:The Bachelor|55655098|The Bachelor|Andrew Palmer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617706912l/55655098._SX50_.jpg|86787188] which might be the last literary fiction I read (a year ago).
The novel takes places from fall 2019 through spring 2020, where the COVID-19 pandemic starts creeping in as a side character but not the main focus- I'm definitely curious to see how this time period will manifest in fictional works, and this is the first I've read acknowledging the lurking anxiety and sense of dread the diaspora felt as we read reports, heard from our colleagues (including the, "why worry it's on the other side of the world"), and saw increased attacks on our community. For Joan, though, it's a reason to come back to work after being forced to use bereavement leave for an extended break.
A short read, dry but packed more of a punch than [b:The Bachelor|55655098|The Bachelor|Andrew Palmer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617706912l/55655098._SX50_.jpg|86787188] which might be the last literary fiction I read (a year ago).
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
The ending is too abrupt.
emotional
informative
inspiring
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:
Complicated