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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
I’ve cheekily joined a second library here in the US the week before I leave just to borrow this book…
“Shanghailanders” is a clever book about family dynamics. It’s kind of about marrying the wrong person too There are lots of layers of meaning. It works backwards, beginning in 2040 & winding its way back in time. Each character is surprising & the twists of the relationships feels fresh.
I found the use of the future quite comforting. Min doesn’t make the future a hellscape, rather presenting something familiar. It was good to avoid dystopia. The world felt slightly more politically stable, enabling a globalism which the family slotted into & which added brilliantly to their intricacy.
The 3 children are carefully constructed, often vile, but very compelling to read about. I found Kiko particularly difficult, with her desire to be desired & her lack of fear which was presented so closely to her role as the baby. This brought forward the vulnerability of young women as something that would only increase in the future with tech/ trends. The dynamics between the sisters, compared to their relationships with their parents, showed how multifaceted people can be, even in their family space.
Privilege was a major theme. The wealth the characters had access to made the story more interesting, grossly glitzy in places. The freedom that comes with wealth seemed to pry itself into the relationships, rotting them.
The way the book worked backwards was a cool device, especially when including young female characters. It made me reflect a lot on how situations develop, where they stem from & the conditions that feed them.
I also loved the fact that the family’s global perspective allowed language to play a role in how they relate, with Japanese being used between mother/ daughters, French used with the grandma, English used in the younger generation. It reminded me of the themes of the last book I read, about how different languages give more than just words.
A really cool story which I absolutely ripped through, though with a sad ending (beginning?).
Shanghailanders is a great debut. The story details the lives of one particular family, spent over the course of several decades and a bit of different countries as well. The novel is unique in a couple ways - rather than tell the story progressively, we instead start in 2040 and work our way backwards to 2014. This makes each chapter feel a bit like a mystery needing to be solved, since we know we will only be receiving more backstory. However, the other unique element is each chapter focuses on a different character within or around the family. This makes it so the backstory we get is only ever a partial answer to the questions raised in the previous chapter. I found this concept intriguing, though honestly I'm not sure it added enough to be worthwhile. Shanghailanders was an interesting read to me based solely on the characters and quality of writing, not the unconventional storytelling structure. And of course I can't avoid a good family drama.
Juli Min is a strong writer with great depth of character, she is skilled at capturing both diverse personalities and the human condition more broadly. For those reasons, I look forward to reading her future novels.
Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the e-arc.
Juli Min is a strong writer with great depth of character, she is skilled at capturing both diverse personalities and the human condition more broadly. For those reasons, I look forward to reading her future novels.
Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the e-arc.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first half was stronger than the second imo
i was drawn in initially but ultimately, i don’t understand the point of this book. if the backwards storytelling had any reveals in terms of plot line or character growth, i missed it.
2.25 stars.
2.25 stars.
my least favorite book this year 😭
i really wanted it like this one but it’s just ok
i wanted more from each person 🧍🏼♀️
i really wanted it like this one but it’s just ok
i wanted more from each person 🧍🏼♀️
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated