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Thank you Netgalley, Soho Press and Sandi Tan for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.
Well, I do have a hard time to collect my thought on the book. First of all, I would have loved to read the Author's Note before I read the book - the plot would be more clearer and I would better see what the author tried to achieve. The story made much more sense after I read the Author's Note.
While reading Lurkers, I was always confused what and who the story was about. Were it two Korean girls who lost their father and were about to lose their life in America as their moms want to go back to Korea? Or was it a elderly author living across the street seeing ghosts and contemplating about his past? It was interesting at part, but very confusing overall.
Well, I do have a hard time to collect my thought on the book. First of all, I would have loved to read the Author's Note before I read the book - the plot would be more clearer and I would better see what the author tried to achieve. The story made much more sense after I read the Author's Note.
While reading Lurkers, I was always confused what and who the story was about. Were it two Korean girls who lost their father and were about to lose their life in America as their moms want to go back to Korea? Or was it a elderly author living across the street seeing ghosts and contemplating about his past? It was interesting at part, but very confusing overall.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy!
I think I would read short stories by Sandi Tan. Sometimes, I enjoyed the way the author described characters’ actions, their thoughts, and perceptions.
But only sometimes, and in small doses.
As a novel, Lurkers aimlessly drags on, with little direction or any sense of a plot. The book lacks a clear conflict, yet it’s not exactly a character-driven story, either. There is an attempt to incorporate the supernatural in a mundane way, but sadly, the keyword here is “attempt”. It felt lackluster and out-of-place. At times, it feels like an irreverent joke. Perhaps that was the intention?
Throughout the story, I could not care about the characters, at all. I think I was supposed to find Mira and Rosemary’s banter endearing or funny, but I never did. The shifting POVs also do the book a great disservice. Just when I’m starting to faintly care about what is happening for a particular character, the author lurches me back to another character’s POV, and the moment is gone. When I return back to them, I could not care less. This, as a novel, is sadly a no for me.
I think I would read short stories by Sandi Tan. Sometimes, I enjoyed the way the author described characters’ actions, their thoughts, and perceptions.
But only sometimes, and in small doses.
As a novel, Lurkers aimlessly drags on, with little direction or any sense of a plot. The book lacks a clear conflict, yet it’s not exactly a character-driven story, either. There is an attempt to incorporate the supernatural in a mundane way, but sadly, the keyword here is “attempt”. It felt lackluster and out-of-place. At times, it feels like an irreverent joke. Perhaps that was the intention?
Throughout the story, I could not care about the characters, at all. I think I was supposed to find Mira and Rosemary’s banter endearing or funny, but I never did. The shifting POVs also do the book a great disservice. Just when I’m starting to faintly care about what is happening for a particular character, the author lurches me back to another character’s POV, and the moment is gone. When I return back to them, I could not care less. This, as a novel, is sadly a no for me.
Summary for myself: three households residing on one adorably-named street near LA (a Korean-American family with 2 teenage daughters; an aging, persnickety writer; a mother and daughter) intersect in often unexpected ways.
Sandi Tan's Los Angeles is a murky, mysterious place of conflict and possibility, where every man conceals unpleasant violence and every woman has complicated feelings about said violence. It is immensely clear that the author is a filmmaker: her omniscient voice reads exactly as a camera's sharp lens, capturing the faintest tactile and emotional details in a way that does feel, indeed, cinematic. But I stopped noticing the cinematic-ness of it about a quarter of the way through and was just drawn in by the characters -- although none of them were exactly pleasant, I still felt concern or care for them and wished nothing bad to befall them. Tan's filmmaking background is also evident in how well-paced this book is, as well as how satisfying (although open?) the ending reveals itself to be. No sooner had I started thinking, "what's the purpose of this character," or "will we really never get to see the hidden depths to this other character that doubtless exist," those questions were answered, and the answers made so much sense.
This book is much heavier than I had expected it to be, and at multiple points, an extremely difficult, even unpleasant read. There is sexual violence; racism; the creeping, ominous progression of pedophiles who are experts in their field (grooming children and adolescents); apathy; parental or filial sorrow; explosions literal and metaphorical. It was also very funny, and I found myself highlighting jokes more than dramatic moments. Especially poignant, though, was Mary-Sue's relationship with her daughter Kate, which reminded me uncomfortably at times of my own relationship with my mother. There is tragedy in this book (primarily in Rose's story and life), but also hope, and the realization that we all have the potential to allow bad things to happen to us -- it takes a far rarer skill, or maybe luck, to be able to stop them.
Lurkers feels like life, enhanced -- the saturation turned up a few points. Of course it's full of lurid coincidences and outlandish side characters, but isn't that what life is? From the painful opener to the almost-too-sweet close (that still ends up being a bit of a tear-jerker), this all felt real, for better or for worse. I wonder if the title describes not people who lurk, but feelings: they wait in the wings of this book, and when you least expect them, they come into the light and you cannot look away.
Sandi Tan's Los Angeles is a murky, mysterious place of conflict and possibility, where every man conceals unpleasant violence and every woman has complicated feelings about said violence. It is immensely clear that the author is a filmmaker: her omniscient voice reads exactly as a camera's sharp lens, capturing the faintest tactile and emotional details in a way that does feel, indeed, cinematic. But I stopped noticing the cinematic-ness of it about a quarter of the way through and was just drawn in by the characters -- although none of them were exactly pleasant, I still felt concern or care for them and wished nothing bad to befall them. Tan's filmmaking background is also evident in how well-paced this book is, as well as how satisfying (although open?) the ending reveals itself to be. No sooner had I started thinking, "what's the purpose of this character," or "will we really never get to see the hidden depths to this other character that doubtless exist," those questions were answered, and the answers made so much sense.
This book is much heavier than I had expected it to be, and at multiple points, an extremely difficult, even unpleasant read. There is sexual violence; racism; the creeping, ominous progression of pedophiles who are experts in their field (grooming children and adolescents); apathy; parental or filial sorrow; explosions literal and metaphorical. It was also very funny, and I found myself highlighting jokes more than dramatic moments. Especially poignant, though, was Mary-Sue's relationship with her daughter Kate, which reminded me uncomfortably at times of my own relationship with my mother. There is tragedy in this book (primarily in Rose's story and life), but also hope, and the realization that we all have the potential to allow bad things to happen to us -- it takes a far rarer skill, or maybe luck, to be able to stop them.
Lurkers feels like life, enhanced -- the saturation turned up a few points. Of course it's full of lurid coincidences and outlandish side characters, but isn't that what life is? From the painful opener to the almost-too-sweet close (that still ends up being a bit of a tear-jerker), this all felt real, for better or for worse. I wonder if the title describes not people who lurk, but feelings: they wait in the wings of this book, and when you least expect them, they come into the light and you cannot look away.
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I guess I just don't prefer this type of writing style but the way the author just glossed over all the traumatic events (like the two child predator characters) was very off-putting to me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicide, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
dark
reflective
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Death of parent, Pregnancy
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
An interesting novel with a strange setting and characters, and rather good writing. A little sad, a little humorous and a little unsettling overall.
dark
emotional
funny
fast-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
Surprised by all the negative reviews. I found this book highly entertaining and thought-provoking, with some really interesting characters.