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yaboirick's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jlightwells's review against another edition
3.0
A family drama playing out in the suburban jungles of Plano, TX, this novel relies on things seen and unseen to advance its captivating plot. The Chengs, a family of four, have lived apart and together in China and in Texas and have different understandings of safety, security, assimilation, and the good life. The youngest Cheng, Annabel, is a sleepwalker and a preschool bully. Her older brother Jack sees himself as her protector and follows her into the night to bring her home when she sleepwalks. Their parents are sometimes absent, sometimes overly attentive, and usually aloof. Over the course of the novel, chaos arises from inaction and the mundane becomes dangerous. Simon Han is a local DFW author and is incredibly gifted. This short novel was poignantly unsettling.
emstripling's review against another edition
3.0
A relatively quick read, the blurb on the inside cover set me up for a story that did not feel like the one I ended up reading. The book begins slowly and gives you the feeling that it’s building to something, which it does but the “something” that it builds to is something unexpected- it feels almost like it builds to become a different genre than what the beginning of the book, and the blurb, were setting it up to be. Han’s writing is beautiful and his descriptions are short and to the point. I underlined a lot of descriptions throughout the book. It was an interesting read about family dynamic where I think Han successfully built the personalities and individual story lines of each character in the family, in a writing style that felt simple on the surface while using third person so beautifully it almost felt like first. Overall, the book was good, but it didn’t feel like the build and the main event matched genres.
hirsch99's review against another edition
4.0
Powerful and sad. Kind of slow and quiet until a good way into the book. While it's not action packed, it's worth reading slowly and carefully as it spends time looking into the inner lives of the characters.
iamkat's review against another edition
5.0
slow burn, but once it burned it got good. I do wish there was more meat to the story though. A lot was left to me to envision.
inkdrinkerreads7's review against another edition
3.0
My final book of 2020, picked up off the back of its feature in Time’s 100 books of the year to read list is, I have to say, a little underwhelming. It’s a quiet (verging on boring) study of a family of Chinese immigrants moving to America in the early 2000s and a kaleidoscopic portrayal of their love in all its many forms.
The writing is occasionally evocative, but relies heavily on subtext, with rather strange narrative ellipses skipping past the more interesting moments of conflict in the book. Han chooses to dwell more on the inferiority of his four family members: the workaholic mother Patty, the aloof, drifting father Liang, detached but caring Jack and the wayward Annabelle- as they navigate through their lives as Americans.
There is something quietly menacing about a lot of the events (or lack thereof) in the book and I appreciated Han’s intentions. However, I found myself on auto-pilot reading through the dense descriptions of mundane daily activities and the meditative navel-gazing. It’s not a bad book by any means but its gorgeous cover belies something a little forgettable.
The writing is occasionally evocative, but relies heavily on subtext, with rather strange narrative ellipses skipping past the more interesting moments of conflict in the book. Han chooses to dwell more on the inferiority of his four family members: the workaholic mother Patty, the aloof, drifting father Liang, detached but caring Jack and the wayward Annabelle- as they navigate through their lives as Americans.
There is something quietly menacing about a lot of the events (or lack thereof) in the book and I appreciated Han’s intentions. However, I found myself on auto-pilot reading through the dense descriptions of mundane daily activities and the meditative navel-gazing. It’s not a bad book by any means but its gorgeous cover belies something a little forgettable.
mamabobo's review against another edition
2.0
For much of this book, indeed nothing happened. The most memorable critical plot point seemed far fetched. The language used aimed to be lyrical rather than explicatory. Felt like a bit of a chore to finish it.
taibreakfast's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A subtle, slow read about the blurred lines between dreams and reality, including the stories/lies? we tell ourselves and each other, dramatized by the 5 year old daughter sleepwalking but exhibited by all family members.
The sentences are lovely, and the whole reading experience is like a hazy dream, or perhaps sleepwalking, watching things happen (or not happen) and feeling a sense of denial or unreality about it. This is paired with our reader's knowledge that our characters are at times completely different people, depending on who they're around.
This theme/atmosphere is nicely encapsulated by the scene with the teacher when she needs to explainthe lone slipper in the pond , and she realizes that, more than the truth, her young students need a story.
Each chapter rotates perspectives between the younger daughter, the older son, their mom, and their dad. Each perspective feels distinct and age appropriate (although I forgot how old the daughter was and was surprised to be reminded she was 5). Aside from the quiet son, the characters are pretty flawed and have fairly unlikeable qualities, but we inhabit their points of view so well that we understand where they're coming from. Hence I voted yes for loveable characters. (Although dang, sometimes I felt at a loss for how one would gently parent the daughter, geez louise! I'm glad we get the moment wherethe mom imagines she slaps her daughter because I needed it!)
Mid-2000s Plano, TX and '50s/'60s & '70s/'80s China were interesting settings. At times, we jumped between the three, but it wasn't confusing.
Maybe because I listened to the audiobook instead of reading the text, but I was a little caught off guard thatthe dad's anger management was going to be the secret that, once addressed, would heal the family . I think by the end, we're supposed to feel that things ended up all okay but I wasn't entirely convinced how, when things seemed so deeply entrenched. That's why I thought the character development could've been stronger, but I thought the characters were otherwise well rendered.
Overall, thought provoking and lovely in its quiet stillness, like the moonlight on the water.
The sentences are lovely, and the whole reading experience is like a hazy dream, or perhaps sleepwalking, watching things happen (or not happen) and feeling a sense of denial or unreality about it. This is paired with our reader's knowledge that our characters are at times completely different people, depending on who they're around.
This theme/atmosphere is nicely encapsulated by the scene with the teacher when she needs to explain
Each chapter rotates perspectives between the younger daughter, the older son, their mom, and their dad. Each perspective feels distinct and age appropriate (although I forgot how old the daughter was and was surprised to be reminded she was 5). Aside from the quiet son, the characters are pretty flawed and have fairly unlikeable qualities, but we inhabit their points of view so well that we understand where they're coming from. Hence I voted yes for loveable characters. (Although dang, sometimes I felt at a loss for how one would gently parent the daughter, geez louise! I'm glad we get the moment where
Mid-2000s Plano, TX and '50s/'60s & '70s/'80s China were interesting settings. At times, we jumped between the three, but it wasn't confusing.
Maybe because I listened to the audiobook instead of reading the text, but I was a little caught off guard that
Overall, thought provoking and lovely in its quiet stillness, like the moonlight on the water.
zid2turnt's review against another edition
4.0
gorgeous writing!! the plot was a tiny bit messy at times, but it was overall easy enough to follow. i would definitely read more work from the author