Reviews

Nights When Nothing Happened by Simon Han

hpnyknits's review against another edition

3.0

2.5. There is a story here that needs to be told, but pages and pages of minutia, (yes, nothing happens) turned me off. When things finally happen, and prove how horrible people are to immigrants, just because they are different, it gets buried.

agibson211's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

pinebluffchick's review against another edition

2.0

This book proves disfunction isn’t culture specific. After reading this, nothing happened of interest at nights in this story. All of the characters (even the 5 yo bully) lack moral fiber. Gave it ⭐️⭐️ simply because a book has to dog gone terrible to get ⭐️.

jenlyn's review against another edition

3.0

A quiet, introspective look at a small family dealing with everyday life.

yyss6688's review against another edition

The family's sleeplessness is a metaphor for their experience of the American Dream; their immigrant existence is a constant, surreal state of semi-consciousness, a low-grade nightmare they can't wake up from.

maryleong's review against another edition

2.0

2.5/5. This novel starts strong with a compelling tale of the immigrant experience, trying to make a home and family in Plano, Texas. However, the plot falters midway through the book and doesn't get better. The storyline and drama feels disjointed and forced, and the character development felt one-dimensional and inauthentic.

jess_is_currentlyreading's review against another edition

4.25

i dont even want to summarize anything i just want to complain about these characters. they werent poorly written i just didnt like Annabel or the dad. in fact this story was well written and i had highlighted some passages before i switched to the audiobook

annabel is such a brat for a 5 year old and has so much attitude it's hard to care for her. i couldnt understand how her parents would let her behave like that. and the dad not even doing anything???? then

becoming a drunk and beating up somebody which ruined any sense of normality!!!

he doesnt even do his JOB really anymore then complains his wife is working too much??? 

i wanted the best for this family and i think thats why im giving it a high rating. the author really pulled me in which i think was aided by the audiobook. 

melloftheball's review against another edition

4.0

Simon Han’s Nights When Nothing Happened is the beautiful and complex story of an immigrant family and how things can quickly go awry when they’re misunderstood. The prose is deeply engaging and is easy to see when you close your eyes. I highly recommend listening to this on audiobook!

lincognito's review against another edition

3.0

I loved the character of Jack, but overall this novel was extremely bleak to me, and I had s hard time relating to the other characters or the story.

lunaseline's review against another edition

2.0

Jag har inga problem med att - trots att det kan låta lite simpelt eller barnsligt - ge en bok dåligt betyg för att "inget händer". Här blir detta dock något problematiskt, eftersom titeln redan avslöjat denna omständighet...
Boken handlar om nätter (och några dagar) när inget händer. Och det är inte särskilt intresserat, föga förvånande.
För att ej vara alltför orättvis kan jag dock intyga att Han skriver en personlig historia, på ett personligt sätt. Och har du inte, som jag, redan läst Transcendent Kingdom, Little Gods, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Miracle Creek, The Leavers Girl in Translation o.s.v. , där grejen med en immigrant-mamma (och ibland pappa) harvas runt ur första/andra-generationens-invandrar-perspektivet och exotifieras genom någon personlig eller privat konstighet föräldern har... så kanske den här boken känns ny och givande. Jag är fördomsfull nog att tänka att jag redan har läst det, fast i böcker där det hände (marginellt) mer.
Greppet att ge lillasystern, istället för främst föräldern, konstigheten var eventuellt nytt, men att ge henne en egen röst i boken fungerar halvdåligt - för mig är hon inte en trovärdig 5-åring, i varken vad hon gör eller säger.
Med det sagt finns det något som gör att jag fortsätter vända blad, och boken är kort nog att inte dra ut på ingenting händer:heten.
Dessutom kan ingen påstå att en blivit lurad - så titeln får nästan en egen stjärna bara den.