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tigerlillymelody's review
4.0
The novel in and of itself is like a plate lunch, bringing together disparate stories and genres and aspects of the global geopolitics to create a cohesive narrative.
darah_kor's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
susanm_82's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
littlepepperguy's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, I liked it a lot. The ending is a little lack luster and idk how everything ended up great for them but it was a ride.
I preferred the narration style of the prologue to the rest of the novel. But I get why they were done differently, so for the overall effect of having them differ, I'll concede.
Essentially, this novel is an intense dissection of a families response to an incredibly distressing/confusing/supernatural event across the world from them involving their son (brother, etc.) trying to cross the DMZ in Korea. Which is like big no-no number 1. Especially prior to the peace agreements. It may feel unfocused to some but I really appreciated the context and slice of life you get out of this. You def won't question how any characters felt throughout the book lol.
I liked the supernatural element that allowed some historical context in and enabled a lot of emotions to seep into the book that the modern characters wouldn't be as viscerally connected to.
I preferred the narration style of the prologue to the rest of the novel. But I get why they were done differently, so for the overall effect of having them differ, I'll concede.
Essentially, this novel is an intense dissection of a families response to an incredibly distressing/confusing/supernatural event across the world from them involving their son (brother, etc.) trying to cross the DMZ in Korea. Which is like big no-no number 1. Especially prior to the peace agreements. It may feel unfocused to some but I really appreciated the context and slice of life you get out of this. You def won't question how any characters felt throughout the book lol.
I liked the supernatural element that allowed some historical context in and enabled a lot of emotions to seep into the book that the modern characters wouldn't be as viscerally connected to.
fallenbunny's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
2000s's review
3.75
This book could've been so good man... It's like it was trying to be as experimental as Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, witty as Jenny Zhang, and trippy as Everything Everywhere All at Once. But it didnt deliver on any of that very well because the plot was so off balance in so many ways that I couldnt list them all here. Also, it was too focused on showing off its too-shallow exploration of decolonialism. Like ok, we didnt use italics for non-English words, and we acknowledged the military industrial complex, but where are the native Hawaiian perspectives and the work of actually creating a more just world?
I will note that this book felt very realistic to me despite the poorly executed messiness of it, and in that way, it's kind of a sleeper hit of Asian American literature to me. The food/restaurant culture, the TCM usage, the random nosy aunties and uncles, watching the news with your grandparents, inappropriate humor....so much of it was strangely comforting and reassuring in a way I usually dont see in literature, even though I think the author could have explored certain ideas a lot more.
TLDR, I'm still giving this book 3.75 stars, because reading this was like talking to a very dear friend who is going through a lot, and mostly just needs a sense of purpose, a labor union, and a Ritalin prescription.
I will note that this book felt very realistic to me despite the poorly executed messiness of it, and in that way, it's kind of a sleeper hit of Asian American literature to me. The food/restaurant culture, the TCM usage, the random nosy aunties and uncles, watching the news with your grandparents, inappropriate humor....so much of it was strangely comforting and reassuring in a way I usually dont see in literature, even though I think the author could have explored certain ideas a lot more.
TLDR, I'm still giving this book 3.75 stars, because reading this was like talking to a very dear friend who is going through a lot, and mostly just needs a sense of purpose, a labor union, and a Ritalin prescription.
arainey116's review
2.0
I wanted to like this book, and it had a good premise, it it felt very disorganized.
neonlavender's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0