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pianorunner421's review against another edition
3.0
This was not an easy book to read and yet it was a gripping (albeit somewhat depressing) story. This is one of those books I read within a couple of days but the message is going to stick with me for a long long time. I think I will keep reflecting on the points she makes about parenthood, what happens to us as children and the difficulties of being an immigrant in America who came with different cultural norms as well as hidden secrets. This would be a fantastic book for a book club. I really found myself wishing I had others to talk to while I was reading it. I will say that I do not recommend this book if you are not in an emotional place to deal with heavy topics and unpleasant interactions between characters. This one left me feeling pretty down.
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
5.0
I haven’t been this emotionally destroyed by a book since [b:A Little Life|22822858|A Little Life|Hanya Yanagihara|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1446469353s/22822858.jpg|42375710]. And I’m having the same struggle now as I did then—how do you recommend a book that is so crushingly sad? How do you justify encouraging people to read a story certain to devastate them?
I don’t know the answers to those questions, but I am recommending this book anyway. The writing is near flawless. The main character’s painful life and personal failings make me want to weep with empathy. Life can be so, so hard, can’t it? What Munaweera does so brilliantly—and what Yanagihara did with A Little Life—is demonstrate how our past determines our future. Pain in the past does not disappear; it lies in wait, ready to spring back years later with renewed force. People do not make terrible, haunting choices in a vacuum. There is always a way in, a route to understanding, with a deft and sensitive writer as a guide.
My heart is still bleeding, but I’ll be reading everything Munaweera writes from now on.
With regards to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance copy. On sale February 16.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
I don’t know the answers to those questions, but I am recommending this book anyway. The writing is near flawless. The main character’s painful life and personal failings make me want to weep with empathy. Life can be so, so hard, can’t it? What Munaweera does so brilliantly—and what Yanagihara did with A Little Life—is demonstrate how our past determines our future. Pain in the past does not disappear; it lies in wait, ready to spring back years later with renewed force. People do not make terrible, haunting choices in a vacuum. There is always a way in, a route to understanding, with a deft and sensitive writer as a guide.
My heart is still bleeding, but I’ll be reading everything Munaweera writes from now on.
With regards to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance copy. On sale February 16.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
meermollusk's review against another edition
5.0
This book is not at all what I thought it would be, but it completely blew me away. This is a deeply emotional, sad and haunting story that will stay with me for a long time.
mrspenningalovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
What a disturbing read! I was hoping this book would be more enlightening into the Sri Lanka/American culture clash, but instead found a story that explores how a broken childhood ruins the protagonist's emotional and psychological state of mind. I couldn't put it down like one has to check out a car crash! Very tragic, yet captivating.
zoes_human's review against another edition
5.0
Dark, beautiful, horrifying. I am damaged and forever changed.
aclancy974's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
Unsettling but could not put it down. Nayomi’s writing style tells the story in such a unique way, drawing an incredibly complex story together with ease, despite each event being so deep.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Murder
merp_'s review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-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
3.25
esquires1214's review against another edition
5.0
This was absolutely beautiful and horrific at the same time. Munaweera's writing is beautiful and poignant. The story is intriguing and gripping and I keep thinking about the story and all the different layers to the story and her life. You know the ending from the first page and as terrible and horrible as it is to know the outcome, I could not stop reading to find out what happens. I can tell it's one that will stay with me for awhile.