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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
i had no idea how this book could possibly come to a neat ending, but the conclusion was so, so satisfying
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An undocumented immigrant arrives in NY, pregnant and indebt to smugglers. The story succeeds both in terms of the immigrant experience and as an exploration of what it means to be a mother.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's not that Deming was unlikeable, which he was, it's that he wasn't particularly interesting(at all). His complaints and desires and thoughts are consistently superficial, even with intensified subject matter that deepens in complexity. Similarly, I wasn't satisfied with the relationships he built as the book concluded.
This is a strong three-star book, so I'm rounding up. Totally new story about adoption, immigration, otherness, and more, from a Chinese perspective. I thought the first half was a bit too slow-moving, but I really enjoyed how the book came together at the end. Definitely a fresh read.
A beautifully crafted story about why we move or why we stay, what we hope for and what we do with what we get, and how our lives turn with others. I loved that although this is in many ways a new classic for Asian American literature, this wasn't a story about being specifically Chinese, in the way many other works on racial minorities will focus on their specific experiences. It certainly highlights the injustice, inhumanity, and exploitation of deportation in America, bringing Asians into a conversation overly dominated by Latinx voices - but the message about what voluntary or forced movement does for people's relationships and lives is one for all Americans to connect with... I actually think that although America has often touted itself as a land of opportunity, Ko shows that the American dream exists in many different places, for all people.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*spoilers* The premise of this book is interesting and politically relevant: An undocumented immigrant carves out a life in the US with her biological son and found family, but her newfound stability is shattered when she is deported back to her hometown in China and separated from her son. I found this book to teeter on the verge of captivating for nearly the entire plot… the characters were complex and very well-crafted, but the plot was almost predictable? It seemed like the deportation was supposed to be a point of mystery and thus a surprising revelation when it is finally openly discussed, but I had guessed the mother had been deported as soon as she “disappeared” at the beginning. So that plot element lost any element of surprise. The characters are what drove me to the end of this book due to how raw their imperfections and desires were. I liked where this book ended up—ringing true with the concept of “leavers”—but I believe the plot could have been shuffled to be less ordinary. But perhaps that’s the point of this book: To lean into the pain of some immigrant Americans’ “ordinary” and explore the aftermath of when that stability is shattered.
A book about finding out what home means and if you ever have just one.
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes